By the end of this year, networking and Internet technology
supplier Nortel Networks expects to have more than 10,000 of its
70,000 worldwide workforce using some form of teleworking, writes
Liz Warren
Nortel is taking this bold step because its experiences have
shown that there are sound managerial and financial benefits to be
achieved through teleworking, especially in a rapidly growing
company.
Christian Haas, manager of Nortel's teleworking project, which
is called Homebase, says there are three drivers behind the move to
teleworking.
Staff retention
Nortel faces the pressures of recruiting and retaining staff in
an industry where skills are scarce and human capital is important
to the company's success. When staff began to ask for the option to
telework, it became obvious that teleworking was one way to tackle
those issues.
Haas says staff are mainly looking for more flexibility in the
way they arrange their working lives around domestic commitments.
He has been able to move from the UK to Germany while keeping the
same job.
Teleworking certainly seems to have had the desired effect. Last
year's employee satisfaction survey showed retention was 16% better
among teleworkers than office-based staff, while job satisfaction
levels were 11% higher and teleworkers were 17% more
productive.
Reduced costs
The second driver for teleworking is the need to reduce costs
and get a better return on assets. "Real estate is the second
biggest overhead in most companies after salaries, so moving people
out of the office can bring huge savings," Haas points out.
For example, in the UK, Nortel spends an average of $12,000
(£7,500) a year per employee on real estate. As the company
expands, teleworking provides opportunities for cost avoidance.
On top of that, since many people do not actually spend much
time in the office, combining remote working with hot desking helps
the company to get better use out of its office space. Worldwide,
Nortel estimates that teleworking is already saving it $40m a year
in real estate costs alone.
Staff mobility
The increasing mobility of the workforce means that staff now
need to be able to work productively in any place and at any
time.
This does not only apply to sales staff. The global nature of
Nortel's business means conference calls with colleagues overseas
outside normal offices hours are a necessary part of the job for
many employees. Technology allows them to make calls from home
rather than having to stay at the office until late at night.
In fact, one of the strengths of Nortel's teleworking programme
is that staff are able to use teleworking in different ways. For
example, some work almost entirely from home, making occasional
trips to the office for meetings. Others are nomadic and have
technology and services that allow them to be equally productive
wherever they are. Others work from home for one or two days a week
and have a conventional office existence for the rest of the
time.
In addition, many staff are casual teleworkers who simply want
to check their e-mail when they get home after a day away from the
office or who need to participate in conference calls outside
normal office hours.
Teleworking is an option for almost all staff at Nortel. In
practice, staff consult their managers to determine whether a job
lends itself to teleworking - and whether the employee is
temperamentally suited to a teleworking life.
"Teleworking isn't for everyone," Haas says. "Some people don't
feel confident or they may not have the discipline to do it or they
like the social contact of the office.
"However, among those who have tried teleworking, I don't know
of any cases where people have come back to the office," Haas
says.