Managing Telework Successfully:

A Guide for Managers

# 

### Introduction

In the beginning, when the world was small and organizations were
manageable, managers could see that their staff was working just by
looking at them. Well, some of the time, anyway. (A picture of an
employee playing solitaire on the computer is shown).

But as the world grew and became more diverse, eventually it became
apparent that workers needed more mobility. People began to realize that
work was something they did, rather than a place they went each day. It
was the product, not the presence, that counted.

Some of them found they could be more productive if they worked from
home, or a satellite office close to their home, for two or three days a
week. The term "teleworking" was invented. And then the term "telework."
And then the terms "Remote worker," and "Road warrior."

What did they all mean?

They all referred to someone who works out of the office, at least part
of the time. But different organizations made the terms mean different
things.

Some called their permanent telecommuters "remote workers," and their
occasional home-workers "telecommuters."

Sales staff who spent most of their time traveling out of the office
were often referred to as "road warriors."

"Telework" tended to be used more in other countries. Some in the U.S.
liked it because it's shorter. Some advocates of the term telework
believed it was a broader and more inclusive term.

In our increasingly diverse world, people work best in different ways,
and many people want to work from someplace other than the office some
of the time. Many ICs realize that some people can work as well, and
often better, away from the office for part of the week -- and when they
do, office costs drop and employee satisfaction almost always soars.

Many managers are afraid it will look like this. (Graphics pop up).

This training will help you make sure that telework works smoothly for
you, your teleworking employee, and your IC.

The training is divided into four modules. Each will take about 30
minutes to complete.

# Course I. A manager's guide to telework

# 

# Module I. First Steps

In this module you'll . . .

-   Assess your own "remote manager" qualities

-   Take a quiz about some "telefacts"

-   Walk through the proposal process

-   Focus on picking a teleworker with promise

And discover the fine art of saying no

**Section 1. A self assessment**

**The Remote Manager's Self-assessment**

Before we begin, this short self-assessment will give you an idea of the
qualities that help managers manage telework successfully. Describe
yourself by answering whether each question describes you almost all of
the time, some of the time, or very little of the time.

1.  I find it easy to focus on outcomes and results, rather than
    "facetime".

2.  Those who report to me would say I am approachable, flexible and
    supportive.

3.  I set clear expectations and goals, and articulate them.

4.  I am open-minded about telework.

5.  I often find creative ways to get the job done.

6.  I don't feel the need to supervise very closely in order to maintain
    control.

7.  I am good at planning and organizing.

8.  I am willing and able to delegate.

9.  I have good communication skills.

10. My tendency is to trust my employees.

Generally, the more often a manager's actions and attitudes can be
described by these ten statements, the more likely it is that he/she
will be accepting of telework and willing to make it work. Click here to
see the results of your assessment.

You answered "Almost all of the time" to \-\-- out of ten. As you move
ahead with teleworking in your group, you'll want to work on
strengthening the following areas. The ones you said that described you
either some or very little of the time.

# 

# Section 2. Facts about telework 

Let's begin with a short quiz about telework. How many of these 15
multiple choice questions can you answer correctly?

1.  The percentage of teleworkers who work away from the office who say
    they feel a greater commitment to their organizations is

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  20%

b.  40%

c.  60%

d.  80%

d is the correct answer, says a survey by the International Telework
Association and Council. Most teleworkers surveyed said they plan to
remain with their employers. Most managers agree that no matter what the
job market is like, it's always better to retain a trained, trusted
employee than to hire someone new.

2.  Allowing an employee to telework seems to result in

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  a fatter employee

b.  an increase in productivity

c.  better communication

d.  decrease in real estate costs

b is the correct answer. In 2005, AT&T Corp. reported that
after tracking its employees\' telework patterns for 10 years, they
found teleworkers to be more productive than those who work in offices.

3.  The percentage of American workers who work from an offsite location
    at least some of the time is

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  8%

b.  15%

c.  35%

d.  51%

d is the correct answer, according to a survey sponsored by WFD
Consulting. More than 80% of workers currently either work offsite or
interact with someone who does. While there's some debate over the exact
numbers, the fact remains that telework has been growing steadily for
the last ten years or more -- and with good reason.

