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Employment

Part II: Telecommuting, Establishing the Process

How do you telecommute? With the constant advancements in technology, the idea of telecommuting arose. This idea was intended to replace the need for travel to the office or to overcome the time and space barriers that many employees encountered. As we discussed in Part I: Telecommuting, an Option to Traditional Employment for the Disabled, telecommuting allows many companies to overcome certain barriers by allowing employees to work from home or other locations. It is more productive, less expensive, and allows organizations to retain good employees despite these barriers. For employees, it allows them to reduce their stress, to save time and money due to traveling and to free more time for other activities besides commuting. For some individuals with more severe disabilities, in particular, it makes the idea of employment a possibility. The purpose of Part II: Telecommuting, Establishing the Process is to give individuals and organizations the tools to implementing a program and establish the process of telecommuting in your organization. In the following, we will describe the steps establishing the process, including an overview of the content that should be contained in a telecommuting program proposal, the method for deciding who should telecommute and what tasks they will complete, and a discussion on the agreement between the employee and employer before actual telecommuting begins. All of the steps described below will give an individual and an organization the tools to begin telecommuting.

There are various steps that an employee and an employer need to accomplish before a telecommuting program can be implemented into their organization. The first of these steps is for an organization to prepare a Telecommuting Proposal. This plan will be a comprehensive proposal that will explain the various dynamics of telecommuting, organizational objectives, goals and adjustments with the implementation of a telecommuting program, and employee selection and training. This proposal would be similar to any proposal that would be created when a new program or procedures of work were going to be considered for implementation. Many organizations may be reluctant to take the time, money and effort to draft such a proposal. However, being that this type of implementation would benefit great numbers of employees with and without disabilities, we urge individuals to create proposals for their organizations or others that may potentially implement such a program to benefit their employees and individuals with disabilities. Below are guidelines in helping individuals or organizations prepare a telecommuting proposal.

• Executive summary
  Outline the proposal. It is designed to summarize and highlight the key items detailed in the proposal.
• Introduction
  Explain why the organization is interested in telecommuting. Provide a definition of telecommuting and explain what telecommuting is. Each organization has specific ideas regarding its own program.
• History of telecommuting
  Introduce the background of telecommuting as a concept. Telecommuting has been in existence for nearly 20 years.
• Evaluation of competition
  A critical component of your proposal. Request information from a competitor or similar industry that has a telecommuting program. Include whatever statistics are available.
• Benefits of telecommuting
  List and quantify the potential benefits to the organization.
• Adjustments
  Document what changes should take place in your organization for telecommuting to be successful.
• Objectives
  List the objectives of your program by priority. Include a cost-benefit analysis and/or preliminary cost-justification model.
• Telecommuting policy
  Create a guideline for your custom program.
• Implementation plan
  Detail a time schedule for implementation.
• Selection of telecommuters
  Detail the guidelines your organization will use to select telecommuters.
• Training
  Outline the topics that will be included in the training sessions.
• Focus groups
  Establish who will be responsible for implementation and early evaluation of the telecommuting program and when the sessions will take place.
• Evaluation
  Reinforce the reasons for a telecommuting program. It should provide an overview of the anticipated impact telecommuting will have on your organization and underscore the importance of evaluation.
• Recommendation
  Summarize the benefits of telecommuting for the organization, why it should implement a program, and when that implementation should take place.
• Appendices
  Include examples of materials referenced in your plan.

Once you have proposed a telecommuting program to your organization or your organization has implemented a telecommuting program, employees need to be screened to decide if they are compatible with being a telecommuter. This will aid your organization in deciding what type of impact, if any, this program will have on employees and the organization. The American Telecommuting Association has derived a Telecommuting Affinity Index. It is used to compare individuals to the profile of a successful telecommuter and evaluate individuals to find the best candidates for telecommuting. It is a survey that measures individual's responses to various statements. Strong agreement would score 3 points, strong disagreement would score 0 points. You can order copies of this survey from the American Telecommuting Association by calling 1-800-ATA-4-YOU or sending an e-mail to YourATA@aol.com. The cost is $2.50 each with a minimum order of $10.00. This price includes shipping and handling. In addition, the American Telecommuting Association offers the Telecommuting Work Suitability Index. This measures what type of work are good for telecommuting. This survey was derived because no matter how skilled an employee is, if they receive tasks that cannot be completed properly by telecommuting, they will fail. It makes the claim that "from the answers, you can make a fairly accurate determination of whether or not a sufficient proportion of the job's normal work can be accomplished via telecommuting." The Telecommuting Work Suitability Index can be ordered using the same process as the Telecommuting Affinity Index and costs the same amount. Below is another example of how to screen or evaluate your employees or yourself for telecommuting. This form encompasses general information on the individual, the task, equipment, communication, commuting, attitudes, social issues and management issues.

