Telecommuting attracts top talent

With the shortage of top IT talent with high demand skills such as Java, .Net, PM, BA/QA, and PHP, companies are beginning to offer generous incentives and creative benefits to attract potential candidates. While money is always a major motivator, we’re finding that telecommuting for many talented techies (in the ATL) ranks high on the list. Here are the three common responses we hear from candidates who are considering a career move:

I want more money.
I want the opportunity to work remotely.
I want to improve (reduce) my commute (which may also be connected to number 2 in many instances).

When talking to potential candidates about a new opportunity, our recruiters frequently receive comments like “I'm only interested if I can work from home two days a week.”

Telecommuting is not a new phenomenon, but it is on the rise. According to Forrester, telecommuting is expected to reach 63 million employees in the U.S. by 2016. This increase in telecommuting may be beneficial for both employer and employee. In a recent survey conducted by a Fortune 500 company, telecommuters stated they are:

Happier and healthier. Telecommuters said their stress levels dropped 25 percent on average since working from home. Almost one in four said they eat healthier when working from home.
More loyal. Without the trek to the office (a 75-mile round-trip for many respondents – not unusual for us commuters here in Atlanta), 86 percent believe they are more productive. 76 percent of telecommuters are also willing to put in extra time on work and say they are more loyal to their company since telecommuting.
Better balanced. More than 80 percent say they now maintain a better work-life balance.

Giving employees the option to work remotely is becoming a necessity – especially for companies looking to recruit top IT talent. IT professionals want (and may expect) the freedom of working from home, and if the survey mentioned above holds any truth, there are certainly good reasons to implement a telework program (with specific guidelines) within your IT organization.

Comment by Eric Putkonen on August 12, 2011 at 2:03pm: Excellent post and points!

I believe telecommuting will be a benefit that job seekers will demand more and more. I can't tell you have many times that I too have heard, "I'm only interested if I can work from home two or more days a week."

We will see this become more and more prevalent as time goes on. People want to work from home. In fact, MinnesotaTechJobs.com is a new job board trying to get ahead of the curve by addressing issues like this. "Available Telecommuting" is a field employers specify when they post jobs...and it is a field job seekers can search by when looking for jobs. Job seekers can even create a job alert to be notified of when a job is posted with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 days a week telecommuting availability.

Employers should embrace as much telecommuting as possible in order to compete for the top talent.