4.  Telecommuting is one way to respond to

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  The Family and Medical Leave Act

b.  The Americans With Disabilities Act

c.  The Act to Protect Families and Children

d.  The Deficiency in Government Act

b is the correct answer. Companies report that allowing employees to
work from remote offices has enabled them to dramatically widen their
hiring pool to include people with disabilities that would prohibit them
from traveling to a central location every day. Telework is a great way
to expand the hiring pool in general, and to recruit people who for a
variety of reasons can't or choose not to come into an office five days
a week.

5.  According to OSHA, companies that allow employees to telework must

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  inspect every home office for safety

b.  take every precaution to prevent risk

c.  provide OSHA with a certificate of compliance

d.  none of the above

d is the correct answer. After a trial balloon on the subject caused an
uproar in 2000, OSHA issued a formal directive saying they will not
inspect home offices and do not expect employers to do so either. To
learn more about OSHA requirements and home office safety issues, go to
this website: http://www.gilgordon.com/telecommuting/osha.html

6.  The average initial cost of outfitting a home office runs about

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  \$5,000

b.  \$1,000

c.  \$12,000

d.  Any of the above

d is the correct answer. The price of teleworking depends on the level
of sophistication required. At one extreme, there's paper, pencil and
telephone. At the other, there's a full-powered programmer's
workstation, cable modem or DSL line, fax machine, networking and
Webcast software, and so on.

7.  Sun Microsystems says their telework program has saved per year . .
    . 

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  \$1 million

b.  \$63 million

c.  \$500,000

d.  \$4 million

b is the correct answer, according to an article in the March, 2005
issue of Workforce Management. Sun has saved a total of \$255 million
over four years in real estate costs.

 

8.  When an employee needs equipment in order to telework, in most cases
    the equipment is paid for by . . .

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  the teleworker

b.  a combination of employee and employer

c.  the employer

d.  the employee uses his/her own equipment

b is the correct answer. NIH policy varies by IC. However, in most
cases, an employee is expected to buy their own equipment.

9.  According to the latest U.S. census, which of the following
    statements is true?

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  one-third of the workforce takes more than a half-hour to get to
    work

b.  the number of those using mass transit doubled in the past five
    years

c.  more immigrants than non-immigrants work from home

d.  the number of people who drive to work has decreased

#  

a is the correct answer. Despite efforts to promote carpooling, the
number of people driving to work has increased and the commute takes an
average two minutes longer. When traffic congestion began to make
Atlanta look like Los Angeles, Georgia Power piloted telework. The
result: leasing costs were reduced by more than \$100,000 annually and
teleworkers were more productive.

10. Which of the following statements is true?

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  The Fair Labor Standards Act does not apply to non-exempt employees
    who telework

b.  An employer who is covered by the FLSA is not required to pay
    non-exempt teleworkers for overtime hours

c.  Non-exempt employees are covered by the minimum wage and overtime
    restrictions of the FLSA regardless of where they perform their jobs

d.  The FLSA's "home worker" exception covers teleworkers

c is the correct answer. Although the FLSA's "homeworker" exception
might look as if it covers teleworkers, the definition of "home-worker"
requires the production of goods, not services, at home.

11. The key to managing teleworkers with ease is said to be

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  make them write down everything they do

b.  install videoconferencing

c.  manage by results

d.  do anything to keep them happy

c is the correct answer. Even if you watch someone from dawn to dusk you
may not be able to tell whether they're concentrating on a customer or
their personal stock portfolio. Trust but verify. And the way to verify
that your teleworkers are not watching soaps all day is to set goals
together, decide exactly how you'll know when you've reached those
goals, and keep your eye on results. Remember: it's the work product
that counts -- along with reasonable amounts of availability and
accessibility.

12. The United States Congress has passed legislation saying if federal
    agencies don\'t give every eligible employee the opportunity to
    telework they will be fined . . .

 

a.  \$20,000

b.  \$100,000

c.  \$1,000,000

d.  \$5,000,000

 

d is the correct answer. In June of 2005 Congress voted to extend the
legislation for at least one more year. Said Virginia Representative
Frank Wolf, \"These\
departments and agencies - and the federal government in general - need
to\
make a bigger commitment to teleworking. I\'m hoping that withholding
funds\
until they prove they have an effective program will serve as an
incentive.

