Researcher Touts Telecommuting's Benefits - East Idaho News
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Researcher Touts Telecommuting’s Benefits

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GETTY 10213 Telecommuting?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1380708514969Purestock/Thinkstock(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) — Workplaces should do more to allow their employees to work from home, which helps everyone in the long run, according to researcher Scott Boyar of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Boyar maintains that flexibility is the key to making the telecommuting experience successful and urges upper management not to be so quick to shoot the idea down because of preconceived notions that distractions at home will make a worker less productive.

For example, Boyar says that if there are school-aged children at home, a telecommuter might start their day at the crack of dawn to work a few hours before hustling the kids off to school.  He also points out that working from home minimizes the social aspect of the workplace, which can cut into valuable time.

Another upside to telecommuting, Boyar says, is that it eliminates all the wasted time needed to prepare for and undertake lengthy rides to and from the house.

Ultimately, the success of telecommuting “depends on the person, on the job and on the training the organization provides to do that role remotely,” Boyar stressed.

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