Hartford Business Journal

22 Hartford Business Journal • November 14, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com from page 1 one study, the practice has grown slightly more popular in Connecticut, said Russell McDer- mott, project manager at CTrides, a program of the state Department of Transportation that helps commuters and employers with informa- tion and resources for travel options, including telecommuting. When larger organizations like Aetna make such a move, it makes news, he said, but doesn't necessarily mean others will follow. "I really don't think it's going to have a huge impact as to the trends that we're seeing for teleworking; but again, we do recognize that every company … is going to adjust their policies differently," McDermott said. Aetna recently informed employees of changes to its telework policy, with the goal of increasing collaboration and driving inno- vation, according to company spokesman Matthew Clyburn. "We do not plan to end telework at Aetna," Clyburn said, "but more opportunities to work together in person can help make a difference by providing an environment for innovative thinking and sharing of ideas among teams." Other big national companies have taken similar steps as Aetna in recent years, including Yahoo and Best Buy, but overall statistics show telecommuting has become more common. The practice's growth rate, however, has begun to level off, according to a 2015 Gallup work and education poll, which found 37 percent of U.S. workers said they have telecommuted, up from 30 percent last decade and four times greater than the 9 percent found in 1995. Telecom muti ng can range from an hour or two a week to several days a week or more and can occur during regular business hours or before or after. It's unclear how much more prevalent telecommuting can become because it's really only feasible for office workers who primarily use com- puters, Gallup added. It also acknowledged the debate over whether telecommut- ing is more beneficial or detrimental to worker productivity. "The majority of Americans, including both those employed and not employed, believe workers who work remotely are just as productive as those who work in a busi- ness office," Gallup said. The Society for Human Resource Man- agement (SHRM), in its 2016 annual survey of employee benefits, found that 60 percent of companies offered telecommuting, up from 20 percent in 1996. Telecommut- ing on an ad-hoc basis increased from 45 percent in 2012 to 56 percent in 2016, whereas fewer orga- nizations offered it on a part-time basis, 31 percent, compared with 36 percent in both 2012 and 2015. Full-time telecommuting, at 20 percent, has remained consistent over the past five years, SHRM's report said. For Connecticut, the 2014 American Com- munity Survey showed about 4.2 percent of the state's 1.7 million commuters worked from home for the period 2010 through 2014, up from 3.9 percent for the period 2006 through 2010. CTrides is working with 387 companies on commute options, from car- and vanpooling, to public transit, telecommuting and more to try to reduce the number of people driving alone to work, McDermott said. Companies typically offer a mix of commute options to their employees. "Even without CT Rides, most companies are offering some form of teleworking, whether it be large implementation or just kind of more informal, ad-hoc offerings if you will," said McDermott, who thinks telecommuting will continue to increase. "I think one of the primary reasons for that is, No. 1, technology and, No. 2, I think a lot of companies are starting to see the benefits that they can have, as far as recruitment or business continuity and employee retention, especially with the younger generation." Collaboration dictates telework policy Those Who Telecommute — by Education, Income and Job Type % Yes College graduate 55 Non-college graduate 26 Annual household income $75,000 or more 52 Annual household income less than $75,000 26 White-collar profession 44 Blue-collar profession 16 N O T E : W H I T E - C O L L A R P R O F E S S I O N S A R E T H O S E C A T E G O - R I Z E D A S B E I N G E X E C U T I V E / M A N A G E R I A L , A P R O F E S - S I O N A L S P E C I A L T Y, T E C H N I C A L O R A D M I N I S T R A T I V E . S O U R C E : 2 0 1 5 G A L L U P S U R V E Y ▶ ▶ ' I think technology is moving in a way that makes it easier for companies to implement [telecommuting] even if a company is making a more global move to get employees back into the office.' Jim Stutz, transportation supervising planner, state Department of Transportation A s k y o u r d o c t o r w h i c h M R I i s r i g h t f o r y o u D i f f e r e n t M R I s f o r D i f f e r e n t P e o p l e w h e r e y o u r c o m f o r t M A T T E R S Learn more at www.jeffersonradiology.com or call 860.289.3375 to make an appointment MATERIALS HANDLING SYSTEMS 77 Grassmere Ave., West Hartford, CT 06110 860-523-4205 • www.materialshandlingsys.com CALL FOR A FREE SITE EVALUATION

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