According to a BMO Bank of Montreal poll, 65 percent of Canadian businesses report telecommuting from a virtual office had a positive impact on employee productivity and 58 percent report it improved the quality of work produced by those employees who telecommute.

Despite these high numbers, many Canadian businesses are hesitant to offer virtual office opportunities. Sixty-one percent cite concerns about the possibility of lower morale and 53 percent are troubled by the prospect of a loss of productivity.

“In an evolving workforce, Canadian businesses are fighting to be flexible, innovative and enticing by offering incentives that will benefit not only the organization, but also their employees,” says Steve Murphy, senior vice president of Commercial Banking at BMO Bank of Montreal. “These flexible work arrangements help employees achieve greater work-life balance, improve workplace productivity and strengthen employee morale.”

Currently, 23 percent of companies in the study offer telecommuting from a virtual office. Large businesses are twice as likely to offer virtual office work, while only 8 percent of employees of all businesses work remotely.

Michael Thornburrow, senior vice president of Corporate Real Estate at BMO Financial Group, notes being a mobile worker does not necessarily mean working from home. In fact, he argues, mobile workers can be among a company’s more productive workers because they often work at different locations within the company or at a client’s site.

“Recognizing this, as well as wanting to avoid the cost of empty workstations when employees are on the road, on vacation or sick, many employers are moving to ‘hoteling,’ where employees do not necessarily sit at the same workstation everyday,” Thornburrow says. “This approach provides a more flexible environment, and can lead to improvements in employee productivity, employee satisfaction as well as real estate savings.”

Looking by region, the study reveals that companies based in Alberta were most likely to offer telecommuting to their employees (34 percent), while companies based in Atlantic Provinces were the least likely (16 percent). And by sector, 28 percent of business and finance companies, 14 percent of manufacturing companies and retail companies, 13 percent of services companies and 3 percent of agri-business companies allow telecommuting from a virtual office.

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FlexJobs has compiled a list of 10 companies in its database that had the most job openings including virtual office jobs, flexible scheduling, part-time hours, and contract or freelance positions in April 2013. Not surprisingly given Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s recent ban on telecommuting from a virtual office, the search engine giant is not on the list.

“Every month, we take a good look at our job listing data to find out the top industries hiring for flexible jobs,” says Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs. “This month we decided to study the top companies who have the most positions available that offer some type of flexibility, and we are very excited to see some big name companies offering flexible work options. It really shows that, despite high-profile controversies over flexible work options like with Yahoo, that large companies are still embracing this way of working.”

Without further ado, the top 10 companies offering flexible jobs include:

1. ADP
2. Xerox
3. AT&T
4. Enterprise Contact Center
5. Sodexo
6. U-Haul
7. Ecolab
8. HealthFitness
9. HD Supply
10. Internet Brands, Inc.

How is FlexJobs so sure? Because it has screenings in place. For example, all of the companies and jobs listed at FlexJobs are first approved by the job search service’s research team, which works to weed out scams and bogus business opportunities.

Once the virtual office job opportunity is deemed legitimate with professional employment opportunities, it is free for companies to post jobs on the site. Currently there are more than 50 career categories, and job opportunities range from entry-level to executive level, part-time to full-time, and freelance to employee status.

“We’re happy to feature this past month’s most active companies, but it’s more exciting overall that we have found over 25,000 employers who offer work from home and other flexible jobs,” says Fell.

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Appirio is one tech company that’s standing by its telecommuting convictions despite Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s stance.

Since 2006, Appirio has been helping enterprises reimagine their businesses using cloud, social and mobile technologies. Appirio is a global services provider that uses crowdsourcing, technology and a deep understanding of how people work to help enterprises transform relationships with their customers, partners and workforce. The company’s clients include salesforce.com, Google, Workday and Cornerstone OnDemand.

