By John Arenas | March 10, 2014

Working Outside the Office Works. Here’s the Data.

An unexpected ROI that makes your employees happy and saves the planet

Here are some powerful numbers that will make you and your employer think twice about coming into the office.

Let’s face it, if your boss is going to let you stay home, he or she will probably want to see some data that supports your argument. According to Global Workplace Analytics, 2.6 percent—that’s 3.3 million people—of the U.S. employee workforce considered home their primary place of work. In addition, telework has had an 80 percent rate of growth since 2005; even through the recession when other work opportunities diminished, telework grew 3.8 percent between 2011 and 2012. These statistics demonstrate how popular telecommuting has become and its corresponding potential for growth.

With that said, it’s likely your employer will want to know what’s in it for the company. Data show that if those with compatible jobs chose to work at home at least half the time:

• A typical business would save $11,000 per person, per year,
• The telecommuter would save between $2,000 and $7,000 per year,
• The oil savings would be comparable to over 37% of our Persian Gulf imports,
• And the greenhouse gas reduction would be equivalent to taking the entire New York State workforce permanently off the road.

Not only will your employer increase their ROI, they can take part in reducing our ever-growing carbon footprint. What’s not to like? These statistics illustrate the “win-win” outcome that drives the National Telework Week campaign.

Even if your boss isn’t quite ready to set you free just yet, trends are going in the right direction to deliver that work-life balance you’ve always dreamed of.