A company's self-help guide to setting up work from home programs

The largest overhead expense for several smaller businesses is the physical location and/or work place. A location is no longer tied to a business, however. Even with employees, a company can have a small physical location. Work-from-home agreements could take a bit longer to set up, but they can benefit both the employee and the company in the end. Source for this article: An employer's guide to setting up work from home programs

Operating from home can trigger effects

It can seem intimidating to allow an employee to work at home for several small company owners. An element of control is taken away when there is a work-from-home arrangement. This scares a lot of new business owners that just want things to go right. Numerous studies and meta-studies have discovered that telecommuting is good for worker morale, makes workers more productive and can be balanced to maintain good relationships for managers.

Taking away the additional money

For business owners, having workers work at home can be a fantastic move financially. An 8x8 cubicle means that employees need 100 to 125 square feet of their own space. Every work place cost is different though. Without even considering upkeep and utilities, it could cost $1.50 per square foot. That means $187.50 a month is spent just on space in the office for employees. Workers may be able to get high-speed internet from employers for less at home while the cost of living isn’t in effect in a work at home situation. Some employees will be more than glad to get rid of the transportation and commuting. It will allow them to take lower wages.

Decide to write it out

When moving employees home or hiring somebody to work from home, there are a couple of options. The best is to do a formal arrangement. Make sure you outline exactly what your expectations are as the employer. The work performed and hours tracked should be listed. Weekly or monthly in-person meetings should be scheduled, and defined check-in points for every project should be outlined.

Articles cited

Business Week

MSNBC

Triple Pundit

Positive Sharing

MIT