A business continuity plan helps your business recover and restore operations after the unthinkable, such as a natural or man-made disaster. While not a pleasant thought, it’s important to prepare for the unexpected. A telework program can be one of the most important pieces in a disaster recovery plan, and it can also enhance your commute options program. Here are a few ways telework can work for your business:

• Eliminate expensive commutes. Do you know how much your employees are spending to get to work? A quick check on our new commute cost calculator might surprise you.
• Breathe easier. Here’s some air quality math: multiply potential teleworkers at your worksite by their daily round-trip commutes in miles. That’s how many pounds of pollution your organization could reduce each day through telework.
• Catch a (tax) break. The Georgia Telework Tax Credit offers employers up to $20,000 in tax credit to cover the costs of starting a telework program and $1,200 for each additional new teleworker. HURRY! The application deadline for this tax credit is October 31, 2008.
• Flu season is coming. An employee who’s not feeling well or coming down with a cold can stay home instead of spreading the germs. Health experts say an adult can spread a virus one day before and three to seven days after coming down with symptoms.
• Manage worksite hiccups. The construction crew next door accidentally cut the power line, or the third floor bathroom floods. Employees who can work from home are still able to complete projects, and may even be more productive. Teleworkers are 10 to 20 percent more productive according to a study from the American Management Association.
• Survive a major disaster. If the unexpected happens, you’ll have a plan. You can learn more about how to prepare your business for a disaster from Ready Georgia.
• Retain valuable employees. Keep a valuable employee as part of your team even if he or she moves to another city or state.
• Lose the stressful traffic. Sitting in traffic for an hour or more each day would put anyone in a bad mood. Help your workforce start the day out on the right foot with the easiest commute ever – walking into their home office.
• Plug in. Forbes.com ranked Atlanta as the nation’s most wired city two years in a row, and the second best city for teleworkers. The technology is already here, limiting the expense of starting a program.
• The Clean Air Campaign provides all the support you’ll need to start your telework program at no cost. From a sample telework policy to an expert telework consultant, all the resources are readily available.

While safeguarding your business, you can also reduce stress, increase job satisfaction and improve productivity through a telework program. If you already have a telework program for your employees, The Clean Air Campaign may be able to help you improve it. Contact us to get started and we'll put our creative minds to work for you.