Connecticut Cities Lead National Trend in Telecommuting...

The number of people telecommuting – working from home – in Connecticut is on the rise.

A March 2007 survey of Connecticut telecommuters estimates that there are more than 158,000 telecommuters, up 86% from 2001. And three Connecticut cities – Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven are considered the first, third and sixth of medium-sized best cities for telecommuting in the US.

Why is Connecticut such a trend setter?

Jean T. Stimolo, program manager for TelecommuteCT!– a Connecticut Department of Transportation program that provides assistance with telecommuting, thinks that the state provides a ripe climate for working at home.

The state has good communications infrastructure needed to support telecommuting and it offers a lot of higher skilled jobs that can be performed off site. Other factors include the increasing miles people have to travel to get to their jobs and the substantial cost savings to workers and companies that have a telecommute option.

But as people who work with employees and employers who want to try telecommuting we have learned that there are many different kinds of situations and companies where telecommuting works. There is no one size fits all approach. Telecommuting programs must be tailored to the nature of the company and its personnel.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation’s program, TelecommuteCT!, provides employers with free assistance to design, develop and implement customized  telecommuting programs. The program has professional consultants who will work with employers to identify the kind of jobs that are suitable for telecommuting and help employers work through potential human resource, technology and security issues.

As telecommuting comes of age, “we are learning more,” said Jean Stimolo. Where connectivity was once a barrier to working from home, it is less so today. Business technology decisions made daily to compete in the market place often provide the kind of communication support needed by telecommuters.

Telecommuting has made a big difference in reducing road congestion. The recent survey estimates on an average day telecommuting eliminates nearly 60,000 automobiles from Connecticut’s roadways! The survey was also able to link the number of telecommuters with the distance from their worksites and number of telecommuting days to calculate the following impact on our state:

• 45 million less miles traveled each month
• 540 million less miles traveled each year
• 28.6 millions less million gallons of gas saved each year
• 81,000 tons less tons of air pollution each year

Now that adds up to a lot MORE savings to our health and environment.

 

For more information on the FREE services of TelecommuteCT! call 1-800-255-7433 or see their website, www.TelecommuteCT.com .