Benefits of Telecommuters
EDGE has long been a proponent of telecommuting - tapping into the best talent for the job at-hand, without being tied to the boundaries or expenses of finding, hiring and relocating.
Rich Hein, from CIO.com, recently published an article on www.networkworld.com, based upon an interview he had with REAL Software CEO Geoff Perlman. Why Remote Offices Mean Better IT Teams highlights many of the benefits of hiring telecommuters that we see in our organization every day. Perlman, observing the growing frequency of IT telecommuters, conducted his own experiment within REAL Software and offered telecommuting to his employees.
An excerpt from the article:
"Remote employees are increasingly common in the IT field. It's an adjustment that's happening," says Perlman, who has a unique perspective on remote employees having run a technology company for more than four years, employing only remote workers. However, it wasn't always that way. While Perlman was starting his company in Austin, Texas, in 2008 he had only one remote developer who didn't want to leave his native Colorado. As his company grew, and he hired more remote office employees, he became more and more comfortable with the idea.
"I was reading an article about how 75 percent of MySQL developers work from home and I found that interesting. IBM also has huge amount of people who work from home. It made me realize that it was a possibility and I did my research," says Perlman.
After doing his research, Perlman gathered all his employees and hashed out a plan where every employee would work remotely for a month. In that month, they identified tools for communicating and collaborating as well as identified problems that they needed to deal with. The experience made Perlman decide to move his entire operation out of a traditional brick and mortar office and into remote offices."
Perlman found what we, at EDGE, have known for many years. Telecommuters are often happier and more productive.
The article goes on to offer some great advice for finding the right fit and what organizations must do to effectively management this different relationship. Our blog has also covered these topics and we encourage you to go back and read these articles if you are considering hiring telecommuters. Or, if you have hired first-time telecommuters, we have two articles to help them succeed in their new role.
It's Time to Consider Remote Workers, Part I
It's Time to Consider Remote Workers, Part II: How to Hire and Manage
10 Commandments of Succeeding as a Remote Professional
Communication Skills for the Remote Professional
If you have any questions about hiring telecommuters or how they can best supplement your team, contact us. We will be glad to answer any questions or connect you with telecommuting resources needed to support your IT team.
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