Telecommuting Advisor

Training Telecommuters and Their Managers

September 27, 2008 on 10:50 pm | In Training |

The question often arises whether or not telecommuting training is really necessary. The answer is an unequivocal YES! Studies show that the most successful programs in existence had initial training as a key component. What follows is a discussion of topics that must be addressed and suggestions on how your training should be structured.

Telecommuter Training

After an initial orientation that can include the entire organization, training of employees who will be telecommuting should take place separately from the managers who will supervise them. This will provide a non-threatening environment where teleworkers will be able to air their concerns out in the open.

Characteristics of a Successful Program

Generally the first step in any telecommuting training program is to identify the differences between working in a traditional work setting and working from home, or perhaps working from a telecenter. Everybody needs to recognize the significant issues that will arise and time needs to be set aside to address them. The approach used to supervise will likely change and there will be other performance criteria used to measure success. Employees who have never done this before may need assistance in how to self-direct themselves and cope with possible distractions from family members.

Both participants and non-participants should be totally briefed on why the company is doing this, the advantages and challenges of the concept, what changes can be expected, the costs and risks that may be incurred and to debunk any myths and misconceptions that people may have about what telecommuting is. Indeed, there are really no “non-participants” because remote workers will more than likely still be interacting with on-site staff, and so those not telecommuting will need briefing on how to operate in this new hybrid environment.

Emphasis is usually not so much on technology — although that’s an important topic — but rather on communication skills, setting mutual objectives and some of the softer issues, such as how to handle interruptions and dealing with feelings of isolation.

There is generally a coordinator or coordinators that lead the implementation effort and who provide support and encouragement when needed. Careful consideration of any suggestions or other constructive criticism is key to making employees feel their concerns are being addressed and needs met.

Most often, successful programs use a phased implementation approach, starting with a pilot of carefully selected participants, and then gradually expanding the program from there, continually incorporating new best practices learned from actively solicited feedback.

Training Program Structure

Successful telework training initiatives usually start with company-wide announcements that get everyone on board and then narrow down to smaller group sessions of 15 - 20 individuals. There may be departmental or divisional orientation meetings with everyone together, but then separate training for employees and supervisors occurs. Finally, after everyone has experienced telecommuting for about a month or so, the groups then meet together again to discuss issues and develop solutions that are appropriate for the situation.

After initial pilot programs pass the test and the decision is made to make telecommuting a part of everyday operations, then the training should be offered on an ongoing basis. This allows new employees and current employees new to telework to become acclimated and learn how to work remotely effectively. Indeed, it’s a good idea for all employees to attend training, especially if they are at all skeptical about whether of not they would be able to do it.

Making it Real

All the “what ifs” and classroom simulations in the world do not substitute for real-world personal experience. Many employees simply do not know if they will be able to cope with the demands of telework until they try it for themselves for a reasonable amount of time. As suggested above, every two weeks or so, the class should get together to discuss issues and act as a support group to help each other through the transition period. If the individual ends up having difficulties that cannot be overcome after giving it their best shot, then the employee should be able to migrate back to working on-site without repercussion.

Training should take place as close as possible to the actual time when telecommuting will begin. The process creates momentum and excitement and it’s best to implement when the learning is fresh in employee’s minds.

Supervisor and Manager Training

In addition to training telecommuters themselves, it is imperative to also train the people who will supervise them — their immediate supervisor and the next level of management. In many organizations, the biggest challenge here will be to overcome and eliminate the prevailing attitudes, fears and preconceived notions that their managers may have about telecommuting.

Transition from Traditional Role

Many managers find that they have difficulty supervising someone who they can’t see and interact with face-to-face. This causes them stress, and they may resist any efforts to transition their area of operation to telework. Indeed, they may feel that they are no longer needed, since the employee is no longer working on-site.

