Teleworking can benefit organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large corporations. However, those benefits actually expand beyond the organizational level, offering unique advantages to public entities such as communities, and even local and national governments.
Public entities such as communities and governments are businesses that must manage income and expenses. They should be as efficient, accountable, and as transparent as possible because taxpayer money is at stake. For this reason, from the business perspective, all of the employee and cost saving benefits of teleworking apply to these public entities. In addition, public entities benefit from teleworking in the following ways:
- Helps reduce traffic and infrastructure requirements - Telework eliminates many contemporary problems at the source. Traffic is only one example. According to a 2004 Washington Post article, traffic delays in the Washington, D.C. region drop 10 percent for every 3 percent of commuters who work from home. In addition, teleworking reduces infrastructure and service delivery costs.
- Helps reduce urban drift - Urban drift refers to the movement of individuals from rural locations to city centers and towns in search of better conditions and employment opportunities. Urban drift results in overcrowding and congestion. Teleworking allows individuals to work regardless of physical location, reducing the need for individuals to relocate due to employment.
- Improved rural and suburban amenities - More people working in rural or suburban region could mean better mass transit services and changes to local retail facilities. The post office, doctor, bank, or gas station might be less likely to close up and move somewhere else. With more flexible response, more productive enterprises, and the ability of all individuals to contribute, the regions or nation becomes more competitive and attracts more employment and development.