Employers Ill Prepared if Employees Can't Get to Work
November 23, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – A nationwide survey by Cisco indicates companies may be unprepared to enable the majority of their employees to effectively telework during workforce disruptions such as transit failures, natural disasters, or other situations in which employees can't get to the office for extended periods.
More than half (53%) of IT executives surveyed said less
than half their firm’s employees are currently set up to work remotely, and 21%
said they have no employees enabled to work remotely, according to a press
release. Asked why more employees did not have access to the technology that
would enable them to work outside the office, 38% said business requirements do
not necessitate it.
Only 22% of respondents reported that their current
remote-access solutions have positioned their companies for disaster
preparedness and business continuity. The press release said just 15% of the
respondents listed ‘pandemic or other disaster preparedness’ as a top business
driver for providing remote access to employees, and only 5% listed it as the
primary business driver.
However, the survey results indicate organizations do understand the benefits of telework, as 71% of respondents said employee productivity is a key business driver for providing remote access, and 55% reported that enabling efficient and competitive business operations is a key driver for offering remote access.
Of those who had adopted mobility and remote-access
technology, 62% said it had resulted in increased employee productivity, with 57%
noting an increase in employee satisfaction and 42% reporting a reduction in
overhead costs.
Results varied somewhat by industry, with businesses in
the health care and finance industries being better prepared, in general, for a
pandemic or other disaster situation than those in the retail, education, and
government sectors, Cisco said.