Taking a lazy day and reprinting this article from Web Worker Daily:
Yes, we know. We’re preaching to the choir. Do you really need another justification for your web worker lifestyle? Yes, you do.
Business continuity and disaster preparedness (or COOP in government-speak, short for “continuity-of-operations program”) is yet another great reason to foster a web-working culture, even in the most traditional businesses. FCW.com, the online arm of Federal Computer Week, reported this week about a recent Juniper Networks survey of federal, state, and local government computing professionals that noted in part:
41 percent [of survey respondents] think that telework is so critical to COOP that all employees should telework occasionally as a form of COOP preparation.
This is key: you can’t know your “emergency only” remote access plans will work unless people are using them on a regular basis to do their regular work.
A lot of companies in the Bay Area discovered the weaknesses in their remote access technologies during the commuting crisis a few months ago. Those companies with robust telecommuting policies and technologies in place were able to continue operations without a hitch, even with their employees facing (and rejecting) multi-hour commutes until the highway repair was completed.
So, let’s review: Making web working technologies and techniques a part of your regular workplace routine is good because
- People like telecommuting
- You offer a great benefit without a huge cost
- You can reduce staff turn-over
- You can compete for the best talent no matter where that talent may wish to reside
- You help your employees save money on gas or public transportation costs
- You help save the environment
- It can help you stay in business in the event that some unforeseen disaster makes it impossible for your workers to schlep to your offices.
What’s not to love?