Telecommuting: Not For Everyone but for Some, Great

[admin]

The research is in! There is a dramatic increase, even up to 40% increase in some studies, in productivity for those people who are able to telecommute! Telecommuting means that an employer works from a location not typically expected. Obviously, the most recognizable telecommuting is done from the employee's home, but technically it could be from any remote location. Please note, however, how I said that --for "those people who are able to telecommute." Some people are NOT eligible. One reason is their job itself -- for example, a receptionist whose job is to greet people and lock and unlock the front door canot do the job from a remote location nor can a store clerk nor can those on a team who work intimately and constantly with others. Sometimes the job would allow telecommuting, but it is the person who cannot do it. Telecommuters must be extreme self-starters, highly motivated, organized, and able to function at a high level without the constant interaction of teammates, the comraderie of office environment, and the watchful eye of a supervisor. They must be able to set their own priorities, manage time effectively, and not be distracted by other obligations, especially when working in their own home with its myriad of interfering needs.

One mistake many employers make that could be easily avoided is to set clear expectations from the beginning about what is expected of telecommuters. These expectations should be articulated in writing in a contract-type form, in which the employee understands that telecommuting is a privilege that will only be continued with proper performance. Some specific areas that need to be addressed include: method and frequency of reporting in, deadlines, requirement of physical attendance at team meetings, expectations of being available by phone or computer access to team members and supervisors, expectations of number of hours to be worked and during what hours such as core hours, confidentiality and proper storage of information brought out of the main office, background noise when on the phone representing the company in a professional manner, whether you wish clients to know that the work is being done from a private home (image), dress code when telecommuter goes out on work-related errands, and how that employee will be evaluated by a distant supervisor.

Another issue employers can generally avoid is the resentment and skeptism that naturally arises between those employees who are not commuting and those who do. Ensure that both groups of employees know the quantity and quality of work everyone is doing and ensure that team comraderie exists by scheduling some face-to-face meetings and insisting on rapid responses to calls or needs of each group.

Also, some employers mistakenly think that if a telecommuting arrangement doesn't work, they have to continue it. No, this is a term or condition of employment that cam be modified as the business necessitates. It is wise, however, to ensure that the employee understands that fact at the outset.

One last mistake often made by employers is not allowing employees who could telecommute well because not all positions or employees can telecommute. Some employers think the law requires that all employees be treated the same in their working conditions; this is silly and not the law. As long as you are making your decisions about telecommuting based on work-related considerations and not on illegally discriminating issues such as race, gender, national origin, etc., you may offer a telecommuting option to some employees and not to others.

Telecommuting can provide motivation, increased productivity, and excitement to your current workforce and perhaps open your business up to new employees who could not join your team otherwise. Use it as another tool in your workplace toolbox and remember, not every tool is a hammer!

by J. Lenora Bresler from Woman To Woman