Cisco released its Teleworker Survey, an in-depth study of almost 2,000 company employees.

The study evaluated the social, economic and environmental impacts associated with telecommuting at Cisco.  It was no surprise that a majority of telecommuting employees found a significant increase in work-life flexibility, productivity and overall satisfaction because they worked remotely.

And the satisfaction goes both ways.  Cisco has achieved estimated annual savings of $277 million in productivity by allowing employees to telecommute and telework.

Cisco anticipates that employees and employers will continue to see a rise in the benefits associated with telecommuting.  Cisco is vested in telecommuting and virtual offices with products like Cisco Virtual Office,  Cisco OfficeExtend and Cisco WebEx.

Highlights from the Survey

Cisco’s Next-Generation Workforce

• Cisco employees spend about 63 percent of their time communicating and collaborating.
• 40 percent of Cisco employees say they are not located in the same city as their manager.
• The average Cisco employee now telecommutes 2.0 days per week.
• 60 percent of the time saved is spent working, 40 percent on personal time.

Productivity and Collaboration

• Approximately 69 percent of the employees surveyed cited higher productivity when working remote, and 75 percent said the timeliness of their work improved.
• 83 percent of employees said their ability to communicate and collaborate was the same as, if not better than,  when working on-site.
• 67 percent said their overall work quality improved when telecommuting.
• An improved quality of life through telecommuting was cited by 80 percent of survey respondents.
• Telecommuting can also lead to a higher employee retention rate, as more than 91 percent of respondents say telecommuting is somewhat or very important to their overall satisfaction.

Going Green

• In 2008, Cisco teleworkers prevented approximately 47,320 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the environment due to avoided travel.
• Cisco employees report a fuel cost savings of $10.3 million per year due to telecommuting.

“As a working mother of three children, I know firsthand the benefits of Cisco Virtual Office. Through high-quality voice and video, I remain engaged and able to lead global teams and programs with ease and avoid back and forth trips to the office.

The seamless transition from work to the home has given me the flexibility to choose the schedule that best fits my work and my home. ” 

Carina Reyes, Operations Manager - Cisco

In the Video, Cisco Vice President Rami Hazid discusses the Telecommuting Survey