Fortune 500s Hiring Home-Based Workers

Christine Durst and Michael Haaren
Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:00:00 -0800
Lifestyle

Ringing in 2013, home-based jobs continue to open up, as American Express, Apple and other giants hire non-commuting employees. This is good news for many. Millions of boomers face underfunded retirements, millenials notoriously dislike cubicles, many rat-racers are burning out and the environment needs fewer cars on the road.

The companies themselves, of course, also reap benefits. Studies consistently show that home-based workers are more productive, less likely to job-hop and reduce real estate costs substantially. The environmental gain is significant, too, which we can all appreciate.

As we write, American Express, Amazon and UnitedHealth Group all have openings for home-based workers.
Updated: Fri Jan 23, 2015

Ringing in 2013, home-based jobs continue to open up, as American Express, Apple and other giants hire non-commuting employees. This is good news for many. Millions of boomers face underfunded retirements, millenials notoriously dislike cubicles, many rat-racers are burning out and the environment needs fewer cars on the road.

The companies themselves, of course, also reap benefits. Studies consistently show that home-based workers are more productive, less likely to job-hop and reduce real estate costs substantially. The environmental gain is significant, too, which we can all appreciate.

As we write, American Express, Amazon and UnitedHealth Group all have openings for home-based workers.

American Express seeks experienced travel counselors who reside in Texas. Per the job description, "Travel Counselors will be providing leisure travel services to the most affluent American Express Cardmembers. Our Travel Counselors act as consultants, tailoring our products and services to create a unique and memorable vacation experience."

On the scheduling side, "candidates must be available to work between the hours of 5:00am - 12:00am CT, Monday - Sunday (7 days / week). Hours of operation may change due to business need." For connectivity, cable or DSL is required, and the company provides high-speed Internet and phone service. For details, see http://amex.co/VqF2pZ.

Amazon is looking for customer-service operations managers who reside in Texas, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Washington (state) or West Virginia. Per the job lead, candidates should have at least five years' management experience and a master's degree. For more, see http://bit.ly/Z8r8y9.

Amazon also continues to advertise for transitioning veterans in Oregon for home-based customer service positions. Base pay is $11 per hour. For more on these slots, see http://bit.ly/YLAqLz.

UnitedHealth Group, another blue chip, has been spearheading the "telehealth" movement (virtual medical workers) for years. The company has many current openings for registered nurses — who often provide telephonic triage services — and other professionals. For details, go to http://bit.ly/12W1LQa and search with the key words "work from home," without the quotes.

Apple, HSN and Others are also embracing telework. Other major players in the US economy are also fueling the "homeshoring" movement. Apple, for example, frequently hires "At-Home Advisors" to help customers with its products. "We're looking for people with technical savvy, including the ability to install, maintain and troubleshoot your own hardware and software," says the company. For more, see http://www.apple.com/jobs/us/aha.html.

Among the recent positions we've seen, Home Shopping Network has sought home-based agents to take phone calls from shoppers, and Teleflora regularly hires agents to help with flower-arrangement orders.

With workers seeking alternatives to "sprawl-and-crawl," global warming concerns growing and companies realizing the benefits of a home-based workforce, telework is poised to make substantial gains in the coming year.