More Bosses Are Giving In To Homework

Look for more employers to offer telework programs in an effort to gain an edge over competitors in a tight national labor market.

That’s one of the findings of independent surveys of companies in 11 Western and Midwestern states conducted by U S West and released last week at the International Telework Association & Council conference in Seattle.

According to the survey, finding and keeping skilled workers is the No. 1 issue facing American business. The research indicates that letting employees work at home telework is gaining in popularity as one of the best ways to attract and keep skilled people.

Here are key survey findings:

* As many as 83 percent of businesses say it’s somewhat difficult to very difficult to find people with the skills needed to do the work required for a specific job vacancy.

* Between 31 percent (Utah) and 47 percent (Arizona) of businesses surveyed currently have some form of telework program.

* The majority of businesses that have telework indicate those programs will be increasing.

* Most teleworkers ranging from 75 to 95 percent are satisfied with their remote working option.

* Dissent brewing: American workers are voracious coffee drinkers, according to a Gallup survey, but most give the coffee available at work low marks.

Gallup’s research showed that 81.8 million Americans drink coffee while at work. More than 52 million of those obtain the beverage at work, downing more than 132 million cups daily.

Still, 70 percent of office coffee drinkers aren’t happy with the quality of java they get at work. Gourmet coffee drinkers are the least satisfied group.

* Strain ‘n pain: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders, including carpal tunnel syndrome, “tennis elbow,” back strain and torn ligaments, have reached epidemic proportions.

The Washington state Department of Labor and Industries receives 100 to 200 claims for such disorders each day. Here’s one day’s tally for so-called WMSD claims: 91 back, 22 wrist, 19 shoulder, 18 neck, 11 knee, eight elbow, five upper arm, four hand, four ankle, two foot.

The state agency said such injuries result in an average of 50,000 workers’ compensation claims a year. For 1997, the latest year for which complete information is available, L&I paid $291 million to cover medical expenses and wage-replacement benefits for workers who suffered WMSDs.

“The key to preventing these types of injuries is identifying and fixing the hazards that cause them,” said L&I ergonomist Rick Goggins. Solutions, he said, can be as simple as using fatter-handled tools, raising or lowering a work surface or moving materials with a cart.