Whether we like it or not, the H1N1 virus is among us. While the virus affects our health, it can also affect our business. But smart CEO’s are using hosted VoIP PBX technology to end the virus’s daily commute.
According to a national survey released by Mansfield Communications, 91 percent of Americans said they want their co-workers to remain at home if they are infected with the H1N1 flu virus. And if an employee goes to work with the flu or symptoms of, 83 percent of co-workers say they are likely to inform a fellow colleague or senior management about a colleague in their workplace whom they think might be showing symptoms of the flu.
“By having clear and definitive H1N1 policies and procedures in place and by becoming a trusted source of related information, leading companies can truly take care of their greatest asset – their employees,” said Rob Ireland, partner at Mansfield Communications Inc.
One policy suggestion is to allow employees the opportunity to work from home if they are feeling ill. However, 84% of American workers believe the recession creates more pressure to show up for work— even if they are feeling sick. In addition, with the economy in a slump, employers are demanding more out of their employees now than ever before. So how should employers deal with this situation?
“If an employee is feeling ill, they should be given the opportunity to work from home if they can still be productive,” said Eric Thomas, CEO of FreedomVoice. “If the entire company is infected with the flu at the same time it could be devastating.”
Telecommuting is a weapon being used at the forefront of the fight against swine flu. And with today’s advances in telecommunications technology there are a variety of options available to business owners who want to enable their employees to work from home. A popular telecommuting technology is hosted VoIP PBX phone systems. These Internet based phone systems allow you to seamlessly connect all members of your office, regardless of where they are located. One such product is the FreedomIQ Hosted VoIP PBX by FreedomVoice.
“FreedomIQ is a VoIP phone system that you can utilize anywhere you have Internet access,” explains Thomas. “The device is perfect for telecommuters. It enables unified messaging, advanced call reporting, automatic call distribution, and more for a value driven rate.”
While working from home used to be frowned upon, today, the practice has been largely adopted by companies in the U.S. and around the world. Recent research conducted by Techaisle shows that worldwide telecommuting among enterprises (businesses with 1,000 employees or more) has reached a whopping 46 percent in 2009 and is expected to reach 55 percent in 2010. The rate has more than doubled since 2000 when it was only 19 percent. In the US the survey results are more profound where telecommuting is available in 83 percent of businesses and is forecast to increase by another 10 percent by 2010. But the introduction of H1N1 isn’t the only reason employers like the practice.
“Conservation of energy and promotion of Green IT is now rapidly taking the forefront of the reasons for telecommuting. In today’s environment, by allowing and encouraging telecommuting, enterprises are also actively contributing towards carbon reductions in the environment”, says Anurag Agrawal, Chief Executive Officer and VP of Research at Techaisle.
These perks, along with the benefits in the H1N1 climate, provide good reasoning to consider using telecommuting and hosted VoIP PBX technology to roadblock the H1N1 virus this flu season. Regardless of what policies you choose to adopt, be sure to protect yourself and your organization.
Learn more about hosted VoIP PBX phone systems.