13. Teleworkers surveyed by Utah Valley State College in 2003 said

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  they are bothered by neighbors who want them to babysit

b.  they have lower levels of work-family conflict.

c.  they had gained an average five pounds since beginning to telework

d.  they watch less TV than they did before becoming teleworkers

b is the correct answer. Researcher Susan Madsen surveyed employees from
seven different organizations with well-established telework programs,
looking for any differences between remote workers and their worksite
colleagues in perceptions of work-family conflict. Her findings: remote
workers had lower levels of conflict in every area. They also reported
slightly better health levels and worked more hours per week. Madsen
suggests practitioners design such programs as a way to reduce
work-family conflict.

14. According to a survey by AT&T, employers can reduce the cost of
    absenteeism by

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  12% per teleworking employee

b.  24% per teleworking employee

c.  63% per teleworking employee

d.  47% per teleworking employee

c is the correct answer. It was found that when non-teleworkers have
doctors' appointments and other personal tasks, either for themselves or
other family members, they usually take a full day off. Teleworkers were
found to work an average half-day after completing those tasks.

 

15. In 2004, Congress decreed that federal agencies

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  offer every eligible worker the chance to telework or lose \$5
    million of\
    their funding.

b.  open additional satellite offices in the next 24 months

c.  decline to contract with employers who don't allow telework

d.  train its managers to be more supportive of telework

a is the correct answer. That clause was added to federal legislation
that initiated a teleworking pilot in Denver, Houston, Los Angeles,
Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.

Before we go on, the NIH policy on (flexible work arrangements and)
telework is found below. Refer to the NIH policy manual 2300-600-1 NIH
Policy Manual -
<http://www1.od.nih.gov/oma/manualchapters/person/2300-600-1/>. This
will provide a framework for putting the information that follows to
good use.

# Section 3. Completing the proposal

# Now we'd like to introduce Mary and George

You may have already met them. They're line managers, both hard working,
deeply committed to their work, and trying hard to do a good job.

Mary's tendency is to be traditional, "old school," although she would
like to be more flexible and supportive. She's just beginning to learn
about telework.

George sees himself as more of a facilitator or coach, and his goal is
to help each employee work in the way they work best. He has managed
several teleworkers and is very comfortable doing so.

Mary and George's organization believes telework has the potential to .
. .

-   Give people more control over their time

-   Reduce time wasted in commuting

-   Help retain talented employees

-   Help some people handle their responsibilities more effectively

-   Increase the hiring pool

-   Reduce real estate costs

So before we proceed, a word about proposals.

Mary's boss is encouraging her to accept proposals for telework.

The proposal is one way for employees to request the telework option.

It enables them to

-   think through the process;

-   figure out how and when they think it would work;

-   decide exactly what they will do from home.

Developing a teleworking arrangement is a twp-step process. Potential
teleworkers can use the employee pre-worksheet to assess whether or not
teleworking would work for them. After discussing the results with their
supervisor, the telework agreement is developed. The process of
preparing the pre-worksheet will help the telworker gather his/her
thoughts before discussing teleworking with you. Also IT staff can use
the pre-worksheet to assist you in determining IT requirements. So read
through the next section to get a sense of the questions both you and
your teleworkers may want to ask yourselves before you begin.

Mary is willing to try it, but she has questions, and has asked George
to be her coach.

In the next few pages George will be providing some answers. Think about
the suggestions you would give Mary, and compare them with those offered
by George.

# Completing the proposal

Juan, an Office Communication manager who reports to Mary, has
approached her about an idea he has for working from home two days a
week. Mary would like to create a process that she can replicate for
other potential teleworkers.

Think about some steps Mary might include in the process that could help
her prepare, that will help her know whether Juan will make a good
teleworker, and will help him and his colleagues understand the impact
of the new arrangement.

Here are George's suggestions for Mary.

1.  Ask Juan to complete a proposal, giving the specifics of the
    arrangement and how he will get his job done.

2.  When the proposal is complete, meet with him to walk through it
    together and clarify all points.

3.  Consider whether the job's results and outcomes can be measured
    adequately, or any of the tasks in the job call for continual or
    unpredictable face-to-face contact with customers, colleagues or
    management.

4.  Meet with appropriate coworkers to discuss how the proposal will
    impact their work.

5.  Determine if it's possible to redesign and/or reassign any tasks to
    make the job appropriate for teleworking.

6.  If you deny the proposal it must be in writing, with the reasons for
    denial.

7.  Send the package forward through your supervisory chain.

Your organization may already have created a proposal form. If so, make
sure all the information you want is included when your staff completes
the form. If not, use your list and George's to create your own
proposal.

