According to Jack Nilles, who coined the phrase "telecommuting" over 25 years ago and authored the first book on the subject, The Telecommunications-Transportation Tradeoff, telecommuting is becoming an even more prevalent way to work. "The continuing trend in IT is broadening the scope and depth of telecommuting possibilities. Plus, scares of various sorts (9/11, SARS, etc.) are helping push reluctant employers over the edge in deciding to adopt telecommuting. And urban traffic congestion isn't getting any better either."

So, we ask you: Do you manage anyone who telecommutes? Would they like to? Does your company or department have a telecommuting policy? Does it make sense to set up a standard policy, or just set up written agreements with your staff on a one-on-one basis? Whichever the case, Ajilon Pinstripe is here to provide you some food for thought to set up either a corporate policy or a personal agreement on the issue.

But first, let's quickly cover why telecommuting can make good business sense:

• By offering a telecommuting option, you can keep and attract quality people.
  
• You can widen your talent pool to include people with disabilities or people who live far from your office.
  
• You can lower employee stress, and boost job satisfaction.
  
• You can enhance productivity by cutting down on commuting time.
  
• You can lower operating costs (if enough staff are working from home) by cutting down on the amount of office space or parking spaces your company needs.
  
• Lastly, many states offer tax credits and low-interest loans for telecommuting equipment.

From a management point of view, telecommuting requires an evolution in how you supervise your employees. In addition to traditional evaluation criteria, like the quality of the employee's work itself, you have to monitor your telecommuting staff on their offsite productivity, their availability during the work day, their response time on phone calls or emails, and their ability to stay involved in the day-to-day operations of your company.

You should also be selective in who you offer telecommuting options to. The person who telecommutes must be self-sufficient, self-motivated and responsible — someone who may not need the face-to-face feedback (and affirmation) that many people need. Also, consider their role in the company. Obviously, someone like a receptionist cannot telecommute! But what about a sales person? A graphic designer? A word processor? Or a data entry clerk?

Ok, now that we've got some of the more broad points out of the way, let's
get into it:

Define a probationary period. Let your telecommuter know that you want to "try things out for a while" and see how things go based on a number of pre-determined criteria. That way, you can make adjustments down the line — or revoke the privilege — if you need to.

Work schedule. Make sure you and your employee agree upon the timeframes for working from home. It's important that everyone who works directly with this person knows these working hours, which is why it's a good idea to make sure that the telecommuting hours are consistent from week to week. Also, you might want to include a discussion on how to handle snow days and company downtime.

Equipment. Is your company prepared to provide this employee a computer, a second phone line, a printer, a fax machine or other supplies they may need? Then you'll need to document what will be provided, and paid for on an ongoing basis (telephone bills, office supplies, etc.).

IT Issues. It may be necessary to assign an IT person who can help the telecommuter with technical support issues. And be prepared. Many can arise, from VPN troubleshooting, to phone line difficulties, to a computer crashing. Make sure the employee understands that they may need to bring equipment back into the office for repairs.

Expenses. Make sure the employee knows what is and isn't reimbursable by the company, and if there is any doubt, to ask before the purchase is made.

Security. Is this employee working on sensitive projects? Work that should only be seen by the employee in a private workspace? Then, you'll have to make certain that the telecommuter's workspace can accommodate these concerns. From an IT perspective, certain passwords and VPN protocols may be needed to prevent unauthorized access by others in the household.

Performance criteria. It's important that the employee knows exactly what is expected of them in this new arrangement. As mentioned throughout this article, you should cover quality of work issues, hours available, communication expectations, etc.

Client service. If this potential telecommuter has client contact then they must be able to guarantee the same — if not better — client service. That goes for phone calls, emails and even client visits. You may also need to determine an acceptable time frame for returning client calls, if applicable. From a client perspective, service should be seamless.

Communication. Telecommuters should communicate with the rest of their co-workers with the same regularity that they would as if they were present at the office, with the additional condition that they always make clear 'how' and 'when' to best keep in touch on critical issues. Many telecommuters today keep an instant messenger of some sort turned on throughout the day.

Organization. Make sure your telecommuter has a "system" for working from the office and from home. Leaving some papers at the office should not be an excuse as to why something does not get done.

Sign on the line that is dotted. Make sure your telecommuter signs paperwork that acknowledges the agreed-to telecommuting arrangement. Make sure the document covers all of the above points, as well as the returning of all company property upon termination or resignation of employment, and that the employee will take all precautions to safeguard all company equipment and information from damage or theft.

If you would like to discuss this trend or any other workplace issues, please contact your Ajilon Pinstripe representative today. And if you're looking for an inner-directed, responsible administrative professional for a telecommuting position, we can help you with that too!

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