Telecommuter saves by phoning it in
Chicago woman doesn't miss that drive to Schaumburg
Tamra Craig isn't losing sleep over nightmarish gas prices. The Near South Side Chicago resident has been able to avoid the daily and costly drive to her job in Schaumburg by telecommuting.
"It saves a lot on gas prices, and it saves me a lot of time spent on the road, so I can be with my family instead of being out driving in the car sitting for an hour one way in traffic," said Craig, an account manager at Nortel and the mother of a 1-year-old.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
She's not alone. At Nortel, roughly 10 percent of the company's workforce telecommutes, said spokeswoman Jamie Moody, who noted the company has encouraged the work-at-home practice for 15 years.
Amid the spike in gas prices, telecommuting appears to be gaining in popularity. A recent survey by Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that 14 percent of employers have expanded telecommuting options to help ease the burden of high gas costs on their workers.
Moody said Nortel has found telecommuting benefits workers and the company.
Among the benefits, she cited "increased productivity by approximately 15 percent among [telecommuters], with 94 percent of them reporting 15 percent to 20 percent greater productivity," she said.
She said telecommuters are 11 percent more satisfied with their jobs, compared to the overall employee population.
The company also saves about $9,000 annually per employee in real estate costs, she said.
Craig said her workday begins around 8:30 each morning.
"I'll log in, check e-mail, have some conference calls," she said.
She also typically has customer meetings during the week downtown.
"I usually take the L or the bus," she said as opposed to driving the family's one vehicle -- an SUV.
"I don't fill it up very often, which I think is becoming the norm for a lot of people."
When she's not meeting with customers downtown, she enjoys lunch at home, which is also a cost savings, she noted.
Being environmentally friendly also helps the family curtail costs. Her husband, who works in revenue management downtown, relies on public transportation instead of driving.
"We recycle," she added. "We use fluorescent light bulbs. [We] live in a high-rise -- we have a green committee. So our building is committed to helping the environment as well."
What are you doing to make ends meet? Write to psmith@suntimes.com.