Human Resources: Is Telework Right For Your Business?

Though it has been around by name since 1974, telecommuting or telework found its place in mainstream consciousness following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Ten million square feet of World Trade Center office space was destroyed. Millions more were either damaged, uninhabitable - or simply inaccessible as rescue and work crews were forced to block streets as part of the recovery process. That left thousands of workers to find another place to work.

Home became the logical answer for many.

Today, more than 28 million Americans work at least three days each month from home - for an employer based somewhere else, according to the International Telework Association & Council (www.telecommute.org).

Telework can be a boon employee recruitment and retention, which can lead to increased worker satisfaction, productivity and quality of work. Telework allows employees to find greater balance between their professional and personal lives, which often leads to greater job satisfaction and company loyalty.

A recent survey of 1,500 AT&T teleworkers revealed that the average employee reported a 10% gain in productivity on telework days - or roughly one more hour of work worth a combined $65 million a year. Those who were most productive were those who had company-paid broadband at home. Other annual benefits: Corporate savings of $100 million every year on infrastructure and employee leave, five million gallons of gas and 100 million miles not traveled by commuting workers.

In another study, following the launch of its telework pilot program in the 1990s, the Ford Motor Company found that 97% of its teleworkers reported an increase in productivity, 82% increased the timeliness of their work, and 77% said telework improved their quality of life. Equally as important, 79% of managers reported no change in their ability to manage remote workers, and 67% of teleworkers´ work group members noted that advantages of telework - including their team members´ output, accountability and job satisfaction - outweighed any disadvantages.

"Results from the pilot were fabulous," says Cheryl Brautigan, a spokeswoman for Ford´s Planning Office. "They surprised everybody, even the people who really believed in telework."

Is Telework Right For Your Business?
But is telework right for your business? It could be - if you select the right employees and right managers, outfit them with the right tools and technology, ensure home officers are working from appropriately equipped workspaces, and foster understanding and acceptance throughout the company.

When selecting telework candidates, consider those whose roles fit the ideal telework job description. Workers whose primary tasks are information related - whether they are making phone calls, working the Internet or managing data on a computer - often can easily transfer those tasks to a home office. Networking and teamwork can be performed via phone or Web-based conferencing. On the other hand, employees who must work in close concert with peers and whose jobs require intense and close collaboration might perform better in the corporate environment. Administrative assistants, and managers or supervisors who must closely oversee subordinates, reports or workplaces, often cannot work remotely.

Research has shown that the best telework candidates are open to change, are excellent communicators, whether via phone or email, and are team players - but have an inherent entrepreneurial spirit. That said, even those employees fitting these characteristics might now want to work outside the corporate office, and at its foundation, a successful telework initiative must be voluntary. Manager and telework alike should agree to the program and its terms. They should decide on how often - and through which means (email, phone calls, instant messenger) - they will contact each other on telework days. The manager should have the authority to terminate or scale-back the program if productivity suffers, or if camaraderie or workplace morale drops because of coworker dissatisfaction.

The Tech Power Tool
Successful telework is part worker, and part tool. The best telework programs get the company information technology department involved early so the remote workers´ home offices can mimic as closely as possible the technology found corporate workspace. Where available, broadband Internet service - like DSL, cable modems or satellite Internet service - provides access speeds that workers are accustomed to in the corporate office. In fact, without broadband, telework is no boon to productivity. AT&T´s study found that some 36% of its teleworkers quit working outside the corporate office if they didn´t have broadband at home.

Workers with company-issued laptop or desktop computers for use at home should also have the latest versions of software used by the company, including antivirus, firewall and data back-up software and applications to protect the company network from security breaches and outside attacks. It´s also good policy to enforce a "Not for family use" rule for company-issue technology. This will help avoid security lapses or other hardware, software or data corruptions.

Employees also should have a dedicated business telephone line, and fax line if necessary. If the technology is available on the company phone system, calls placed to the employee´s corporate phone number should be automatically and seamlessly forwarded to the home office line on telework days. If the worker is unavailable, the corporate voicemail system should answer the calls. This will help ensure professionalism in the home office.

Telework doesn´t have to be expensive, and setting up the home office - whether it´s up to the employee or the employer to fund it - can be an exercise in frugal furnishing. Ferret out deals from a variety of sources. Many used office furniture stores or office equipment leasing companies have desks and filing cabinets to choose from. Local thrift or consignment shops often have used furniture and equipment. Classified ads may have listings of corporate furniture or equipment sales, auctions or bankruptcy liquidations. The corporate facilities manager may oversee used furniture warehoused following a recent planned replacement. Local office superstores often have scratch-and-dent specials.

Even before September 11, telework was fast earning its place as a respected and suitable "alternative work arrangement." With the right planning, research, tools and testing, telework can work for almost any company keen on positioning itself as an employer of choice for the best and most loyal employees in the workplace today.