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Telecommuting Can Work For Your Business

Telecommuting has been given a bad reputation, and unfairly so. Some employees claim they are not in touch with the pulse of the business when they work from home and that they are left out. Employers claim their workers are not serious about their career if they choose to telecommute. Some have even been burned by less than motivated employees who choose to sleep late and watch Dr. Phil, instead accomplish anything.

Author: Chris Haycox
Date: Mar 16, 2011 - 1:59:30 PM

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Telecommuting has been given a bad reputation, and unfairly so.  Some employees claim they are not in touch with the pulse of the business when they work from home and that they are left out.  Employers claim their workers are not serious about their career if they choose to telecommute.  Some have even been burned by less than motivated employees who choose to sleep late and watch Dr. Phil, instead accomplish anything.  Larger employers feel their work groups lack creativity when everyone is not working in one place.  In reality, these fears are largely unwarranted.  Perhaps, there are a few cases of irresponsible workers who slack off at home but the problem is not in the methods of work but in the decision to hire such a person in the first place.  As for creativity, well that is a problem easily solved through technology and diversification.

First, let's take a look at what telecommuting actually is.  In the 1970's, telecommuting would have been just what the word sounds like, commuting via telephone.  Now with technology in such a different place than it was 40 years ago, telecommuting can be defined as replacing the daily physical commute with telecommunications links.  It is a flexible work arrangement in which workers perform their duties away from the office and (possibly) during hours that differ from regular business hours.  Telecommuting does not necessarily happen from the employee's home; they may choose to use mobile telecommunications to do their work from coffee shops, libraries, internet cafe's or even a vacation spot.

Successful telecommuting relies on a few factors, but most importantly is the style of management.  Results oriented management works best with telecommuting.  Employers, who allow their workers to achieve their work goals in their own style on time and according to schedule, will find success in employees who telecommute.  Employers, who manage through observing that workers show up and appear to be working, will not suit telecommuting.  They may also experience an unfavorable but common employee phenomenon: 'presenteeism'.  'Presenteeism' involves employees who come to work because they feel obligated to be there even when a) there is no work to do, b) they are ill, or c) when nothing is accomplished.  This kind of behavior can cost the company a great deal of money in wages paid for little or no work.

Adequate hardware and technological troubleshooting skills are also key to successful telecommuting.  Both the employer and employee should have fairly current computers, high speed internet capabilities and the knowledge to run the equipment.  There is no point in having a worker telecommute when they cannot troubleshoot simple connection problems.  Depending on the kind of work the company does, a remote server in which workers can log on and retrieve documents or messages would be a very useful tool for telecommuting.  Conference calling has been used in business for many years, as well as video conferencing.  Both are useful tools for telecommuting employees, allowing them to be a part of strategy meetings, creative brainstorming sessions and anything else that may require their real-time input.  Cloud computing is the newest trend in technology, especially with the increase in Wi-Fi capabilities around the world.

When implementing a telecommuting program, it is important to set clear guidelines for projects.  Obviously every business is different, so your timeline will be all your own.  But having the rules laid out so that employees know exactly what is expected of them is important for productivity.  If your telecommuters are off site only part time, be clear about when they are expected to show up to the office.  When they are in the office, make the most of face time.  Schedule important meetings and events for when they are in the office.  On the flip side, the telecommuter should also be flexible about  changing their home office time in order to attend important meetings.  Workers, who prefer to work from home in order to care for children, will likely not be able to meet their task objectives on time.  If, on the other hand, they are caring for a sick child and the arrangement is temporary, then it may work out for the short term.

The potential benefits of telecommuting can impact communities and families, as well as the employers  and employees.  For the family, it means parents have more flexibility to attend school events, be at home when children arrive after the school day, take their kids to appointments and generally be more involved with their daily activities.  Communities benefit through offering fuller employment options to groups like the disabled, retirees, workers in remote areas and parents with children too young to be in care.  The work-life balance is improved which brings employee morale up.  When morale is high, productivity is high and the company benefits.   Telecommuting reduces traffic congestion and in turn so is the likelihood of traffic accidents.  Greenhouse gases are decreased, as are fuel costs.

Telecommuting has so much potential to improve our environment, our family dynamics and our work-life balance.  However, it is a tricky balance.  The employer needs to see quality results in a timely fashion, the employee needs to feel they are not out of the loop, and the office-based workers need to feel the telecommuter is doing their fair share.  It can be done, and the benefits are definitely worth the expenditures.

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View all articles by Chris Haycox

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