Telecommuting can leave you disconnected

With companies getting leaner and technology allowing people to work remotely, telecommuting will be the big trend reshaping business.

In the printing industry, there would be three groups of workers most likely to take it up. The first and most obvious one is the sales team, the people who are constantly on the road. Telecommuting would be perfect for them. They wouldn’t have to be in the office. Telecommuting even from their car would allow them to be out drumming up business. The second group might be members of the support team in accounts. They can be connected to the company’s system and process the work from home, allowing them to look after children, elderly parents or attend other matters. Also, some managers might be able to work a few hours a day from their computer at home in the mornings or evening, processing emails and generating reports.

There is a business case for telecommuting. It saves desks and allows companies to work out of smaller premises. It helps managers create more flexible work arrangements, particularly for mothers and others looking for more flexible work. Finally, it’s good for recruiting talented people, no matter where they are located.

But telecommuting is a management issue. Many managers might be less comfortable with a worker they don’t actually see on a regular basis and who doesn’t seem to be available all the time. This was borne out in one study by London Business School professor Dan Cable who found that managers were more likely to rank workers as committed, industrious and dependable if they were coming into work. There was further evidence of this attitude in February when Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer banned telecommuting.  For Mayer, team work was more important than purported flexibility.

Still, if telecommuting is all part of a trend, managers need strategies to handle it. To begin with, they have to assess the job the person is required to do, and the employee’s personality. Is the employee organised and self-motivated? Are they disciplined and timely? Can they work on their own? How much supervision do they need? Are they good with technology? How do they handle pressure? Are they good at multitasking? Are they easily distracted? Do they have the technology for the job?

For both the managers and the employee, staying in the loop is critical. One way to do this is to organise regular face-time, say, a meeting once a week just to connect, stay in touch and discuss issues. Scheduling lunches and coffees would be good too.

Managers can also use technology. Inexpensive software programs such as Basecamp, Zoho Projects, Liquid Planner and Wrike are all good for managing projects online and keep the managers working with the telecommuters. They allow managers to set deadlines and get updates. An intranet is also a good tool.

Managers should also work to develop a collaborative mindset and make sure exactly what the team’s purpose and goals are. Telecommuters need to know what specific results are expected and how they contribute to the team as individuals. Managers also need to set very clear performance standards and benchmarks so that the telecommuters know what they’re supposed to achieve and how they’re supposed to achieve it. Managers can assess their work by looking at reports, emails, performance of telecommuters in conference calls, whether they have met their targets and customer satisfaction data.

As the reach of technology grows, telecommuting will become more prevalent in companies. Printers will need to develop strategies to manage it.

Leon Gettler is a senior business journalist who writes for a range of leading newspapers and journals

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