In actuality, quite the opposite is true. Because work still needs to get accomplished, albeit through a different model, the manager is still needed, but has to have a higher level of communication skills in order to ensure that goals and objectives are being met. This is where training for managers becomes invaluable, because they need to learn how to transition from managing employee’s time to managing employee projects. They must be able to move from managing activity to managing results. Another point to keep in mind is that in most telecommute programs, employees only work from home a few days a week, not full-time. Therefore, on-site managers still have to direct staff on those days that employees are in the office, allaying manager’s fears that they are no longer needed.

Training Program Structure

The biggest challenge in structuring telework training for managers is in convincing them of the need to learn some new approaches to managing remote employees. Most managers feel they are effective already, so what is new that they could possibly need to know? The answer is that a management-by-results philosophy probably needs an extension of the skills they already possess, so the approach should be more of a “fine-tuning” rather than a “starting from scratch” brand new way of managing things.

The simplist way to accomplish this is to review “Management 101″ techniques, with an emphasis on communications. Looking at the teleworker-manager relationship will reveal areas where potential problems can occur, and those are the areas that the training needs to focus on. Making managers a part of the process of identifying these areas will help secure their buy-in when it comes to the actual training.

Here are some suggested areas to address in the supervisor/manager training:

• Managing by results
• A refresher in how to set performance standards and give feedback
• Keeping teleworkers in the loop and group collaboration
• How to deal with technology issues
• Spotting problems early on and handling them effectively

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, in conjunction with the General Services Administration, offers online training on telecommuting topics. Telework 101 for Employees and Telework 101 for Managers are Internet-based, interactive courses that provide a brief, practical introduction to telework.

Supervisor’s Checklist

As an aid for managers who supervise telecommuters, the California Department of Personnel Administration offers the following checklist to ensure that managers and telecommuters get off on the right path of mutual understanding of the arrangement:

• Employee has read the orientation documents and has signed off on both the telecommuting policy and Telecommuter’s Agreement
• Employee has been provided with a schedule of core hours and guidelines of flexing work hours
• Company-owned equipment issued has been documented
• Performance expectations have been discussed and are clearly understood, and assignments and due dates are documented
• Requirements for adequate and safe office space have been reviewed with the employee and the employee certifies that these have been met
• Requirements for care of equipment assigned to employee have been discussed and are clearly understood
• Employee has received and read their copy of the Information Security Guidelines and is familiar with requirements and techniques for protecting computer information
• Phone contact procedures have been clearly defined and unit secretaries and receptionists have received training on how to coordinate the telework effort

This list is a start. You can add or modify it depending upon the requirements and size of your organization. The point is to have something that helps supervisors manage the paperwork.

Team Training

Telecommuters do not work in a vacumm. They are part of a team. Therefore, it is important to integrate everyone’s goals and objectives together so they can understand how their piece fits into the whole. Topics can include:

• Everyone’s schedule, availability, phone coverage, and days they are to be in the office
• Departmental workflow procedures
• Technical support issues
• Mutual support and encouragement

In the beginning, these sessions are more training-oriented, because everyone is getting accustomed to the telecommute work arrangement. But over time, they can become the weekly or periodic staff meeting where progress is reported and issues are ironed out.

Training Non-participants

Not all workgroup team members will be telecommuters. Some support staff, such as administrators, tech support and management will be office-based. Therefore, they need to be included in the training to appraise them of their role and how their methods and procedures may need to change to accommodate the telework program. By including these people from the beginning and informing them about the goals, objectives, selection process and hows and whys of the program, organizations are more likely to secure their cooperation and involvement with the program.

It’s also been demonstrated that a need exists to provide executive management across the organization with an overview of the telecommuting program and to encourage their ongoing support by keeping them in the loop and promoting the successes, especially any cost savings or productivity gains experienced. All too often, executives demonstrate initial support — even championing the cause in the beginning — only to then turn lukewarm as time goes on, losing sensitivity to the issues. Keeping executives informed helps prevent this.