Employees allowed to telecommute feel a debt of gratitude to the organization
millennial (born 1980 to 1996) workers. CBRE Canada says that last year, for the first time, there were more millennials in the Canadian workforce than either baby boomers or Gen Xers. “The new, modern work environments are more expensive
— 10% to 20% more than the ones they replace,” says Ross Moore, director of research for CBRE Canada. “But the overall savings are about 15% since office layouts are shrinking in size.” According to a 2012 report by commercial real estate industry
association CoreNet Global, by 2017 the estimated space per employee will be 151 sq. ſt., down from 225 sq. ſt. in 2010. Since launching its Work Styles telecommuting initiative company- wide in 2010, Telus has reduced its real estate footprint by more than one million square feet. Other telecommuting benefits focus on improving the
employee experience. A 2010 survey of Canadian finance and accounting CFOs found that flexible hours/telecommuting tied for first place (with subsidized education) as the top-ranked perk that firms in the industry planned to offer as an induce- ment to attract or retain staff. The Robert Half International survey found that 45% of CFOs surveyed planned to offer it the following year. Telus is moving aggressively to achieve a target of converting
70% of its workforce into Work Styles telecommuters by the end of the year. It starts with providing employees with the proper technology and tools. “Since Telus is in the telecommunication business, it is easy for it to supply us with the latest cellphones and laptops. We can collaborate with others through secure links and share cloud-based files,” says Ryan Bazely, Vancouver- based senior communications manager for social and media relations. “We go through orientation and training. Also there is an
intranet support website containing a shared pool of informa- tion, feedback, tips and insights from all employees working remotely.” Working from home, Bazely avoids
office distractions when he needs to write or respond quickly to urgent aſter-hours calls. There are other benefits, too. “For example, I can also wait for a renovator to come by in the middle of the day to measure my kitchen and then open my laptop at eight that night to finish up my work,” he says. Telus employees have embraced Work
Styles enthusiastically. In a recent poll, it achieved a 95% employee satisfaction rating. In a 2014 Aon Hewitt employee engagement survey, Telus achieved a
score of 85%. Engagement is defined as an employee’s involve- ment with, commitment to and satisfaction with work. Generally speaking, organizations with high employee engage- ment scores outperform those with lower scores. As a bonus, Telus has found a new revenue-generating service
since it plans to monetize its telecommuting expertise by helping clients launch their own systems. Since Telus’ ultimate Work Styles goal is to get 70% of its
employees on board, it tacitly recognizes that telecommuting may not work for everyone. A number of jobs require face-to- face, all-hands-on-deck collaboration and cooperation. As well, some employees prefer working in an office. To make telecommuting truly successful, organizations must
strengthen the sense of trust between employer and employee. The former may fear problems of “shirking from home,” while employees may worry that loss of “face time” will affect their relations with supervisors and could limit learning new skills that could advance their careers. A “select-and-agree” approach may help remove the barriers
and allay such fears. Speaking about research he coauthored, which was published in the journal Personnel Psychology, University of Illinois business professor Ravi Gajendran noted, “An employee not only has to ask for it [telecommuting], [he or she] also has to be approved for it, so that whole process makes it seem special. “And when an employee is allowed to telecommute, [he or
she] feels a debt of gratitude to the organization. [If] it turns out that everyone is getting it, then it’s seen as less special and enthusiasm about it wanes. But if it’s a perk only given to a select group of people, the freedom and autonomy that comes with it becomes valued, and that’s more motivating, which drives up performance and thereby makes the employee a
it takes one to know one At The Mason G
At The Mason Group, we specialize in the recruitment and placement of Accounting and Finance professionals because that’s the world we come from. Whatever your needs, we can help you find your perfect fit, faster and better than any other recruitment firm in Toronto.
Learn more at
masongroup.ca
North York 416-733-9393
Mississauga 905-804-1100
Toronto 416-572-5260
APRIL 2015 | CPA MAGAZINE | 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60