Telecommuting is presented as talent management of the future, but the truth is it is already a reality

By Fabio Boggino for staffingamericalatina

Taking into account that Organizations are basically “people communicating” we can infer that the most important thing for a Company are neither its products or services, nor its buildings or achievements; the most valuable Asset companies have are their “Employees” and the happiness of these employees with their jobs must be considered an economic value for an organization to be better than another in economic and social terms.

The Organizations that have the best employees, are, without any doubts, the best Companies; because the quality of an organization is based on the combination of attitudes and aptitudes (in that order) of the people it hires and maintains. Companies need to develop and recruit talent on a permanent basis in order to be successful and must enable talented employees to increase their contribution’s capacity to the maximum. That is what makes the difference.

Consequently, obtaining, developing and fostering loyalty among competent employees is a key element to achieve and maintain the success of the entire organization. A worker is considered a talent value when he/she is one of the best in his/her job and when he/she is difficult to replace due to his/her level of specialization and experience. This makes that persons a critical resource and the effort the company has to make to retain or foster his/her loyalty is far greater.

Young and qualified employees’ turnover is currently one of the main causes of concern for HR departments, as they cannot find mechanisms to retain those employees. It is no longer enough to attract and retain workers with good salaries, ample benefits, lots of training and clear career plans; besides these items, to foster loyalty among new generations a better work environment is needed, which includes the physical space and good relations with bosses, colleagues and workmates, and a way of organizing work that enables a better work-life balance.

For that reason, many companies are using “telecommuting” programs as a strategy to position their external and internal employment brand, and to stop talent drains. This way, companies present themselves as being characterized for offering labour flexibility alternatives that are compatible with the requirements of the new generations of talents. For those companies that implement it, Telecommuting will be a major competitive advantage.

New generations are demanding companies to adapt to the new social realities. Telecommuting, as an innovative employment methodology, does not only allow companies to “retain” employees but also to attract new professionals who choose to belong to a certain company due to this sort of initiatives. The results of work environment surveys in companies that used Telecommuting showed there is a high level of satisfaction among employees and their bosses with this project, as well as greater commitment towards the organization and higher levels of productivity.

With telecommuting, everybody wins; bosses, the company, shareholders, clients, society, the environment, and, mainly, employees and their families. “Everybody wins” because the amount of time the employee wastes in going to the office is time “Everybody wastes”.

According to a private survey performed by our consultancy Jobing to 200 active teleworkers and their bosses and supervisor, 81% of “Gen Y” people prefer a company that telecommutes to a good salary. Furthermore, the study revealed that companies that apply telecommuting reduce the chances of their employees looking for another job on 74%, which shows that telecommuting is an excellent resource to retain talent.

The reason is that “Gen Y” people change their job every 9 months, in average; however, companies that use telecommuting may extend that period to 2 years. New generations want to have a good income, just as every other generation, but they also want time to enjoy with their loved ones. This is what sets them apart from other generations.

The survey reveals several aspects organizations must consider when creating policies for recruiting and retaining employees:

• When an employee from the new generations is looking for a job, he/she values more a company with telecommuting than aspects such as salary, benefits, training, etc.
• Most young talents want to work less than 8 hours a day, but offer, instead, greater productivity or performance.  .
• New generations of talents have the same demands than previous generations (career, salary, prestige), but they also have new demands such as life quality, a need for permanent coaching and informal relationships.
• Those who know they are talented need to feel valued by their organization in a personalized way. They appreciate more a ticket to go watch their favourite team than a better medical insurance.
•  They see life in a different way and telecommuting is thought of as part of their emotional salary, which is the reason they value it as much as their economic salary.
• Gen Y believes that in order to be productive at work you need to be happy at work. You may only do well those things you love to do.
• The best way to retain talented people is not to pay them well or to provide training or a nice office. The best way is to offer them “the job they like in the place they choose”
• They want “Autonomy and trust but with Responsibility”, which are vital characteristics to telecommute.

The traditional way of organizing on-site work by fulfilling a schedule, expels talent from organizations. As long as companies do not implement Telecommuting, they will see their chances of retaining and attracting new talent reduced.

Telecommuting is not an option, is a path, and soon it will be a need for Organizations, as they will be forced to implement it in order to survive. It is not the employee who stays longer hours at work who is more efficient, but the one who is most motivated to achieve his/her goals. The new generations, who will be the CEO’s of the future, look for a job to live and not for a life to work. That is the reason they do not value salaries in their organizations. There is no use in earning a lot of money if you cannot enjoy it outside work and share with your family and friends.

Work life balance and operative efficiency are compatible and telecommuting is the proof of that.

Fabio Boggino is Director of Jobing Consultores