Telecommuting Advisor

Making a Case for Telecommuting - The Business Viewpoint

September 5, 2008 on 6:39 pm | In Managing |

It’s undeniable that telecommuting has benefits on both sides of the employer-employee relationship. Thousands of companies have telework programs in place and are experiencing productivity gains while millions of employees worldwide are reaping the benefits of lower commuting costs, flexible time scheduling and reduced stress.

But there are a number of factors companies need to consider before embarking upon a telework program because the costs involved can be substantial and the program will need to be monitored and managed. Below are topics for your consideration.

What Jobs are Best Suited?

Simply stated, not all jobs and not all employees are suitable for telecommuting. A job that involves face-to-face contact with customers, such as a medical office receptionist or a personal services provider, is generally not a good candidate for telework. Similarly, an employee who does not have the self-discipline that telework requires would not be successful in a telework role.

To determine what jobs would be most suited for telework, management conducts a task analysis. All jobs are made up of tasks that must be performed. The job’s components are broken down and a percentage assigned as to the amount of the work week it consumes. Then for each task, a determination is made to see if there is a locational aspect to it. In other words, does the completion of the task depend on it being performed at a specific location? Finally, all of the percentages of the tasks that are location-dependent are added up to determine location dependence as percentage of job. From here, a determination can be made of the feasibility of the job for telecommuting. Note that even if it’s determined that a large percentage of the job is location dependent, there may be a way to clump the tasks that are location independent to one or two days so that the employee holding the position can still telecommute one or two days a week.

Other factors to take into account are company resources and security requirements. If a job requires ongoing access to specialized equipment, materials and files that are situated only at the workplace, or because of your industry, there are security compliance issues, these could prove problematic if the employee wants to work from home.

Is Your Business Ready?

Even if you determine that many of the positions in your company are teleworkable, the climate and culture within your organization may resist efforts to allow people to work from home. It’s a sizable commitment. Your company will have to accept telecommuting as a legitimate and desirable activity, be willing and able to provide the necessary support and have the appropriate information technology in place. The supervisor or manager of the employee must also accept the concept and practice of telecommuting and be properly trained and prepared to manage a remote workforce.

“Employers and employees must think about what the business reasons are for wanting a telecommuting program. This could include greater flexibility for both the employer and the employees, productivity benefits or the ability to attract or retain workers,” says Jean T. Stimolo, executive director of Telecommute Connecticut!, a service of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Telecommute Connecticut! works with employers in that state to design and implement effective telecommuting programs. “Many companies are surprised by the increase in productivity a successful telecommuting program can bring,” Stimolo says.

According to Telecommute Connecticut!, organizations most suited for telecommuting:

• are competitive, practical and open to new ways of carrying out business and able to adapt to change
• understand the link between telecommuting and productivity, morale and attracting or retaining top talent
• have staff that do not always need to be on site
• are willing to support telecommuters with adequate training, equipment and IT resources and support
• understand the value of work-life balance

Handling Resistance

Like any initiative proposed in a business setting, you are likely to encounter resistance to the idea of telecommuting as “too expensive”, “loss of management control”, or “it’s just not right for our company”. A successful proposal will need to anticipate these reactions and have solid arguments as to why they are not valid or can be offset by a higher benefit. In the end, the CEO should be solidly behind it, or at least be willing to give it a try for a defined period. Often, your argument will surround promoting a positive affect on one of more of these key economic issues:

• Maintaining or increasing productivity
• Decreasing the need for more office space
• Attracting or retaining skilled staff
• Complying with governmental mandates designed to improve environmental factors like air quality or traffic congestion

You may also encounter resistance on the employee side, especially if the job the employee holds is being required to telecommute. Mandatory requirements to telework are never advisable, but in any case, the employee should be given input into the decision-making process.

Conflict also arises in cases where, for whatever reason, some employees are not able to participate in the telework program. This may stem from envy or jealousy, but these employee concerns must be addressed early on if the program is to be successful.

While the highest resistance on both sides comes with full-time telecommuting, most companies and employees will accept having to telecommute one or two days a week. There are benefits to having periodic face-to-face office contact, not only from a work perspective, but also from a social point of view. We are social animals and the need to have personal contact is strong. Again, letting employees (and unions) have a voice in the process will generally go a long way in reducing any resistance that may appear.

Resources Required

In order to get a telework initiative started, a dedicated staff (at least in the beginning) should be assigned to implement the project. A budget will need to be allocated in order to pay staff salaries, train teleworkers and their managers, and perhaps hire consultants to assist in the process.

The costs involved will vary significantly and depend upon which jobs are selected and how many, the capabilities of the company, and whether the company pays for the tools that will be used by the employee at home. About half of all companies surveyed in a recent poll provide all of the tools needed by employees working at home and nearly 25% share the cost of such items as computer equipment, Internet access and software with their teleworking employees.

Success Characteristics

Telework programs do work and deliver on the promises of increased productivity and overall cost savings. But success doesn’t happen in a vacumn. Well-run telework programs tend to share common traits. Among them are:

• Alignment with company goals - Take the time up-front to identify what you want telecommuting to deliver, and then design your benchmarks with that focus.
• Identify the right jobs and people
• Identify and continually communicate the benefits
• Anticipate problems in advance and have policies in place to deal with issues
• Ensure that your employees have the proper work environment at home
• Have the proper tools in place. Match the technology to the task.
• Keep the communications line open and make frequent connections a matter of policy
• Provide training to all personnel and make sure they understand that they are all part of a team
• Conduct periodic evaluations of how things are going and take corrective actions when necessary