2009-01-27 19:36:19 - Computer Troubleshooters says telecommuting will aid the environment

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (January 27, 2009) - Working at home has long been considered a luxury, but the reality is telecommuting offers an environmentally friendly way to counteract the economic crisis. Chris Aconley, National Director for Vancouver-based Computer Troubleshooters Canada, has seen how businesses get more out of their employees by setting them up to work from home. Meanwhile, employees end up with more money in their pockets because they save on commuting costs. Those dollars, Aconley suggests, trickle back into the economy in the form of retail purchases and entertainment spending.

'We have been implementing work-from-home solutions for numerous clients over the past year. Those initiatives increase employee morale, help the environment and also reduce the number of vehicles

on the roads,' Aconley says. 'The Lower Mainland can cut vehicle emissions by 20 percent overnight by adopting a work-from-home attitude and allowing those who can, and want to work from home, to do so just two days a week.'

Computer Troubleshooters Canada has been helping businesses set up networking solutions for employees who want to telecommute. Aconley and his co-workers establish home-based offices for companies large and small. He says the Lower Mainland can turn a bad situation - namely the travel headaches caused by the Patullo Bridge repairs - into a positive by using it as an opportunity to change habits.

'With the Pattullo Bridge fire, now is a perfect time to look at the telecommuting options. They are not difficult to setup,' Aconley says. 'In the past year, we have spent a lot of time on green initiatives, such as computers that consume less power; however, telecommuting will have more environmental benefits than all of the other initiatives combined.'

Aconley says an employee working from home can avoid the distraction of co-workers and unnecessary interruptions. His research has found that in many ways people who work from home are more productive and efficient. 'By eliminating the commute, employees can save two or three hours in a day and will often put much of that time back into work and be a more valuable employee,' he says.

Computer Troubleshooters Canada uses numerous options to allow a home computer to control an office one by remote. These options include LogMein, Remote Desktop and VNC. Larger companies may invest in a Citrix or Terminal Server option. There are also numerous online tools to facilitate a virtual meeting, such as WebExOffice.

'Employers have a tremendous opportunity to build good will with their employees by encouraging telecommuting,' Aconley says. 'Many employees have computers at home, a company cell phone and high-speed Internet access. Most of those employees can easily work from home, and because it makes economic and environmental sense, they should.'

About Computer Troubleshooters

Computer Troubleshooters has 30 locations across Canada, and 500 worldwide. Established April 2003 in Vancouver, Computer Troubleshooters has been managing computer networks for small businesses and repairing home computer systems. Computer Troubleshooters has strength in numbers and is able to tap into resources across the country to find the right solution for our clients.