We asked Jennifer Taylor, Appirio’s senior vice president of HR, why the firm encourages virtual work. She told us as a business, Appirio were founded to be a next-generation services and technology firm, 100 percent focused on accelerating cloud adoption in the enterprise.

“The company was born in the cloud and operates without a single server, which enables a virtual workforce. The on-premise model isn’t something that Appirio believes in – whether it be on-premise technology or on-premise offices,” Taylor says.

“Cloud technology also enables Appirio employees to thrive with collaboration tools that break down silos among every level of the company. Lastly, when building the Appirio team, we didn’t want to narrow the talent pool to specific metropolitan areas.”

So, then, how does Appirio best manage virtual employees? As Taylor sees it, the basis for leading and managing all employees – whether virtual or in an office environment – is trust.

“We trust that our employees are making decisions that are best for our customers, partners and their team every day,” Taylor says. “Our virtual environment forces us as an organization to be more transparent about everything that we’re working on.”

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The first five myths are: (1) Yahoo and Best Buy announcements cancelling virtual office programs signal a backlash against workplace flexibility; (2) A typical teleworker is a work-from-home mom; (3) Telework is a ploy used mostly by parents to get childcare on the cheap; (4) People who telework from virtual offices are slackers; (5) Negotiating and managing individual virtual office arrangements takes too much of a manager’s time and effort.

Here are five more myths – and the truths that bust them:

MYTH #6: For virtual office arrangements to work smoothly, employers simply need a written agreement signed by both the employee and his/her manager; training is optional.

TRUTH: The success of telecommuting from a virtual office depends on leaders who manage by objectives, not by observation, and this critical skill needs to be taught and learned. Only 21 percent of employers train managers on how to implement and support flexible work arrangements, and only 17 percent train workers on how to be successful as an employee with a flexible work arrangement, according to telework 2011: A WorldatWork Special Report.

MYTH #7: Telework can cost the company money, especially if the teleworker relocates to a city with higher competitive salary levels (also known as a geographic differential).

TRUTH: In general, many companies (40%) pay employees based on his/her assigned work location, even if his/her work generally isn’t performed there, according to WorldatWork.

MYTH #8: Speed and quality are often sacrificed when teleworking.

TRUTH: Businesses lose $600 billion a year in workplace distractions. More than two-thirds of employers report increased productivity among their teleworkers, according to workshifting benefits: The Bottom Line.

MYTH #9: Working from a virtual office negatively impacts employee morale or company spirit.

TRUTH: A majority of surveyed employers say flexibility programs have a positive or extremely positive effect on employee engagement (72%), employee motivation (71%) and employee satisfaction (82%), according to a WorldatWork Survey on Workplace Flexibility from 2011.

MYTH #10: Teleworking increases an organization’s security risk.

TRUTH: A vast majority (94 percent) of CIOs said they do not think official telework programs, which often require some employee and manager training, pose a data security threat, according to Remote Control – Federal CISOs Dish on Mobility, Telework, and Data Security.

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According two a two-year PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) study into the attitudes and behaviors of Gen Y, this demographic seeks workplace flexibility, better balance between their work and home life, and opportunity for overseas assignments.

PwC’s NextGen study reveals 71% percent of Millennials say that their work demands significantly interfere with their personal lives. Of course, Millennials and non-Millennials alike want the option to shift their work hours to accommodate their own schedules and are interested in working outside the office where they can stay connected by way of technology.

This is where virtual offices come in. Allowing employees to telecommute from a virtual office, at least part time, can be a recruiting and retention tool.

“The breadth and scope of this research is unprecedented. It captures a broad array of insights into the motivations, priorities and work preferences of the youngest generation now in the workforce, as well as of their more senior colleagues,” says Dennis Finn, vice chair and Global Human Capital Leader at PwC. “The Millennial generation is already transforming long-held management practices within the workplace. Employers who want to recruit Millennial employees and keep them engaged and happy will need to adapt to meet their needs.”

