IBM’s telework success story

（Edited by freelance Chinese translator li – English to Chinese or Chinese to English translation services）
Telework shouldn’t be adopted simply to save a company money. The idea has to be a palatable one for employees. However, once a company has that buy-in, it would be foolish not to try to leverage the opportunity to cut costs.

“If for every telework day an office sits empty, the company isn’t strategizing,” says Bob Fortier, founder and principal of InnoVisions Canada, an Ottawa-based telework consulting business. “With office sharing or hotelling, you can really capture those savings.”

IBM Canada has taken this concept very seriously. It currently saves $20 million in operating costs annually and over 500,000 square feet of real estate with its telework program. It manages this by offering telecommuters the option of using its mobility centres, of which there are 13 in Canada. Mobility centres are temporary work areas for mobile or home-based employees who have to be on site occasionally.

Employees call ahead to book a workspace, conference room or standing terminal (used mostly to check e-mail), as necessary. They also have lockers, faxes, photocopiers and full connectivity at their disposal. Though the company has had to expand some of these spaces, they are still substantially smaller than individual offices would be. The centres include designated stations for employees with disabilities, and, in some, concierge services.

“In a company like IBM, it’s particularly important that we have telecommuting options,” says Susan Turner, IBM Canada’s diversity and workplace programs executive. “Future employees are looking for this flexibility.”