Chattanooga: Insurers say telecommuter productivity rises

Friday, August 15, 2008

By:
Brian Lazenby (Contact)

Staff Photo by Tim Barber
Lori Holcomb, a customer service specialist for Unum, works in her office at home in Soddy-Daisy.

 

Ms. Holcomb, 32, is one of about 270 Chattanooga-based Unum Group employees who work from their homes.

A customer service specialist with Unum since 2000, she helped launch the "teleworker" programin 2003 and has been fielding calls from a computer workstation in her Soddy-Daisy bedroom ever since.

"Since I started working from home, my productivity increased 20 percent," Ms. Holcomb said. "I don't have the interruptions that I do in the office."

Marie Clements, vice president of Human Resource Strategies for Unum, said Ms. Holcomb's increased productivity is typical of those who work from their residences.

"We're seeing a 10 to 20 percent increase in productivity from our teleworkers," Ms. Clements said. "On top of that, we see that those employees also have an increased loyalty to the company."

John Sorrow, president of Cigna Healthcare for the Mid-South region, said technology has enabled about 300 of the insurer's 2,000 Chattanooga employees to work remotely.

By the numbers

840 million - gallons of gas saved annually in the U.S. by people working from home.

60 - percent of the U.S. work force that reported in a poll that telecommuting, at least part-time, is "the ideal work situation."

7.4 - percent of U.S. employees that worked from home in 1994.

17.3 - percent of U.S. employees that worked from home in 2004.

Sources: Environmental Leader, Hudson Employment Index and the Bureau of Labor Statistics

"As long as technology improves, it really allows us to provide something our work force has been asking for — a greater work-life balance," Mr. Sorrow said.

Allowing employees to work from home makes them happier and more productive, officials said, which is why Cigna's at-home workers increased from about 5 percent of Cigna's local work force to about 15 percent in the last two years.

"It's a growing trend," Mr. Sorrow said. "For the employees that work at home, it improves their employee satisfaction. It also improves their productivity, so it is a win-win situation."

Amanda Carmichael, a Unum spokeswoman, said about 600 Unum employees work from home. About 45 percent of those workers are based out of the company's local office.

Scott Wilson, a spokesman for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, said the company studied other telecommuting programs before launching its own and learned that AT&T saves about $100 million a year from increased productivity from telecommuters.

"Our employees are excited about the possibility of enhancing our current program because, besides alleviating the strain of high gas prices and reducing auto wear and tear, telecommuting can give employees more of another precious resource — time," he said.

Mr. Wilson said Blue Cross Blue Shield will expand its work-at-home program when employees move into the Cameron Hill location next year.

Ms. Holcomb said she often works in her pajamas with her Chocolate lab, Isabelle, lying faithfully by her side.

"There are a lot of advantages to working from home," she said, listing spending more time with her family, saving gas money and being home to care for her two sons as the major benefits.