Teleworking in the ATL taking off! (Atlanta: real estate, vs, transportation)

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Hell my office gave me a phone, and the minute I leave I turn it off and sit on the counter until I get back to work the next day. I'm not working off the clock period. I was on vacation a few weeks ago and one of them had the audacity to call my personal phone while im trying to enjoy some time on the beach. I looked at it, let it go to voicemail. Check the voicemail and this dude is calling saying he couldnt figure out how to do the pivot table report that I do. There are like 100 other people there, i'm sure someone knows.

That’s the problem when common sense isn’t applied.

[TJJT]

Companies like BBDO were giving staff MSDOS computers in the 80s and letting them telecommute via dial-in and that was low-ball advertising stuff.. Telecommuting is nothing new to the region..

[arjay57]

This doesn't surprise me at all.

And I'm giving the younger generations full credit for it.

[b]Here are three reasons remote workers outperform office workers:

1. Productivity

With no office distractions and greater autonomy, remote workers have the freedom to get more done. This is something most people crave. According to a nationwide survey, 65 percent of workers said that remote work would give their productivity a boost. Another 86 percent said that working alone allows them to hit maximum productivity.

2. Teamwork

Despite the distance, remote workers make the best teammates. This is because that distance demands more communication....

More...

Here are three reasons remote workers outperform office workers

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by arjay57

This doesn't surprise me at all.

And I'm giving the younger generations full credit for it.

But then take away credit due to all of the hipster work environments that don’t let people focus.

The best environment provides quiet work space with areas for collaboration, combined with flexible schedules and the ability to work remotely when desired.

[vtecluder617]

Originally Posted by AtlJan

If working from home becomes more the norm, I could see the trend really hurting Atlanta. If your job allowed you to live anywhere in the world, would you choose Atlanta? My guess is that most would say no, aside from familial ties to the area. I would definitely move to the country myself, were it not for kids settled in school here and aging parents here.

Not necessarily. Although I could pick up and move back to MA now that my company offers full time remote for my position, it'd be impossible to find a 3200 sq ft house in a nice, safe, quiet suburb with decent schools anywhere remotely near my old stomping grounds

Plus the weather is nicer here in N.GA

[arjay57]

You know, I was just thinking about the numbers in the OP.

We've taken an additional 58,000 workers off the road in less than 10 years via telecommuting. If we can bump that up a few more percentage points, that would be like doubling the number of commuters on the entire MARTA system without spending a dime!

This is one whale of an opportunity for us. I sure hope we don't blow it.

[arjay57]

This article is a few years old but it's still applicable.

Teleworking is such a great opportunity for us to grab the transportation bull by the horns. More productive workers, less impact on the environment, less traffic, zero infrastructure costs and it all can be implemented now.

Let's keep the ball rolling!

These new [open] floor plans are ideal for maximizing a company’s space while minimizing costs. Bosses love the ability to keep a closer eye on their employees, ensuring clandestine porn-watching, constant social media-browsing and unlimited personal cellphone use isn’t occupying billing hours. But employers are getting a false sense of improved productivity. A 2013 study found that many workers in open offices are frustrated by distractions that lead to poorer work performance. Nearly half of the surveyed workers in open offices said the lack of sound privacy was a significant problem for them and more than 30 percent complained about the lack of visual privacy. Meanwhile, “ease of interaction” with colleagues — the problem that open offices profess to fix — was cited as a problem by fewer than 10 percent of workers in any type of office setting. In fact, those with private offices were least likely to identify their ability to communicate with colleagues as an issue. In a previous study, researchers concluded that “the loss of productivity due to noise distraction … was doubled in open-plan offices compared to private offices.”

The New Yorker, in a review of research on this nouveau workplace design, determined that the benefits in building camaraderie simply mask the negative effects on work performance. While employees feel like they’re part of a laid-back, innovative enterprise, the environment ultimately damages workers’ attention spans, productivity, creative thinking, and satisfaction. Furthermore, a sense of privacy boosts job performance, while the opposite can cause feelings of helplessness. In addition to the distractions, my colleagues and I have been more vulnerable to illness. Last flu season took down a succession of my co-workers like dominoes.

Read more...Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace.

[Born 2 Roll]

New ARC survey shows telecommuting rates nearly doubling between 2007 and 2019

A new survey shows that teleworking rates nearly doubled from 22% in 2007 to 41% in 2019 within the 10 metro Atlanta counties that make up the ARC (the Atlanta Regional Commission).

From What's Next ATL:

How’s this for a commute? A short walk from the bedroom to the home office or kitchen table.

This is becoming commonplace, as more and more metro Atlanta residents are working at least some of the time at home.

That’s according to the latest Regional Commuter Survey from the Atlanta Regional Commission, which found that 41% of the region’s commuters teleworked at least occasionally – up from 22% in 2007, the survey’s first year.

In raw numbers, that means nearly 1.2 million people are teleworking at least occasionally, with more than 600,000 teleworking at least once a week.

Ditching the Commute: New ARC Survey Shows Big Rise in Teleworkers (What's Next ATL)

ARC Regional Commuter Survey Shows Big Rise in Teleworking... Survey Sheds Light on How Metro Atlanta Residents Get to Work (Atlanta Regional Commission News Center)

[Hokiehaven]

Originally Posted by vtecluder617

Not necessarily. Although I could pick up and move back to MA now that my company offers full time remote for my position, it'd be impossible to find a 3200 sq ft house in a nice, safe, quiet suburb with decent schools anywhere remotely near my old stomping grounds

Plus the weather is nicer here in N.GA

Cities will always be in demand across the country. As the biggest cities get more expensive, the next group like ATL will become even more desirable.

It's just unreasonable to live in NY or DC or LA etc

Also not all jobs are going telecommute, mine has been my entire career since 2005, but my wife is just starting to see the potential and it is probably years from happening.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

New ARC survey shows telecommuting rates nearly doubling between 2007 and 2019

A new survey shows that teleworking rates nearly doubled from 22% in 2007 to 41% in 2019 within the 10 metro Atlanta counties that make up the ARC (the Atlanta Regional Commission).

From What's Next ATL:


Ditching the Commute: New ARC Survey Shows Big Rise in Teleworkers (What's Next ATL)

ARC Regional Commuter Survey Shows Big Rise in Teleworking... Survey Sheds Light on How Metro Atlanta Residents Get to Work (Atlanta Regional Commission News Center)

I honestly think traffic would be worse than it currently is if not for telework. Even part time. A few weeks ago, I think it was a Thursday, we were allowed to leave at 3 instead of 5 to go and work from home the remainder of the day due to weather. I think it ended up just being a ton of rain but I was happy to avoid the normal 5 pm rush. I figured it would have been extra bad but when I looked on Google maps, traffic was actually better than normal despite the rain and I suspect a lot of people worked from home that day. The weather wasn't severe enough to cause everyone to skip work like an ice day, but probably bad enough that people said screw it I'll work from home.

We have certain days when we work from home. But, if there's a special situation like weather, or someone has to fix something and you need to be home, sick, etc., you can work from home. It doesn't have to be a full 40 hour work week to make a difference.