Occasionally something happens that makes those of us able to work from home extremely grateful, and the rest of us just a little envious. Often, especially during a Minnesota winter, it’s a weather issue. But in the Twin Cities this time it’s the news that major road construction will shut down a variety of roadways that lead into and out of both downtowns—and not for just a week or two. Some of these projects will cause closures for a full year.
What all this news does is make teleworking that much more attractive. And thanks to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which is giving residents plenty of lead time, those who are new to the idea of working from home will be able to learn what a fast-growing number of workers already know. Telecommuting—working from home or another location away from the central office—is a productive answer to many workplace predicaments, and certainly the perfect solution when highway construction projects make driving to work challenging.
Through a federal grant that is managed through the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, eWorkPlace is available to Twin City Employers. eWorkPlace helps Twin Cities’ metro area employers introduce telework by providing free help in creating policies, sample telework applications and agreements, guides to ensure success, case studies, research, up-to-date news and online training for employees and staff.
It’s not just Minnesota; many cities, states, and even the federal government have started their own telecommuting systems. Statewide programs exist in Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, and more. The city of Portland, Oregon, encourages the use of telework, and so does the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board in the Metropolitan Washington D.C. capitol region, among many other cities across the country.
eWorkPlace is joining 1 Million for Work Flexibility, because we believe that by partnering together we can all help to create a bigger voice to deliver the message that work flexibility benefits our lives, our businesses, and our communities.
photo credit: istockphoto.com
You are exactly right Kathy Kacher. Telework makes good sense and has made a huge positive difference in my ability to get work done. We are anticipating many more traffic disruptions in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in the near future. This is a great time to get yourself up and running so you can work remotely.
Hi Kathy, thanks for your comments!!! I had the privilege of waiting 1 hour to get on 35W to Minneapolis this morning.. one of the few days that I didn’t work from home, but another reminder of why I am glad I do most of the time. Let’s figure out a way to get organizations to listen, so we can get more people on the “right road” to work.