According to the study, given the opportunity, 64 percent of Millennials would like to occasionally work from home. What’s more, 66 percent of Millennials would like the option to occasionally shift their work hours. Across the board, 15 percent of all male employees and 21 percent of all female employees say they would give up some of their pay and slow the pace of promotion in exchange for working fewer hours.

PwC NextGen reports Millennials put a premium on work/life balance. Unlike past generations, who put an emphasis on their careers and worked well beyond a 40-hour workweek in the hope of rising to higher-paying positions later on, Millennials are not convinced that such early career sacrifices are worth the potential rewards. A balance between their personal and work lives is more important to them.

“PwC’s study discovered that the stereotypes about Millennial employees are more false than true,” Finn says. “Millennials’ attitudes are similar to those of older employees.”

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That spurred WorldatWork, a nonprofit human resources association that has been studying telework trends since 2001, to put together a list of myths and facts to help get the truth out about telecommuting from a virtual office. In today’s column, we’ll take a look at the first five myths and the facts that bust them.

MYTH#1: Yahoo and Best Buy announcements cancelling virtual office programs signal a backlash against workplace flexibility.

TRUTH: “The Yahoo and Best Buy decisions should be viewed as temporary exceptions to a global movement away from expensive bricks and mortar towards more virtually distributed work,” says Kathie Lingle, executive director of WorldatWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress. Today, more than half of surveyed employers around the world offer telework, according to the 2011 WorldatWork Survey on Workplace Flexibility.

MYTH #2: A typical teleworker is a work-from-home mom.

TRUTH: Today’s teleworkers are most often 40-year-old professional males with college degrees, according to telework 2011: A WorldatWork Special Report. What’s more, both men and women seek workplace flexibility options to help them manage their work and personal/family challenges, according to the men and work-life integration: A Global Study.

MYTH #3: Telework is a ploy used mostly by parents to get childcare on the cheap.

TRUTH: People who work from virtual offices (who happen to be parents) are required to arrange and pay for child care during their working hours regardless of their work location. Staying home to provide primary childcare is never an acceptable reason to approve a telework arrangement, according to Alliance for Work-Life Progress.

MYTH #4: People who telework from virtual offices are slackers.

TRUTH: Working from a virtual office requires above average organizational and communication skills and is actually more valued by top performers. Progressive organizations have learned over time that you need not offer virtual office work to everyone, but primarily to key talent that you can’t afford to lose who are in positions that can be done remotely.

“Telework is a highly effective tool for organizations who need to retain top talent,” says Rose Stanley, work-life practice leader for WorldatWork. “A common situation involves a valued employee who must relocate, as the result of a spouse accepting employment in another area, an aging parent demanding care and attention, or any number of things.”

MYTH #5: Negotiating and managing individual virtual office arrangements takes too much of a manager’s time and effort.

TRUTH: Granting a slew of individual accommodations is not how virtual office is done in today’s workplace. Flexibility is best practiced as a team sport, since most work today is done in work groups, many of which form and reform in response to different projects.

Nothing lasts forever, including virtual office arrangements. Properly constituted teams establish goals, enforce compliance, handle under-performance and take care of every member’s life events over the course of a project or a career. Applying flexibility as a business strategy requires training, according to Leslie A. Perlow at the Harvard Business Review.

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Indeed, telecommuting from a virtual office may not be for everyone, but there are pros and cons for every situation.

Consider this statistic: According to a recent survey conducted by global research company Ispos, one in five employees now telecommutes on a frequent basis. With the recent hype over telecommuting after Yahoo’s ban on the practice, businesses are starting to weigh the pros and cons of virtual offices, and many are considering banning the idea altogether.

Indeed, Yahoo’s recent decision to prohibit employees’ choice to telecommute from a virtual office has sparked a debate at companies around the world about whether or not telecommuting will result in productivity and growth for a business.

