Managing Off-Site Staff for Small Business. Lin Grensing-Pophal
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option, and while studies continue to show that more and more companies are offering employees the opportunity to telecommute, many have been resistant to change. Some employers see no need to change a system that has worked for decades and, as most of us can relate to, change can be personally and organizationally challenging.
Out of sight, out of mind. Front-line managers have tended to be the most resistant to the use of telecommuting as an employee option. They believe that employees who are not physically present will be impossible to oversee. “How can I tell whether they’re really working?” they ask. “I’m just not comfortable with the idea of letting employees work from home,” others say.
Consider, though, how often managers actually oversee the work of their employees in a traditional setting. Managers may be physically located in an area removed from their staff. They may be involved in numerous meetings and other activities throughout the day that preclude direct observation of employees. And, of course, they have their own work to do, meaning that it is very unlikely that they are actually observing employees in the workplace to any great degree.
Abuse of the option. Are there employees who will take advantage of the opportunity to work from home? Employees who may look at telecommuting as a way of saving money and childcare costs while allowing them plenty of time for interaction with the kids? Employees who will spend their time engaged in personal activities instead of concentrating on their assigned work responsibilities? Certainly. But these individuals would be non-productive in any type of setting. A good selection process will serve to screen out these individuals before they are able to take part in a telecommuting program. In addition, careful development of specific — and measurable — goals and objectives can provide management with an objective method of monitoring performance.
Telecommuting demands greater coordination. Companies may be hesitant to start a telecommuting program because they fear that it will demand greater coordination and require more time and effort than the management of traditional staff. This may be true initially as the program is being developed and as the organization is adapting to it. In the long run, however, telecommuting can strengthen all management practices by helping the organization focus more on outcome than process in the management of staff activities.
Telecommuting may have a negative impact on communication. Communication is certainly a challenge when employees are no longer physically located with the majority of their workgroup and when you can’t simply walk down the hall to interact. Communication is a challenge in any work setting, however, and as with the coordination of work activities, the communication needs driven by telecommuting may serve to improve communication overall within the organization.
Special communication challenges are not unique to telecommuting. Many companies operate globally today, with employees spread around the world. Communication is an issue that belongs to any organization.
Fortunately, the technology that is now readily available to virtually anyone (at a very reasonable cost) means that distance is no longer relevant.
Legal issues. All employers have legal rights and responsibilities with respect to their employees; telecommuting simply creates different issues. For example, one of the largest areas of concern is for the safety of employees in a home office, or worker’s compensation. Another concern that may develop is the one of wage and hour laws (i.e., when will the telecommuter be eligible for overtime pay?).
These are valid concerns and, fortunately, with the growing number of people and companies practicing telecommuting, the vast majority of legal concerns have been explored and tested by someone, someplace, at some time. The best bits of advice in this area are: spend adequate time preparing your telecommuting agreement; include those issues that may create problems; and obtain legal counsel.
Conflict between teleworkers and non-teleworkers. Telecommuting is not appropriate for all people. Your decision on whether or not to allow an employee to telecommute is likely to be based both on the requirements of the job and the individual characteristics of the employee. Working from home or from some other remote location is an attractive option, and it is not unlikely that the employees who are unable to take advantage of it will feel some resentment toward those who are. Conflict may escalate if communication or hand-offs become problematic.
As a manager, it is important to remain focused on the business imperatives of the telecommuting decision.
Initial cost of set-up. Some people may be opposed to telecommuting because of concern over the costs involved. Costs will, of course, vary depending on the job that needs to be done, but generally speaking, it should cost no more to set up an employee to work from home than it does to accommodate the employee at the normal work setting. In fact, many companies have documented substantial savings in office space and equipment needs.
Careful planning is the key to controlling costs, as is common sense. A telecommuter may have the need to make photocopies from time to time, but that does not necessarily mean that he or she should be provided with a photocopier for his or her home office.
Negative impact on teamwork. There is something to be said about the camaraderie that develops between a group of people working together, day after day, within the same work environment. And it can certainly be challenging for a manager to build and maintain that same sense of team when some of the team members are seemingly absent. But it can be done.
6.2 For employees
Not all employees are anxious to telecommute. In fact, employees harbor a number of fears about telecommuting. As a manager it is important that you understand some of these concerns and that you’re able to directly and candidly discuss them with staff members. There are disadvantages to telecommuting and, for some employees, these disadvantages can be insurmountable.
Isolation. One of the real benefits of working at the office is the social interaction with other people. While any telecommuter should have ample opportunity for communication with the head office — through email, phone, video conference, and in-person meetings — the fact remains that a lot of time will be spent alone. While some employees may thrive in this type of environment, others may find the isolation difficult to deal with.
Home distractions. People working from their homes often have difficulty creating an appropriate boundary between home and work. Friends, family, and neighbors may perceive that the at-home employee is more receptive to drop-in visits, phone calls, and other interruptions.
Telecommuters whose arrangements allow them to work with their children present have other distractions. And, of course, there are the distractions that telecommuters create for themselves: the temptations of nice, sunny days; the lure of the television; the unrelenting desire to throw in a load of laundry.
Workaholism. The difficulty of drawing a distinction between home and work may create a problem of over-dedication to the job. Telecommuters are often tempted to work longer hours and can find it difficult to create appropriate boundaries between work responsibilities and personal needs. When the office is always just steps away, the lure of completing a project, checking email, or doing just one more thing can be strong.
Limited access to copiers, fax, and other office services. While you will want to consider carefully each telecommuter’s needs in terms of work equipment and tools, depending on the employee and his or her job, you may not be able to justify providing every piece of office equipment available for the home office. An employee may need to rely on administrative assistance at the head office or plan occasional trips into the office to take care of routine tasks.
Invisibility — a career killer? Employees may be hesitant to pursue telecommuting because they have come to view it as a career killer. They fear that if they aren’t continually involved, they will be overlooked for key projects, assignments, and promotions. This is a very real concern. However, a 1997 survey of telecommuters showed that 63 percent felt that teleworking had been a positive influence on their careers, and only 3 percent reported any negative impact.
Typically, it is the most independent and self-motivated individuals who are good candidates for telecommuting