The bitter grip of winter has engulfed the Northeast, with seemingly one snowstorm after another pummeling the region and putting much of the workforce in harm’s way. Historically, the immense amount of snow we have received would translate into hours of missed work, but today technology tells quite a different story and one major city is curious to see what conference call services can do.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (News - Alert) and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh are both in full support of the telecommuting trend, especially during the recent bad weather barrage. They are both encouraging people who can work from to do so. It keeps them safe, productive and allows city workers to treat roads and work on getting the city “back to normal.”
The city and state budgets were not built to handle the volume of winter weather this year. This means it will take crews longer to put things back in order and return to safe travel conditions. By telecommuting, municipal workers are kept out of harm’s way. Although telecommuting won’t save money from the budget, it will keep the workforce productive.
Two years ago, then Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick was one of the first politicians to promote the growing trend of telecommuting, as he banned travel on public roads and mandated non-essential state employees to work from home.
The stigma with telecommuting is a lack in productivity, while many do struggle in this venue those with the proper mindset can be just as, if not more productive working from home. Various conference call services like Web conferencing can help a disparate team stay connected, collaborating and efficient.
Only time will tell if Boston and the state of Massachusetts serve as attest case for the country, but it is clear that adoption of more flexible work arrangements in on the rise and the generation of Millennials are not working 9-5 in the office. Instead, they are working when they feel most productive from where they feel most productive.
Edited by Alisen Downey