As you can see, many of our posts revolve around social media and digital natives and technology. Why is this the case? Well, to be honest, technology is what makes the world go ‘round in the 21st century. So in order to stay present and relevant in our world, human resources professionals must adopt these strategies and skills in order to successfully provide services to our clients and ensure that our presence in the industry is known. According to the HR Daily Advisor online, business analysts predict that up to 30% of workers in industrialized countries will be telecommuting within just a few years. (http://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/current-trends-of-telecommuting/) What does this look like for your business? Do you currently offer telecommuting as an option? Why or why not?

Telecommuting does have its benefits for companies as well as employees. Here are a few:

Business Perks

• Decreased costs in utilities and building maintenance for office
• Money saved on increased productivity and decreased absences
• Reduced turnover due to higher employee morale and flexibility

Employee Perks

• Elimination of commute time
• Flexibility
• Higher standards of productivity to prove that telecommuting is worth it for the employer

So what are the latest trends in telecommuting? Here’s what that looks like!

1. Employees are willing to sacrifice other benefits in favor of telecommuting as an option

2. Increase in telecommuting for government employees

3. More common in various fields – i.e. science and engineering (not just human resources consulting and customer service call centers and tech geeks)

4. Many employers and employees view telecommuting as a way to benefit the environment – less fuel emission, less wear and tear on roads/highways, etc.

5. Employers that embrace telecommuting are acknowledging the value in technology – after all, technology enables telecommuting to be an option!

6. Shared workspaces in the office are becoming more common (and acceptable) as many employees are not in the office 40 hours a week as they were in a traditional workforce.

7. In less than 10 years, telecommuting has moved from an unusual perk to a common benefit offered by many employers.

“The major work of the world is not done by geniuses. It is done by ordinary people, with balance in their lives, who have learned to work in an extraordinary manner.” – Gordon B. Hinckley