Some businesses are following Yahoo’s lead. Shortly after Yahoo’s ban, Best Buy also put the kibosh on its flexible work program that allowed staff to work whenever and wherever they wanted as long as their performance evaluation was on point.

Business coaches with AdviCoach, a business coaching and advisory services firm, say that not all telecommuting is bad. Rather, the decision to allow telecommuting from a virtual office should depend on the type of position and stature of the employee.

“When it comes to telecommuting, there isn’t one right or wrong answer, although it is inaccurate to generalize that all telecommuting is bad,” says Brian Miller, COO of AdviCoach. “It depends on the business and job functionality. Some positions lend themselves to telecommuting while others do not.”

In some cases, telecommuting from a virtual office will make an employee more productive. For example, working from home completely eliminates distractions such as chatting at the water cooler, employees disrupting you with questions and unnecessary meetings. By the same token, telecommuting from a virtual office can also be cost effective for employers who don’t have the overhead for office space, or who would like to cut it down significantly.

Then there’s the stress factor. April is Stress Awareness month. According to the Ipsos survey, the majority agreed that telecommuting from a virtual office cuts stress levels that come from commuting to work. The survey also suggested telecommuting from a virtual office helps keep talented women in the workforce instead of having them leave to raise children. Virtual offices are also very appealing to moms and dads who need a more flexible schedule. By keeping an open mind to telecommuting, Miller says, you could attract a higher quality pool of potential candidates looking for opportunities that fit with their lifestyle.

OK, so what about the cons of virtual offices? According to Miller, one of the reasons businesses don’t support telecommuting is management distrust. Some managers do not fully trust that their employees will complete their work unless they are in the same room as their boss. That can be true, but it’s no different in a virtual office than a traditional office setting and there are ways to put checks and balances in place to ensure productivity.

The nature of the employee is also an issue in the virtual office equation. Just as some positions lend themselves to telecommuting more than others, so do some employees. Miller says virtual office employees must be self-directed and proactive. They must not rely on constant direction from a physical person or organized in-person meetings throughout the week.

But, he adds, if there isn’t a structured management system in place for telecommuters, there is a higher risk of reduced productivity from employees working from home. Virtual office employees should be managed just like they would be in an office setting and they need to know how to separate their careers from their social life – especially when they have children.

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Last week, the WordPress Botnet Hack made headlines. Joomla users are also reportedly getting attacked. The rise of botnets are indeed concerning security analysts. So what’s a mobile worker to do? How should a virtual office worker protect him or herself?

Alliance Virtual Offices recommends apps like My Eyes Only by Software Opps LLC. Here’s the premise: Web site passwords, credit card numbers, bank account information, and insurance and membership account information are just some of the personal data you need to keep with you all the time. You need this information as part of doing business on the go or from your virtual office.

“The recent Zombie hackings affecting several U.S. television stations warning viewers of an impending zombie apocalypse has been attributed to the weak passwords used by officials to safeguard their stations,” the company said in a recent blog post.

“There have also been several attacks on Twitter resulting in Jeep and Burger King having their Twitter accounts being taken over, and the accounts of 250,000 users being compromised. Although it is not evident at the moment whether or not these hacks were possible because of weak passwords, Twitter is creating a major push for its users to use stronger, more secure passwords.”

With My Eyes Only, you can combine security and efficiency, get rid of the post-it notes and stop having to look through your files or that little black book every time you forget a password.

Software Opps bills My Eyes Only Pro as a multi-function app that securely stores passwords and important personal information. Using encryption, it promises to secure your critical information and utilizes Software Ops’ own secure cloud service to back up and sync to all your devices. This advanced encryption technology includes password protection, 256 bit AES encryption, and an additional layer of keychain security that other apps don’t have.

The bottom line: My Eyes Only Pro allows you to keep your critical data close for instant access, while having peace of mind knowing that it’s secure.

