By Sharla Sikes

VoIP has many benefits to both business and private subscribers, but those who work from home can benefit more than most from its use.

In Britain, research done by the Confederation of British Industry revealed that employers that allow workers to telecommute has grown by 46 percent (up to one in two from one in ten).

Of those, most use a VoIP system and software PBX. John Cridland, deputy director general of the CBI, said the news showed “how far and fast” firms had progressed in adopting IP technology.
A global drain on resources, increasing environmental awareness and mounting traffic density are just a few of the factors that play into the popularity of telecommuting. Plus, when one’s work features hours bound to a computer screen, how can you deny the attraction of doing it in pajamas?

Still, it hasn’t caught on universally, particularly in the United States.

A study by Dimension Data showed that only 55 percent of the U.S. employers surveyed offered the opportunity to work from home.

In comparison, more than 70 percent of most European employers support flexible work environments. However, half of the study’s respondents—524 employees and 390 IT professionals—half expected to see increased telecommuting opportunities in the next five years.

“IT managers and workers agree that click-to-dial from the desktop, presence and VoIP telephony will be routinely used in the corporate environment within two years,” the study states.

Oddly enough, the U.S. scored highest in the adoption of unified communications, which is one of the key components to structuring a flexible work environment.

Most European and Australian businesses surveyed listed “increasing employee productivity” as the reason to implement flexible working, but U.S. companies instead cited employee retention as reasoning to offer telecommuting opportunities.

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