Enterprise Rent-A-Car expanded its work-from-home pilot program after experiencing positive results after a few months in the UK. Enterprise plans for 50% of Enterprise Business Support (EBS) employees to become home-workers as the demand for call center employees increases, the company announced Sept. 21

During the pilot, call center employees from the EBS facility were given the opportunity to work from home with technical support to handle telephone reservations.

Enterprise compared the costs of having employees work from home versus the office and found an immediate 70% cost-saving. The comparison showed the cost of an office-based employee is around $6,500 per year while the cost of a home-based employee is roughly $2,000 in the first year for set-up costs and is then almost minimal in subsequent years.

Other benefits of the home-working pilot include improved retention, which was 20% higher than the call center average, reduction in absenteeism and disciplinary issues, higher employee satisfaction and a more diverse work force.

In addition, the home working program has allowed Enterprise to provide extended hours for improved customer experience.

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