Survey Shows Jump in Teleworking

A recent study on commuting behaviors in metro Atlanta shows that the percentage of commuters driving to work alone has decreased in the past three years. Many metro Atlantans are turning to commute alternatives, such as carpooling, transit or teleworking, to get to work.

According to the Clean Air Campaign, the Metro Atlanta Regional Commuter Survey, which was conducted on behalf of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), found particularly significant gains in the percentage of people who telework.

• Twenty-seven percent of commuters now telework at least occasionally, compared to 20 percent in 2007 – a 35 percent increase in just three years.
  
  
• The percentage of frequent teleworkers has increased by 75 percent, with seven percent of all commuters now teleworking at least three days a week.
  
  
• Teleworking has now overtaken carpooling as the most popular primary commute alternative in metro Atlanta (growing from 30 percent in 2007 to 40 percent in 2010).
  
  
• More people are teleworking full-time. Nearly one-fifth of teleworkers (17 percent) work remotely five or more days per week. In 2007, only 10 percent of teleworkers did so. (Note: This figure does not include self-employed people who work at home.)

“We were really pleased to see teleworking make such significant gains in the region,” said Kevin Green, executive director of The Clean Air Campaign, “but we weren’t necessarily surprised.  Getting telework to be accepted by more employers as a workplace strategy has been a major emphasis for our organization and its partners. It’s great to see that work paying off. Telework is a ‘win-win’ strategy whose time has come.”

For John Miller, a Cumming resident and implementation consultant, teleworking works for him. He's been doing it for about three years and he's reaping the benefits--mentally and in the wallet.

"For me, every time I have to fill up, it's a shock because there's such an increase, because I only put gas in my tank every six to eight weeks" said Miller. I don't look at the gas station prices all the time. I'm not always concerned about my gas tank because it's usually full."

Miller said there are other advantages to teleworking.

"You don't have to get out in traffic, you don't have to deal with the stress of doing that. It's a great benefit to the employer--you're available on time, you're not in a bad mood, typically, because of things like traffic. There's savings on gas prices, the wear and tear of your car, you can eat from home, so there's a cost savings on groceries versus eating out all the time," he said.

One of the other reasons teleworking has likely been growing in popularity, may have to do with the inherent benefits of telework programs. The Clean Air Campaign and the region’s transportation management associations (TMAs) have provided free professional telework consulting services since 2004.

That program has helped more than 250 employers establish telework programs. In 2008, Georgia became the first in the country to offer a telework tax credit for employers. Plus teleworking has been shown to increase productivity, reduce overhead and boost employee morale. 

In addition to telework gains, the survey revealed some notable shifts in metro Atlanta commute patterns.

• Commute times and distances have decreased. The average one-way commute is now 17.5 miles and 30 minutes long, compared to 19.7 miles and 35.9 minutes in 2007.
  
  
• Sixty-nine percent of commuters reported their commute has been about the same compared to one year ago, 17 percent of respondents reported a more difficult commute and the remaining 14 percent said they have had an easier commute. In 2007, 37 percent of respondents reported a more difficult commute.

The average one-way commute in Forsyth County is about 29 minutes each day, according to Brian Carr, Director of Communications with the Clean Air Campaign.

"You double that, you get about an hour a day that Forsyth commuters are spending to and from work," said Carr. "An hour a day based on 240 workdays in a year, that's about the equivalent of 10 full days that commuters are spending in their cars, most often, driving alone headed to and from work with nothing else to do. So there's obviously better ways that people can spend that time if they had other options available to them."

Another choice available to Forsyth County commuters is the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Xpress, which according to Carr, runs express commuter buses from Forsyth County all the way down to downtown Atlanta for those commuters that work out of the county.

The commuter survey also revealed 18% of all commuters use commute alternatives three or more days per week. Of those:

• 40% telework
• 30% carpool or vanpool
• 28% take transit
• 2% bike or walk

Clearly teleworking is becoming a strong option for many people, and based on the results of the recent survey--the way metro Atlantans are using alternatives to drive it alone has changed a lot.

"The landscape has changed in that carpooling and vanpooling, which are very accessible options, actually declined slightly, while telework increased tremendously," said Carr.

The Clean Air Campaign, along with its associate organizations, partners with employers to create custom commute options programs; and annually helps tens of thousands of commuters find commute alternatives that work for them, providing financial incentives to get them started.

For more information, call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624) or visit CleanAirCampaign.org.