Have you ever telecommuted?

How often do you expect to telecommute?

What type of work will be done while telecommuting?

Do you have a room or an area at home to dedicate to telecommuting?

What equipment/services do you need to successfully telecommute? What equipment do you currently have?

Do you have a separate telephone line at your residence for work-related calling?

Do you use residence or business telephone services for your work-related calling?

Which of the following special telephone services do you use in your work-related calling?

What additional communication equipment or services would improve your productivity?

Would you use your telephone more if it cost you less to make the calls?

Estimate the monthly cost of work-related telephone usage for local and long-distance services.

How many hours each day do you use a computer?

Do you use a modem for computer communications?

How long is your average online session?

Approximately how many online sessions do you have each day?

Would you use computer communications more often if the communications cost less?

How do you usually travel to and from work?

How many miles do you travel to work each day (round trip)?

How long does it take you to get to and from work (round trip)?

What time of day do you arrive at work?

What time of day do you leave work?

Please indicate, by degree, the extent to which telecommuting has changed your life (Greatly Increased, Increased, Neither Increased nor Decreased, Decreased, etc.):

• Time spent working
• Effectiveness of working relationships at the office (communication, coordination)
• Absence from the office
• Quality of work
• Amount of work done at home

• Satisfaction with work
• Morale
• Professional/personal balance
• Autonomy in carrying out assignments

Assess the following issues by degree, as above:

• Communication with co-workers
• Work-related stress
• Control over work
• Isolation
• Sense of belonging to the organization
• Responsibility for work
• Opportunity for promotion or career advancement
• Desire to look for a different job
• Expectations of co-workers
• Expectations of the telecommuter
• Quality of supervision
• Trust between management and telecommuter

The following factors should be included in your screening/evaluation surveys for management, supervisors, and control groups, and assessed by degree, as above:

• Communications between management and telecommuter
• Management attitude toward telecommuting
• Employee attitude toward telecommuting
• Impact of telecommuting on the organization's competitive edge
• Time spent managing telecommuters as opposed to office employees
• Nervousness regarding telecommuter output
• Negative attitude toward non-telecommuters
• Difficulty scheduling meetings
• Objective-setting skills

Once you have your program in place and have decided what tasks and individuals are appropriate for the program, an organization will probably want some type of agreement between itself and the employee. This is not necessary, but it safeguards both the employer and the employee. It allows both parties to have an understanding of what is expected from each. It describes where the remote work location will be, whether at home or at another location. It defines what the telecommuting schedule will be and what hours the telecommuter will be working. This leaves no room for ambiguity. It re-affirms to the employer that you will be working at these times, so you are reachable and contracted to work these times, just as if you were physically in the office. This takes some of the ease of hesitant organizations and managers who may be concerned with the lack of supervision. Also, from a telecommuter's point of view, it does not allow you to procrastinate on tasks and it doesn't allow your work to run into or overlap with personal tasks. Next, company assets and company information systems are addressed. What do you need from your company? Your organization should provide most, if not all, of the equipment and supplies that you will be utilizing for work. Finally, the agreement addresses non-company equipment. Also, there is room for other information you or your employer may deem important to the agreement. Below is a sample telecommuting agreement, but agreements are flexible and should be negotiated between you and your employer.

I have read and understand the attached Telecommuting Policy, and agree to the duties, obligations, responsibilities, and conditions for telecommuters described in that document.

