Successful Telework Policies - How to Get Started
Experience in the public and private sectors has yielded information about factors that contribute to successful alternative workplace arrangements. Agencies should consider the
following guidelines when establishing a telework program.
Develop Formal Policies. Written policies and procedures are needed to ensure understanding and avoid
misunderstanding about the terms and conditions of the alternate workplace arrangement. Policies should cover short term as well as continuing arrangements. As a supplement to written materials, orientation sessions for telework employees and their supervisors ensure a common understanding of the program requirements.
Suitability of Work. Agencies should begin with a presumption that all positions are appropriate for telework. This proactive approach will extend telework to the widest range of employees possible. Managers should use an analytical method for determining whether a position is suitable for telework by focusing on the nature of the work and job characteristics. In many cases, 100 percent of a position will not lend itself to telework. However, the focus on discrete job tasks works to identify those tasks that can be performed away from the main office.
For example, telework is feasible for work that requires thinking and writing -- data analysis, reviewing grants or cases, writing decisions or reports; telephone-intensive tasks -- setting up a conference, obtaining information, following up on participants in a study; and for computer-oriented tasks -- programming, web page design, data entry, and word processing.
Beyond the obvious types of positions referenced in the preceding paragraphs, managers should explore other not-so-obvious positions and conduct a task-by-task analysis. For example, a group of physicians could organize the work in their clinic to permit each to complete his or her patient records at home while not impacting office coverage. Physicians will always make the time for updating patient records throughout the day whenever they can work it in. By reorganizing their time, and scheduling a telework day for each individual, all physicians can complete this task in an environment far more conducive to thoroughness and accuracy.
Employees and Supervisors.The characteristics of an employee are particularly important. The employee should be an organized, highly disciplined, and conscientious self-starter who requires minimal supervision. His or her performance should be at least ">fully
successful." In certain situations, however, a supervisor may choose to offer telework as a way to help an employee improve performance.
Telework is not suitable for employees who need to be in the office to learn the organization, who require on-the-job training, who need close supervision, or who thrive on
interaction with co-workers and would suffer from the isolation of working alone. The characteristics of the supervisor are also critical. He or she should be willing to try out the new arrangement and take the necessary steps to ensure its success. Most importantly, in a teleworking environment, the supervisor should utilize the same proven effective management tools that are appropriate in a non-teleworking environment - and that means managing by results.
Workplace Schedules. Most telework employees spend part of the workweek in the regular office to improve communication, minimize isolation, and use facilities not available offsite. Agencies should develop flexible procedures that allow supervisors and telecommuters to determine the best balance for individual situations.
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