President’s Corner
TelCoa thanks U.S. Representatives Jim Himes, Rosa DeLauro, and Elizabeth Esty for introducing the Multi-State Worker Tax Fairness Act, H.R. 4085, 113th Congress. We strongly support this crucial legislation. The bill would finally eliminate the telecommuter tax, a steep penalty often resulting in double taxation of income that interstate telecommuters earn at home. The telecommuter tax unfairly burdens telecommuters and their employers and limits telework adoption. Congress must make the Multi-State Worker Tax Fairness Act law! TelCoa and other advocates are working to secure the bill’s enactment, but we need your help! >>> Read More...
Guest Columnist
4 Great Examples of Telework’s Impact by: Brie Weiler Reynolds As champions of telecommuting and flexible work options for all, we certainly don’t have to tell TelCoa readers about the benefits of telework--we all know and love them. But as organizations like ours work to spread awareness of, and support for, flexible ways of working, it’s really important to remember the individuals for whom we work--the millions of professionals whose lives would be positively impacted by more access to telework and flexible jobs. At 1 Million for Work Flexibility, we hear daily from supporters about why they support the expansion of flexible work options for all. Here are four great examples of why work flexibility, including telework, is vitally important to individuals, to companies, and to society. >>> Read the entire blog at...
Hot Topics & Links
"Working from home not for everyone, but it can still be a 'win-win' for many workers and employers" is an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer featuring TelCoa President Chuck Wilsker and Advisory Board member Diane Stegmeier. For the complete article, > click-here... -------------------------

Telework Benefits

Benefits to businesses:

Reduced real estate needs – Studies show that up to 50% of work spaces are not in use at any given time.  The average cost to provide a place to work is $10,000 per year.
Increased productivity –  Productivity increases average up to 20% with some studies showing an increase of up to 50%.
Reduced absenteeism –  Employers can save up to 63% of absenteeism costs per teleworker.
Increased employee attraction –  Many employees look for opportunities where they can telework at least a few days per week.
Increased employee retention – Many key employees are tired of sitting in traffic and look for jobs closer to their homes.  Some are willing to accept telework as an alternative to salary increases.
Increased employee morale and motivation – A happy employee is a better employee.
The need for a more decentralized, dispersed, and distributed workforce – This is necessary when developing contingency plans for dealing with emergencies caused by traffic, weather, pandemics, or people themselves.

 

Benefits to the employee:

Improved work/life balance –  Employees are able to plan family or other personal events without having the uncertainty of traffic congestion that can cause them to miss them.
Reduced stress –  Sitting in traffic can make anyone’s blood pressure rise.
Reduced commuting and associated costs –  Wear and tear on the car, cost of fuel, insurance, parking, laundry and dry cleaning, work clothes, meals and refreshments and even costs associated with public transportation can be reduced or eliminated.

 

Benefits to us all:

Reduced traffic congestion –  A study done by George Mason University showed that reducing the number of cars on the road by 1% reduces congestion by 3%, and by eliminating 3% of the cars would reduce congestion by 10%.
Improved air and water quality –  A number one source of air pollution is vehicular.  In the Baltimore/Washington , DC area, for example, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, vehicle emissions are the second largest component of the airborne pollution that accounts for approximately 30% of the Bay’s nitrogen pollution.
Reduced dependency on imported oil – Some statistics show that a 20% reduction in traffic would eliminate our need for importing oil from the Mid East and other foreign sources.

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