I agree that, among other things, I am responsible for establishing specific telecommuting work hours, furnishing and maintaining my remote work space in a safe manner, employing appropriate telecommuting security measures, and protecting company assets, information, trade secrets, and systems.

I understand that telecommuting is voluntary and I may stop telecommuting at any time. I also understand that the company may at any time change any or all of the conditions under which I am permitted to telecommute, or withdraw permission to telecommute.

• Remote work location:
  
  Employee residence
  ________________________________________
  Company premise
  ________________________________________
  Description of work space at remote work location
  ________________________________________
• Telecommuting schedule:
  
  On a weekly basis as follows
  ________________________________________
  On a monthly basis as follows
  ________________________________________
  No regular schedule (separate permission for each telecommuting day)
  ________________________________________
• Regular telecommuting work hours:
  
  From ______ to ______
  
  Meal break/other breaks:
  ________________________________________
• Company assets to be used at remote work location: (Description and ID numbers)
  ________________________________________
  ________________________________________
  ________________________________________
• Company information systems to be accessed from remote work location: (List)
  ________________________________________
  ________________________________________
  ________________________________________
• Non-company equipment, software, and data to be used at remote work location: (List)
  ________________________________________
  ________________________________________
  ________________________________________
• Other
  ________________________________________
  ________________________________________
  ________________________________________

Above we have described each of the steps in implementing a program for telecommuting in an organization. This procedure can be initiated by an individual or by the employer. If you are an individual with a disability and can see the benefits this type of program can bring to you and your employer, please propose this to the management. Many companies are not aware of the benefits and are not made aware until they are approached by an employee. If you are searching for employment with an organization and think that telecommuting would be a benefit for your situation, search for an organization that has a telecommuting program or would be willing to implement one. Also, for organizations that are seeking to employ good workers, want to open up the doors placed upon us by spatial barriers, and reap the benefits of this type of program, we urge you to test the telecommuting program. Finally, because no program is guaranteed to be a success, below are a few helpful hints to make your program a successful one.

• Good (electronic) communication MUST replace informal contacts and "eyeball management" when your team is dispersed.
  A remote team thrives on voice mail, e-mail, conference calls, faxes, and live phone calls. Learn to use each the right way for the right purposes. Also, all the electronic communication tools in the world are useless if you do not return calls, answer pages, respond to e-mail, and arrange to join conference calls. So, be reliable.
• Planning and scheduling MUST replace relying on chance encounters in the office.
  You can no longer rely on "bumping into someone" in the office—odds are, you and they will not be there at the same time. If you need to see someone, plan to make it happen. Remember, the office is not the only place to meet.
• Individual accountability is the key—your results count, so keep doing what you do well and get better at all the rest.
  Regrettably, people are sometimes over-rewarded just for showing up or putting in long hours—regardless of how productive they are. Working away from the office means working to deliver results, not to register "face time" in the office. Virtual workers need to know they will be rewarded if they develop individual skills and the results follow.
• For sales representatives, more selling happens in front of the customer than anywhere else; spend your time accordingly and keep getting better in customer contacts.
  If you work in sales, you should be spending more time with customers than anywhere else, and your weekly calendar should reflect that goal. Telephone followup, proposal development, and other deskwork still counts, but not as much as being where the business is.
• Work FROM home, not AT home—and get organized and disciplined to do so effectively.
  If you have an office at home, use it as a high-performance workplace or to support your activities elsewhere. Get it set up so it is efficient, and work out the rules and roles with others at home so you can do what you have to do.
• Staff and managers have to develop and improve their work relationship and support each other.
  Coaching, counseling, and skill development are more important now than before. Managers and staff must be partners in the skill-development process. Make it happen as an ongoing, informal way of doing business.
• The work team needs to invest some time and effort to build the team as a team—including having the opportunity to relax and socialize together occasionally.
  "All work and no play," as the saying goes, just is not enough. One down side of having less time together in the office is the lack of opportunity for the important social contacts that are essential to team-building. Sometimes these can occur as part of a business meeting, and sometimes it is as simple as getting the team together for pizza after work.

Information for this editorial, was obtained, in part, from the American Association of Telecommuting and Workforce Online.

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