(ATLANTA, GA — 06.16.08)

An extensive new survey of more than 200 metro Atlanta teleworkers and their managers has found that employees allowed to work from home do more work.

The survey of 157 teleworkers and 45 telework managers at six different metro Atlanta workplaces was conducted by The Clean Air Campaign, as part of its telework consulting practice.

Some 57 percent of the teleworkers reported that they use the average of 91 minutes they save each day by not driving to work to perform more duties for their employer. Half of them reported being able to spend more time with their families as a result of teleworking, and nearly a third, 32 percent, said they are even finding more time for sleep.

Increased productivity has long been linked to telework, and the survey confirms that connection in the responses to multiple questions. More than two-thirds of the teleworkers, 68 percent, said they believe their productivity has increased as a result of performing their duties from their home offices. Significantly, 51 percent of the managers agreed, with another 42 percent reporting they have observed no loss of productivity.

"Atlanta is one of the most wired regions in the country, making telework an obvious part of the solution to this region's air quality and traffic congestion problems," said Kevin Green, executive director of The Clean Air Campaign. "We currently have more active telework projects underway than at anytime in our history of providing one on one consulting to companies and organizations. This is an indication to us that the many associated benefits, including reduced facility and parking costs and higher worker retention, are positively impacting the bottom line."

The desire to improve recruitment and retain employees was one of the top three reasons telework managers cited for allowing their staff to work from home, a factor cited by 44 percent. The biggest incentive for telework was to improve employee morale, mentioned by 76 percent of the managers.Increasing productivity was cited by 71 percent.

An overriding theme of the survey is how managers are won over by the people they supervise and how well they perform when allowed to work offsite. Some 91 percent of the managers said they believe teleworking is good for their organization, exceeding even the 85 percent of teleworkers who share that belief.

Some other findings of the survey:

• The average telemanager supervises five employees and 69 percent of them have teleworked themselves at some point.
• The average teleworker is avoiding a 56.4 mile roundtrip drive to work, saving an average of 91 minutes a day by not commuting.
• Nearly half -- 45 percent -- of the telemanagers believe that allowing their staff to regularly telework gives their company a competitive advantage.
• Some 59 percent of the teleworkers said they are less likely to look for another job as long as they are allowed to continue the practice, an opinion shared by 58 percent of their managers.