Telecommuting Advisor

Managing Telecommuters

September 28, 2008 on 1:29 am | In Managing |

Many managers discourage their employees from telecommuting because it places a burden on them on how to supervise activity they cannot see. This section examines that issue and explores how telecommuting can easily be a win-win situation, saving both the employee and company money while increasing productivity at the same time.

Myth vs. Reality

Managers who have never managed remote employees have the preconceived notion that employees they can’t see won’t get the job done because they will goof off if not watched over carefully. In reality, most employees inherently want to do a good job and thrive in an environment where they can demonstrate accomplishment.

Another concern managers have is that they feel at a loss at how to manage activities they cannot see in process. Most managers learned their skills in an environment where they provided ongoing feedback over observations made while employees conducted their daily work. In the paradigm of the remote worker, the thing that needs to be managed is the result delivered based on some objective. Managers who have never had to manage this process view it as being more difficult, and therefore resist it. In reality, all that is required is a shift in focus from managing activities to managing results. This requires effective communication skills, but most of all the other manager traits still apply.

Traits of Effective Telecommuter Managers

The traits of an effective telecommuter manager are basically the same as for any effective manager, except for perhaps an emphasis on the need for excellence in the areas of communications, goal-setting and constructive feedback. Inspiring a remote workforce to produce also requires good leadership and planning skills. Among other qualities attributed to a successful telework manager are:

• Ability to manage outcomes, rather than just activities
• A clear understanding of the requirements of the telecommuting position and the ability to evaluate the output produced by the position incumbent
• Ability to clearly articulate to the incumbent the expectations that must be attained and clear guidelines on how to reach them

Setting Goals and Objectives

Unlike on-site management of employees, telecommuter performance is measured by attainment of pre-established goals and objectives. Employee assignments are designed to focus on a deliverable, and the quality of that deliverable is best measured by how well it meets customer expectation.

The process of setting objectives actually should begin when the job is analyzed to determine whether or not it is telecommutable. From the task analysis, the job can be categorized into different areas, each with deliverables that can be measured by some criteria. A standard of work is mutually agreed upon and then objectives are written up and measures precisely defined so that there is no question of what the expectation is. Standards generally can be categorized by four measures:

• Quality - This needs to be defined by established criteria.
• Quantity - In certain positions, production is used to determine goal attainment.
• Time - Depending on deadlines or perhaps turnaround, these could be established as hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc.
• Cost efficiency - Some positions have specific or general responsibility for meeting budgets or reducing costs.

Goals, it is said, are just wishes until they are written down. Well-defined goals permit both the telecommuter and manager to have a clear understanding of expectations. In determining the goals of the telework position, use the S.M.A.R.T acronym. Goals need to be:

• Specific - A goal has a greater chance of being accomplished if it is stated clearly and specifically. For example, “Increase sales by 20% in calendar year 2008.”

• Measurable - Find a way to measure progress using hard numbers. Set target dates. For example, produce monthly or quarterly reports using Quicken or QuickBooks.

• Achievable - By breaking goals down into reachable chunks or benchmarks, you increase the attainability of the goal and make it seem less overwhelming.

• Realistic - To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you both are willing and able to work, and you believe can be accomplished.

• Time-specific - By setting a timeframe, you create a sense of urgency, which is important in motivating the employee to accomplish the goal.

Establishing goals and objectives should be a joint responsibility of the manager and the telecommuter. This means that the manager must have a good understanding of the demands of the telecommuter’s job and also have sensitivity to their abilities and limitations.

Providing Feedback

Due to the nature of the relationship between remote workers and their manager, it is especially important to provide feedback on an ongoing basis, and not just limit it to an annual or quarterly event. The timeliness of feedback may be contingent on reported results from a computer system, but whenever possible, the manager seek out opportunities to let the worker know how he or she is doing. Evaluation should be directly tied to the goals and standards already established. In addition, the manager should encourage staff members to provide feedback to them as well.

Communication

This might be the area that makes or breaks the telecommuting program. It is of the utmost importance in the telecommuter-manager relationship. Putting an effective communication process in place is one of the first steps that the manager should take and it should be flexible enough to accommodate the needs of each telecommuter. A variety of methods can be used to accomplish communication — phone, fax, email, in-office visits, teleconferencing, cell phone — but whatever method is chosen, it needs to effective for both parties.

Suggestions for effective communication:

• Use collaborative communication tools like GoToMeeting or Microsoft NetMeeting.
• Encourage the use of telephone headsets to minimize noise distractions.
• Promote the use of a team groupware space where team members can post messages.
• Utilize voice or video conferencing tools.
• Observe proper etiquette when holding team meetings. Be on time and be prepared and aware of agenda items.
• Actively participate in all discussions.
• Keep background noise to a minimum.
• Do not try to multi-task when communicating with team members. Stay focused on the task at hand.
• Use active listening skills and ask speakers to rephrase something if you are not clear as to what you heard.
• Try to establish a regular meeting time.
• Rotate meeting facilitation duties to give everyone an opportunity to practice the skill and share the workload.