Beyond security, My Eyes Only Pro is designed to make data entry as fast as possible. It takes only seconds to add information using the 14 built in data categories. You can add custom categories and items for flexibility. The app also includes a full search of all encrypted items and supports a BlueTooth keyboard for fast data entry on the iPad or iPhone.

For good measure, My Eyes Only offers several tips to create strong passwords:

• You are safer with stronger passwords. Once a sentence or a series of words is selected, let’s remove all of the spaces between the words: Youaresaferwithstrongerpasswords.
• Many hackers will look for words that are found in the dictionary when trying to guess your password, so to add an extra layer of security, intentionally misspell or use short hand versions of the word: URsapherwifstrongerpasswords.
• For added security, include numbers and special characters such as @ and &: URs4ferwif23strongerp4assw0rds.

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The vast majority of Americans are stressed by at least one thing at work, a sharp increase of 10 percentage points when compared with 2012. Notable is the fact that 11 percent cited coworkers and commuting as the most stressful aspect of work. Again, virtual offices can help.

“Americans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic, but anxiety among employees is rooted into our working lives, and it is important to understand new and better ways of coping with the pressure,” says survey spokesman John Swartz, regional director of career services at Everest College.

Telecommuting from a virtual office can help employees cope with pressure. Virtual offices empower flexible work, which allows employees time to take a walk to de-stress, start earlier in the morning or work later in the evening if they have family emergencies, or a doctor’s appointment.

Telecommuting from a virtual office also drives up productivity. Indeed, study after study has been done on the virtual office-productivity connection. Then there’s avoiding the actual commute time, which both drives up productivity and reduces stress. After all, who wants to fight rush hour traffic twice a day?

“Forward-thinking employers are savvy to the signs of the times and make accommodations for workers, many of who do their jobs in a pressure cooker,” says Frank Cottle, Chairman of Alliance Virtual Offices. “Do your employees a favor during Stress Awareness Month. Look for ways to empower flexible working, such as telecommuting for a virtual office. It will help you retain your best workers by reducing stress and boosting productivity.”

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Kotkin discusses three concerns in his column: the promotion of families; humane methods to reduce greenhouse gases; and, finally, how to expand the geography of work and opportunity. Then he asks a question: What’s the beef with the expansion of telecommuting? He points to plenty of positive case studies in the corporate world and then outlines research and trends that make the continued rise of virtual offices undeniable.

For example, 36 percent of respondents in a survey from the Information Technology Association of America would choose telecommuting over a pay rise. Similar studies yield similar results. It’s not all about the money. Flexible work is valuable. A Pew study reveals millennial workers want work-life balance. Flexible work – like telecommuting from a virtual office – is part of that equation.

“Other trends, including the huge expansion in self employment in the U.S., promise to accelerate telecommuting in years ahead. The ranks of independent contractors have grown by 1 million since 2005, according to George Mason University economist Jeffrey Eisenach,” Kotkin wrote.

“One in five work in such fields as management, business services or finance, where the percentage of people working for themselves rose from 28 percent to 40 percent between 2005 and 2010. Many others work in fields like energy, mining, real estate or construction. Altogether there are now as many as 10 million such independent workers, constituting upwards of 7.6 percent of the national labor force and over $626 billion in income.”

Kotkin’s article goes on with plenty of facts, figures and speculation. I’d recommend reading it if you are on the fence about the value of alternative workspaces. The numbers don’t lie – and the numbers proving the worth of telecommuting from a virtual office are piling up fast.

“Virtual offices may not make sense for every worker, but more and more often we find that telecommuting solves various problems for small and growing organizations,” says Frank Cottle, Chairman of Alliance Virtual Offices. “From start ups to companies looking to expand into new markets and from companies that are growing too fast to house all employees under one roof, to firms that believe in the power of flexible work options to attract and retain the brightest talent, more organizations are experiencing the value of telecommuting from a virtual office first hand. And that’s why virtual offices are unstoppable.”

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