Summary

With growing traffic and construction projects affecting daily commutes, King County Metro is promoting “Telework Week” Sept. 19-23 with workshops to help local businesses ease employees’ commutes and improve productivity.

Story

Free WorkSmart teleworking workshops Sept. 19-23

With growing traffic and construction projects affecting daily commutes, King County Metro is promoting “Telework Week” Sept. 19-23 with workshops to help local businesses ease employees’ commutes and improve productivity.

Metro’s free WorkSmart Program helps businesses located in King County put formal programs in place so that employees can telework, or, work flexible or compressed schedules.

“Our award-winning WorkSmart program has helped more than 70 companies build telework programs,” said Metro Transit Interim General Manager Rob Gannon. “By helping employees work from home, it makes them more productive and helps them avoid congested commutes.”

King County Metro data estimates that more than 4.3 percent of employees at large companies are teleworking, removing an estimated 12,000 cars from regional commutes each weekday. Go online to learn details about Metro’s WorkSmart Program.

WorkSmart’s lead consultant and telework expert Elham Shirazi will lead two workshops during Telework Week.

• Tukwila: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Ave. South. Register via email.
• Seattle: Thursday, Sept. 22, 10-11 a.m. at Commute Seattle, 1809 Seventh Ave., #900. Register via online form.

“These educational workshops offer employers and government agencies a chance to ask questions, and learn how teleworking and flexible schedules can help recruit and retain top employees,” Elham Shirazi said. “Studies also show that teleworking helps increase workers’ productivity.”

In addition to productivity and recruitment, studies show that teleworking and compressed or flexible schedules:

• Reduce overhead costs 
• Keep operations continuing during emergencies
• Improve employee morale
• Reduce employers’ carbon footprint

In August, WorkSmart received the top award from the Association for Commuter Transportation, the Cathy Cole Memorial Award. The honor is ACT’s highest program award and goes to the program that best demonstrates leadership and achievement in advancing strategies to enable and encourage more employers to adopt telework arrangements for employees.

About WorkSmart: WorkSmart is a free, nationally recognized program sponsored by King County Metro. It offers workplace strategies to help King County companies increase employee productivity, improve business continuity and reduce carbon footprints. WorkSmart designs telework, co-working, compressed work weeks and flexible schedules for employers based in King County.

About Elham Shirazi: As the lead consultant for WorkSmart and principal of e-planning, Shiraz has 30+ years developing telework and flexible scheduling programs and materials. She’s advised the White House, U.S. Congressional leaders and public entities in policy development. She is co-chair of the Association for Commuter Transportation’s Telework and Alternative Work Hours Council.