Companies which allow employees to work from home will be doing their bit to ease traffic congestion and reduce climate change, campaigners said yesterday.

National Work Wise week started yesterday with a call for as many people as possible to work from home tomorrow to show how productive they can be.

Work Wise campaigners say the widespread introduction of smarter working practices will significantly reduce the need for travel to work and on business, making a huge impact to the levels of carbon dioxide emissions from cars and other means of transport.

Earlier this year, the Stern report predicted environmental apocalypse and huge damage to the British economy if action wasn’t taken to reduce climate change. And this week a report said that the 1.3m tonnes of carbon dioxide produced by call centre staff each year could be cut by allowing them to work from home….Full Article.

Improved productivity heads the list of the top 10 benefits of home working according to a survey of companies by Ceridian, one of the largest providers of human resource services in the world.

Top 10 benefits of home working
1. Higher productivity, ability to work uninterrupted, especially on “project work”
2. Skill retention, greater commitment from staff, greater loyalty
3. Happier staff, higher morale, more motivation, good staff relations
4. Better work/life balance, “family friendly”, fit with domestic arrangements = people able to work for us
5. Contributes to ability to offer flexible working conditions, hours
6. Office space and other facilities go further
7. Continuity for our clients, better customer service
8. Reduced overheads
9. Creates a positive image for the company, dynamic, flexible
10. Lower stress for staff, greater well-being

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From Entrepreneur.com:

I’ve been told that when it comes to reaching their goals, male entrepreneurs tend to create a course of action and figure it out on their own, whereas women entrepreneurs will seek out support and resources to accomplish their goal. That has definitely been the case for my own journey. Why should I re-invent the wheel if I don’t have to? I’m continuously amazed at the number of valuable resources that are available to entrepreneurs and at how many are perfect for wor at home moms specifically. So in this article, I want to share a few of my favorites.

Websites
Let’s face it: The web is the tool of choice for most entrepreneurs. It’s quick, to the point and can help you track down information on just about any topic you need. But searching endlessly on the web is a time waster that most mompreneurs can’t afford. Use these great resources to find what you need quickly: Full Article

From Entrepreneur.com:

After buying their first home, Debra Cohen and her husband faced the unenviable chore of finding reliable home improvement contractors. Fed up with blindly picking names from the Yellow Pages and waiting for contractors who didn’t show up, it occurred to Cohen that if she and her husband were having trouble finding contractors, other homeowners in their community must be facing a similar predicament. This bleak reality sparked the creation of a unique service that has since expanded into a profitable cottage industry across the U.S. and internationally.

After extensive conversations with lawyers, business consultants, contractors and insurance agents, Cohen, 38, started Hewlett, New York-based Home Remedies of NY Inc.from her home in February 1997. This stay-at-home mom used a $5,000 loan, a computer and a refurbished fax machine to launch her part-time business. Right away, the response from homeowners was tremendous, and after three months in business, she repaid her loan. Her gross earnings in the first year were almost $30,000.

Today, Home Remedies is a contractor referral service that matches home-owners with reliable home-repair workers. The appeal to customers is that the company takes on the time-consuming task of locating and screening qualified contractors, checking to make sure they’re adequately insured and licensed, and serving as a liaison between the contractor and the homeowner throughout the course of a job. Home Remedies provides a win-win situation for both parties: Services are provided free of charge to the homeowner, and contractors represented by Home Remedies only pay a commission for any work they secure…..Full Article

A Knoxville man has been ordered to stop marketing several envelope stuffing businesses he operates.

A Knox County chancellor granted a request by the state attorney general to prohibit Payton Abernathy from marketing and promoting his “make money from home envelope stuffing” business.

Abernathy had advertised the businesses under at least seven different names, including Peyton Enterprises, Global Mail Marketing, Make Money Stuffing, PC Enterprises, American Mail Marketing, Freedom Marketing, and www.mailingprogram.com.

They were promoted as an opportunity for consumers to “make thousands stuffing envelopes” while at home.

The complaint filed by the state attorney general alleges Abernathy promoted unlawful businesses on the Internet and in classified ads with unfair and deceptive claims like “make thousands of dollars. Guaranteed!”

Full Article