Seven Steps to Successful Telework

To make telework (working from home for a boss somewhere else) work for your business, consider these key tips:

• Is telework right for your business? Many corporations who are sending their employees home to work find telework is good for business - once they've given it some thought. They've reviewed and selected the right employees and right managers - those capable of working in remote settings or with out-of-sight teams. They've outfitted them with the right tools and technology - including a PC, Internet connection and dedicated business phone. They've ensured home officers are working from appropriately equipped workspaces, with good desks, ergonomic chairs and a quiet office. And they have fostered understanding and acceptance throughout the company. For many companies, that is the equation for a successful telework program.



• Who is your ideal teleworker? 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.



• Embrace change. Research has shown that the best teleworker and manager 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. 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 (e-mail, 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.



• Power up. Successful telework - where corporate employees work from home at least part time - is part worker, and part tool. The best telework programs get the company information technology department (or the person who handles the computers) 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. Workers with company-issue 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.



• Use the phone. Teleworkers, or corporate employees who work from home, need to be connected to be efficient. A dedicated business telephone line and fax line often is all they might need. 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. If the company system cannot forward calls, let the receptionist bridge the call, or provide the employee's home office number to the caller. Additionally, invest in a hosted voice mail service - like those available from the local bell company - to ensure a clear outgoing message and reliable messaging. This will help ensure professionalism in the home office.



• Furnish home offices wisely. Sending corporate employees home to work doesn't have to be expensive. 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 garage sales, corporate furniture or equipment sales, auctions or bankruptcy liquidations. The corporate facilities manager may oversee used furniture warehoused following a recent planned replacement. Even local office superstores often have scratch-and-dent specials. Keeping telework costs down can help improve company profitability - and the benefits of telework.



• Plan, revisit and grow. Telework isn't a static endeavor. It should be planned to suit your company and employees' style, and grow with your company's needs. Draft a telework pilot plan, enlist employees to participate, and track their successes and failures. Extol the former; eliminate the latter. Have a more productive and agile workplace as a result.

Jeff Zbar, the ChiefHomeOfficer.com, is a speaker, writer and expert on alternative officing. He is the author of Teleworking & Telecommuting: Strategies for Remote Workers and Their Managers (Made E-Z Products, 2002); Safe@Home: Seven Keys to Home Office Security (FirstPublish 2001) and Your Profitable Home Business (on CD-ROM from Made E-Z Products). Visit his Web site to subscribe to Home Office Success Stories, his free electronic magazine on home business and teleworking.