| How much is telecommuting worth to you? People | | | | That's $100/week right there. In the average working |
| have all sorts of reasons to want to telecommute, | | | | year you're looking at close to $5,000. |
| money being just one of them. So when you're job | | | | There are also significant time savings: |
| hunting, and you find a job that allows telecommuting, | | | | Commute: 4 hours/week: You can probably save 1 |
| factor the cost and other savings of this benefit into | | | | hour each day just by avoiding the commute. |
| the salary and overall compensation package being | | | | Increased work effectiveness: 2 hours/week. How |
| offered. It might just sway your decision on how good | | | | much time do you waste at work from gossiping |
| that offer looks! | | | | coworkers and idle chit-chat. Believe it or not you |
| Many people rate telecommuting as an important | | | | probably can save at least 1/2 hour per day just from |
| benefit in their jobs. And so they should. | | | | avoiding that (and that's a conservative estimate). |
| Telecommuting saves you the time you'd otherwise | | | | Then there are the less tangible benefits: |
| spend on the road and the cost of gas for the | | | | - Avoiding the high-fat, -sodium and -sugar content of |
| commute (which is getting more and more expensive) | | | | the cafeteria food as well as the candies on your |
| - and those are just the two most tangible benefits. | | | | co-worker's desk is better for both your waistline and |
| The long list is, well... long. | | | | your arteries. |
| I realize this is not news to most people. Yet | | | | - Avoiding the stress that comes with fighting heavy |
| somehow, people forget to factor these items in when | | | | traffic to and from work in rush hour improves your |
| making decisions on what job to choose. Let's take an | | | | physical and mental health, as well as your relationships |
| example. Say you have two job offers. Both look | | | | with your family members. |
| equally as interesting and rewarding and they offer | | | | - Use the time you're saving to finally start up that |
| similar salaries. But the one with the slightly lower | | | | exercise routine you've been meaning to do. A regular |
| salary will let you telecommute four days/week. What | | | | exercise program will reduce stress, improve |
| does that do for your family budget's bottom line? | | | | relationships, reduce your medical expenses, increase |
| First there's the actual cost savings: | | | | your longevity, and make you look and feel better! |
| Gas: $40/week. Let's say you live 30 miles from the | | | | - Working from home gives you the flexibility to fit in an |
| job and your car gets 25 miles to the gallon. That's | | | | appointment, have the occasional breakfast with your |
| nearly 10 gallons per week you're saving - at the | | | | kids or attend their ballet recitals. |
| current $4/gallon rates. | | | | - Taking a car off the road 4 out of every 5 |
| Clothing: $20/week. Consider the savings on your | | | | workdays does so much more for the environment |
| office wardrobe and dry-cleaning bills. Now that you're | | | | than putting in a couple fluorescent light-bulbs in your |
| only dressing in corporate garb once/week, how much | | | | house! |
| will you save? | | | | - Avoiding public germ-ridden offices reduces your |
| Food: $40/week. Grabbing something from your fridge | | | | frequency of colds and other illnesses. |
| at home may cost you a couple dollars for lunch, | | | | So remember those 2 jobs in the example? Suddenly |
| compared to the $10%2B the cafeteria charges. And | | | | the telecommuting one increases your relative salary |
| those fancy coffee drinks at $4 or more each don't | | | | by $5K after taxes (what's that to you pre-tax?), |
| compare to the pennies it costs to make a coffee at | | | | reduces your workweek by 6 hours, and includes all |
| home. Let's say you save at least $10 on the days | | | | the other benefits above. |
| you don't go in. | | | | Now which job are you going to choose? |