Checklist: Telecommuting Policy Development

Before telecommuting can be adopted, a company should prepare a plan to explore the impact before committing to the concept.

• Secure management support.
• Form a planning group. This group will research, design, analyze the financial impact, establish goals and objectives, and design measurement tools.
• Set goals and objectives. Goals set should reflect the goals of the company.
• Address the unique liability and equipment issues. As a part of the plan, design specification for the telecommuter’s office space and address the liability issues that arise out of applying safety standards to the home.
• Confront challenges. Communications is critical to avoid serious morale problems that frequently arise between telecommuters and non-telecommuters. Directly address the criticisms and concerns.
• Create a solid base. Written policies and procedures can do more than describe the rules. Telecommuting policies and procedures should consider including list of personal qualifications and job attributes that are required for telecommuting to be successful; telecommuter agreement; checklist of the requirements of a home office including equipment, furniture, supplies and safety standards as well as home office organizing and design guidance.
• Start small. Successful telecommuting programs start with a small, pilot group. This enables testing and refining the program.
• Train all participants.
• Design tracking measurements. Measure each goal. Build in review of the program effectiveness, cost justifications and productivity.
• Expand the program. Only after the program has been "tested" should companies enlarge the telecommuting population. Unlike most programs, personal work traits are a critical part of success, thus, telecommuting is not a program that can generally be applied to all employees in an organizational unit.

To implement a telecommuting program, consider the following sequential steps:

Step one. Select the positions for telecommuting. Not all jobs are adaptable to telecommuting. Be sure the job can be effectively done from an alternative location. Analyze the positions to ensure the cost benefits exist. Design policies and procedures and secure approvals. Communicate with all employees.

Use the following checklist to help to identify types of jobs that can be done at home or in an alternative work area.

Job specifications must allow for most of the work to be done away from the office.

Contact with peers and customers must be able to be scheduled or conducted remotely.

Job has well-defined tasks with clear stop and start points and deadlines.

Once the decision is made to implement telecommuting, the organization has to establish standards for the telecommuter's work environment. Key factors in setting up the environment are work space, tools, and flexibility of time. The equipment that the telecommuter uses is often identical to that used at the work site. However details including data and voice phones and phone lines that may need to be installed must be forecasted and planned.

Step two. Advise the incumbents of the positions and their supervisors that telecommuting is under consideration and provide the reasons that the positions were selected.

Employees may have concerns over their status and these concerns should be addressed. Physical removal of the telecommuter does not change employment status.

For example, the telecommuter should still be paid the same rate, given the same promotional opportunities and afforded the same company benefits. The telecommuter's performance would continue to be measured in the same manner; for example productivity, management relations, communication skills, absentee rate would continue to be reviewed.

The telecommuter would continue to provide the organization with time sheets, time-off requests, and various production reports. The organization would provide the employee with schedules, tally sheets, supplies, procedure changes and personnel policy changes.

Step three. Survey the employees in the positions to determine who wishes to participate if participation is voluntary. Stress the responsibilities and work style behaviors that are necessary to telecommuting. Review the survey results.

Step four. Survey the supervisors. Compare their input with the supervisory abilities that are necessary to manage telecommuters.

Step five. Upper level managers and human resources staff should review both surveys to approve actual selection of the telecommuters and supervisors.

Step six. Advise those selected and complete a telecommuting agreement with each employee selected. Caution those selected to be sensitive to the fact that other employees may be angry that they were not selected and to be sensitive to others feelings.

Step seven. Implement the necessary actions to equip the home office, modify office processing and communicate the change in work location.

Key tip: Pay close attention in the development stages to the paperwork involved in the day-to-day process such as travel logs, expense vouchers, etc. and work to decrease the administrate burden and costs for all parties.

Step eight. Periodically follow-up to ensure the company is receiving the benefits projected from telecommuting.

To provide consistent treatment for telecommuters and encourage telecommuting where it makes sense, an organization should have in place a written formal telecommunication policy. Here are some examples of various telecommuting principles and ground rules that should be covered in any formal telecommuting policy:

• The policy should define the relationship. For example, telecommuting is a cooperative arrangement between the organization's management and an employee, based upon the needs of the job, work group and the company and the employee's past and present level of performance. It is not an entitlement.
• The policy should identify the types of positions suitable for telecommuting. For instance, telecommuting is suitable for jobs with clearly defined tasks and deliverables, low face-to-face communication measurable work activities.
• The policy may want to identify job characteristics of a successful telecommuter. Some of these would include: a proven ability to perform the work; high level of skills and job knowledge; ability to establish clear objectives; and personal flexibility.
• The policy should address equipment use. Each telecommuting arrangement must be cost-justified. Company-provided equipment for the home is not an entitlement and will vary based on the needs of a particular job or assignment.
• The policy should address the issues of computer security as well as data security.
• The telecommuting policy should define the terms and conditions of employment. For instance, telecommuting does not change the telecommuter's terms and conditions of employment, salary, job responsibilities, benefits or rights and protections. Telecommuters must have regular work hours agreed upon with their supervisor.
• Work performance guidelines should be established by the policy. The policy may indicate that performance will be measured by results, not work location.
• The policy should define accessibility. For example, telecommuters should be as accessible as their on-site counterparts during agreed-upon business hours. Telecommuters should have a designated work space at their telecommuting location which may be visited by their supervisor.
• The telecommuting policy should provide guidance regarding any foreseeable problems that could result from a telecommuter's working at home. For instance, the telecommuter should manage dependent care or personal responsibilities in a way that allows them to successfully meet job responsibilities.
• The organization should develop a telecommuting agreement that the telecommuter and the manager must sign. The telecommuting contract would provide a specific understanding of the particular arrangement and the joint responsibilities of all parties.

Specific items that must be addressed in a written agreement include:

• Statement that the terms and conditions can be modified and that the position may not always be one that enables the incumbent to telecommute. Advise that the employee or management may terminate telecommuting at any time without cause.
• Clearly state that the incumbent and the position are both selected to participate. For example, an employee who has demonstrated a need for close supervision is a poor candidate for telecommuting even though his or her job has other incumbents that telecommute.
• The items of equipment, software, and materials should be listed and it should be noted who is responsible for providing each item, whether or not it can be used or duplicated for personal use, insurances and liability if lost, damaged or stolen. Issues such as expenses of maintaining the home office must be addressed and accountability clearly fixed.
• Discuss protections of confidential information, trade secrets and copy written material.
• Telecommuters should be advised of the need for their presence at meetings, conferences and training session at the worksite or elsewhere.
• Consider beginning each situation as a pilot with a fixed, short-term future date in which a decision will be made by the company to continue or to cancel the telecommuting arrangement. If the relationship is continued past the initial pilot, there should be continuing reviews of the relationship at least annually.
• The company should include its right to inspect the alternative work site and specify all safety standards required. An employer's liability for accidents and safety standards may extend to the home work station.
• List any benefit available to the employee at the regular worksite that will not be provided at the alternative work site. For example, if free coffee and free parking are provided at the regular worksite but the company is not going to reimburse for those expenses at the alternative worksite, be sure the agreement states the exceptions.
• Notify the employee if their activity will be monitored electronically.
• All changes to work schedule or work space must be reviewed and approved by management prior to any change.
• Include a description of the actual work location, hours of work, equipment used, and telephone and fax number(s) of the location.