Telecommuting: The Benefits of Working from Home

As the simplest meaning provided by Google says, Telecommuting (also referred to as teleworking) is the process wherein an employee is working from home (remotely), making use of the Internet, e-mail, and the telephone.

Being an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor before in a South Korea-based Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) Company/ Educational Institute, I've tried telecommuting more than once, considering the fact that my schedule directly relies on the schedules made by the students. Most of the time, I do this when I'm just making my students' daily and monthly evaluation reports, but of course, still checking on my schedule religiously so I can easily report at my office in case I'm made available on an on-call basis.

Having experienced so, there's no doubt that it is far more convenient to telecommute. I saved the money for my fare and there's no need for me to waste my time and effort going to office and end up doing nothing the whole day, too.

CarInsurance.org recently released an infographic, entitled "The Perks of Working from Home," that could answer most of the questions about the latest trend in telecommuting.

This trend has gained popularity:
From 2005-2012:
US workforce grew just 3%
But the number of regular telecommuters grew 66%

Let us know the reasons behind this trend in Telecommuting.

Here's the full infographic (with the text below):

Note: To enlarge this inforgraphic, right-click > Open the Image in New Tab > Zoom

"The Perks of Working from Home
1 in 10 US workers works from home at least once a week.

This trend has gained popularity:
From 2005-2012:
US workforce grew just 3%
But the number of regular telecommuters grew 66%

64 million employees (half the US workforce) are able to telecommute at least part time.
8 in 10 of those employees say they would like to do so.

What would change if they all worked from home just 50% of the time?

Cutting the commute would help the environment.
86% of Americans report that they drive to work.

Oil saved equals:
One-third of America's yearly Persian Gulf imports.

Greenhouse gas reduction equals:
The environment of the entire New York State workforce never commuting again.

and with an average commute of 25.1 minutes:
A typical worker would save nearly 109 hours per year of commute time.

The extra time out of the car is a good thing:
An average commuter spends $1,500 a year on gasoline:
A half time telecommuter could save $750.

Telecommuting could save money on car insurance, too:
In California, commuters pay 8.4% more in car insurance than non-commuters.

And healthwise, people who commute more typically have greater:
BMIs
Waist circumferences
Blood pressure
Levels of stress

Employees working at home are happier:
8 in 10 employees who telecommute part time feel they have a good work-life balance.

When switching from working in an office to working at home:
The average employee says their stress decreased by 25%.

3 in 4 say they eat healthier when working from home.

A happy employee is a productive employee:
Working from home increases productivity an average 10-20%,

A little telecommuting could keep everyone happier, healthier and more efficient."