Maintaining Involvement

One very real concern that telecommuting employees often have is that being remote will lessen their visibility to the rest of the organization, especially upper management, and they will lose out on opportunities to advance or become involved with career-enhancing projects. “Out of sight means out of mind” in their perceived thought process.

There are a multitude of things that managers can do to alleviate these concerns.

• First of all, it’s essential that the manager is an effective communicator, which also means that they are a good listener. They should be sincere in really hearing the employee’s concerns and give serious consideration to their ideas and suggestions.
• Being available is important to the telecommuter whenever they experience a problem. A protocol should be set up for when the manager can be reached by phone, email or in person and a designated back-up person appointed for emergency situations when the manager cannot be reached.
• Telecommuters have a heightened need to feel included in everyday department activities. Managers need to make sure that information is shared on a regular basis. Setting up a company intranet where announcements, a shared calendar, and company resources are located can be an effective way to accomplish this.
• Mangers should provide recognition of the remote worker’s accomplishments for a job well done and make sure the kudos is communicated to on-site staff.
• Projects that provide opportunities for professional growth should be given to telecommuting staff on a regular basis.
• On-site visits by telecommuting staff should be scheduled on a regular basis to provide face time with on-site staff and help maintain a sense of teamwork.
• Celebrate successes together. At the end of a project or a significant milestone, managers should make sure that remote workers are included in any events that are scheduled to celebrate the accomplishment.

Motivating Telecommuters

One of the challenges that telecommuters face is staying motivated when they don’t have the daily person-to-person interaction that on-site staff experience. It’s harder for them to focus on their immediate objectives when the constant reenforcement of meetings, lunchtime conversation and hallway dialogs is not there. Managers need to aware of this and provide opportunities for teleworkers to attain their goals.

Many of the points summarized above concerning maintaining involvement also go a long way toward keeping the remote worker’s motivation up, but here are some additional points to consider that will help telecommuters to stay on task and excel:

• Provide training opportunities. Courses, seminars, conferences and trade shows may all provide some break from the routine and an opportunity for skill enhancement.
• Team building sessions. Getting together with the rest of the team to brainstorm ideas or to promote friendly competition with a contest may provide incentives for some types of jobs.
• By the employer covering the expenses of employees to join and participate in professional organizations that are job-related, they demonstrate they are interested in the teleworker’s personal development.

What to do if it’s not Working Out

For a myriad of reasons, telecommuting may not be working out for the employee, and a decision has to be made on how to best change the arrangement. Management needs to recognize early on the potential signs that the employee may not be suitable for telecommuting and take action as soon as possible. The initial objective in any corrective action to be taken should always be to maintain a productive and effective employee — not to terminate the telecommuting arrangement.

The important point to take away here is that managers should never wait to see if the problem will resolve itself. Unresolved issues can have a negative impact in a number of ways, including a monetary cost to the organization, morale problems, and lack of productivity. It is always best to address any issues that surface immediately with feedback that is predictable, impersonal, and consistently applied, no matter which member of the team it applies to.

Another point to consider is that the method the manager uses to communicate feedback should be appropriate to the situation. While minor issues (failure to meet a reporting deadline, for instance) can be responded to via email, more serious issues (such as a customer complaint that they can never reach the employee) may require addressing face-to face. Technology should never be used as a scapegoat to avoid uncomfortable personal interaction situations.

Some other pointers for managers to consider:

• Make sure that both you and the employee are clear and in total agreement as to what the issue is.
• Focus your comments on the task and any objectives or performance standards that have been established as part of the telework arrangement, and not on the personal habits or characteristics of the employee.
• Give the employee an opportunity to tell their side of the story and listen with an open mind.
• Expect and allow some emotional venting.
• Take accurate notes and restate the issue so that both you and the telecommuter are in agreement as to the facts.
• Never be hostile toward the employee or treat them as an adversary. Regardless of your personal feelings toward them, it’s your obligation to keep an open mind and be objective.
• Be sure to be specific about the consequences of continued problems and mutually develop a schedule for follow-up.
• In providing the employee feedback about the behaviors or actions that are inconsistent with the telecommuting policy or expectations, it is appropriate to provide coaching or retraining to reinforce positive behaviors.
• Review the tools available to the telecommuter to ensure that they are adequate for them to perform their job.

If the situation continues or escalates, it may be necessary either to terminate the telecommuting agreement or even the employment relationship. In either case, it is important that the manager has thoroughly documented the issues that have led to the decision and what was done to try to rectify the situation.