‘Web Commuting” is increasingly becoming omnipresent. A Citrix study showed that this is becoming increasing common amongst Americans. It read and I quote:
This survey, conducted by the polling company, inc., found that 23 percent of American workers and 41 percent of small business owners regularly work from home or another offsite location
Our own organization also launched a W@H (Work at home) program which allowed employees doing certain type of work to work from thier homes in case they are unable to come to office for any reason. This implies one thing for sure that with time, we will see less of our employees face-to-face.
This trend makes the importance of proper communication even more important. According to experts, our non-verbal language communicates about 50% of what we really mean (voice tonality contributes 38%) while words themselves contribute a mere 7%. Thus, talking to your employee only via emails, documents or instant messenger means utilizing only about 7% of communication potential and getting only 7% information. Thus, If you not willing to travel at least once a year or devote time to provide constant feedback then it is not going to work for you. Our W@H model has matured to a level where we have employees hired for web commuting only. We see the benefits, but it has not come without time and investment.Â
Web Commuting can deliver outstanding cost benefits, adding the dimension of “outsourcing” makes it more lucrative. However, you must carefully plan your business processes to see if it fits your need and when you are ready, involve experts who can walk their talksÂ
Frankly, I feel that outsourcing companies that sell “offshore staffing” as a service whereas, they do not allow remote working to their own employees, are hypocrites. They sell what they don’t believe in!
