More Frequently Asked
Questions
What is “teleworking” — really?
Generally, it means using some form of technology to communicate with
a distant bricks-and-mortar office to accomplish one’s job. Phones
and telegrams were the original teleworking equipment, used primarily
by traveling salespeople. Today, widely available access to high-speed
computers and the Internet has made teleworking a powerful, efficient,
affordable, and mainstream means of excellence on the job without physically
commuting to the office every day.
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Location: The typical telework setup involves
working from home, with a PC, an extra phone line, maybe a fax machine
and a shredder comprising the home-office equipment. Alternatively,
an employee might take advantage of a nearby commercial telework
site, where space, equipment and sometimes administrative office
support are available for lease.
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Time frames: Most teleworkers work from their
remote site just once or twice a week, following their usual commute
to the office on the other days, for meetings, access to internal
systems and services, and healthy “face time” with managers
and co-workers. An employee with unique skills and/or business knowledge
that would be difficult and expensive to replace, but who has a
personal need or desire to do the job from a more remote site, might
only travel to the office once or twice a month — or less,
depending on the nature of the work they are to accomplish.
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Jobs: While some jobs clearly require more office
time than others, there are very few jobs that don’t allow
at least some teleworking opportunities; even an airline pilot spends
time working from home every month, studying the latest equipment
and safety requirements. Doctors and nurses accumulate business
study and paperwork for focused worktime away from the hospital.
Secretaries share “on-call” responsibilities and take
turns working from home once a pay period, focusing on detailed
and complex assignments without the constant interruptions they
experience in the office.
What’s critical for success in a teleworking
organization? Two things: detailed, fair, consistent policies; and rock-solid
performance management practices.
What are the leading causes of derailment? One, poor
management practices: the perception that if you can’t see
the employee working, the employee probably isn’t working.
And two, a company culture that is punitive to alternative work styles,
assuming those who don’t put in 100% in-office “face time”
have less personal drive, less commitment, and less interest in career
advancement.
WorkLife Performance, Inc.
5927 Conway Rd. • Bethesda, MD 20817
301.461.7291 • info@flexibleworkplace.net