Greatest Company

Telecommuting Proposal

Date 12/06

Name Juan Martinez Position Marketing manager

Phone 725-4689 E-Mail <Juan.Martinez@greatestcompany.com>

1.  Proposal: I propose to pilot a telework arrangement.

2.  Duration of pilot: 90 days

3.  Proposed Schedule: I will work from my home every Tuesday and
    Thursday beginning January 15. I will work from our headquarters
    building on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

4.  Task Allocation: On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I will perform
    the following tasks:

-   Attend all meetings

-   Conduct planning sessions with staff and management

-   Perform all tasks needing cooperative efforts

-   Use secure files

-   Meet and plan with administrative support staff

-   Meet with staff and management to track our progress in meeting
    goals

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I will perform the following tasks:

-   Prepare quarterly marketing plans

-   Prepare personnel reviews for my staff

-   Work on strategy and budgets for next fiscal year

-   Prepare presentations for monthly management meetings

-   Answer emails/voicemails

-   Monitor progress by vendors on new promotional materials

    1.  Benefits to NIH

For the past few months I have become increasingly distracted by the
fact that my aging mother was at home alone. She was recently discharged
from the hospital, following a broken hip injury. My loss of focus was
pronounced and very noticeable to me, and was beginning to make me less
effective in my job.

My ability to work from home two days a week will mean I will can get to
her quicker if she needs me and be able to fully focus on work. She will
be in adult daycare on the three days I am gone, so I will be able to be
more effective on those days as well. I feel certain that my general
effectiveness will be greatly enhanced.

2.  Business goals and objectives

My goal for this arrangement will be to increase awareness of my
products by 10%.

In addition, my goal will be to interact with my staff in such a way
that each feels clear about their goals, satisfied with the arrangement,
and feels their effectiveness is increased.

3.  Changes anticipated: Our planning will need to take place in a more
    organized way. My manager, my staff and I will need to adjust to
    less hallway encounters and chance meetings, although I intend to
    make myself readily available for instant communication at all
    times. I anticipate no organizational changes.

4.  Communications plan: Formal communication will take place daily with
    staff, management and support staff. I will be available informally
    by phone and e-mail on the days when I work from my home. I will
    respond to e-mails from management, staff, vendors or customers
    within one hour during work hours, and within three hours during
    evening non-work hours for the first three months. All materials
    will be readily accessible by exchanging e-mail.

5.  Support needed from the office: I anticipate needing the usual
    support from our shared assistant, and will communicate with her
    often each day.

6.  Description of home office: My home office is a 12 x 12 room in the
    lower level of my home. It is carpeted, has a door that closes, good
    light and sufficient electrical power. My office has file cabinets
    and good storage space with a lock for security.

7.  Equipment required: I have a PC and laser printer at home, a
    Government-provided laptop and a Government-provided cell phone. I
    believe I will need a color printer, an ergonomic chair, another
    phone line, a fax machine, a cable modem or DSL hookup and a
    networking program.

8.  Estimated costs: Color printer: \$250; ergonomic chair: \$400; fax
    machine: \$250; Symantec PC Anywhere: \$100; Installation of cable
    modem or DSL: \$100; Installation of new phone line: \$100; monthly
    charges for cable modem or DSL: \$60; monthly charge for phone line:
    \$80.

9.  Evaluation plan: I suggest weekly evaluation meetings for the first
    month, bi-weekly for the second and third month, asking these
    questions:

# 

-   Are my co-workers, staff and support assistants satisfied with the
    arrangement?

-   Are customer needs being met more effectively?

-   Am I increasing my effectiveness?

-   Is the arrangement satisfactory to me?

-   Is the arrangement satisfactory to my manager?

Signed \_Juan R. Martinez

Date: 12/3/06

**Section 4. Choosing the right person**

Mary is impressed with Juan's proposal, but she is aware that working
from home has pitfalls. Her first question for George:

"How do I know if someone has the 'right stuff' to be a teleworker?"
What does it take?

Let's work with George to put together a list of the qualities most
likely to be found in a successful teleworker.

On the following pages are ten groups of characteristics employees might
have. George will select the best quality out of three qualities that he
thinks would most likely contribute to the success of a teleworker.

-   Is gregarious and outgoing

-   Enjoys and is able to work independently from co-workers

-   Is patient and understanding

George selected- Enjoys and is able to work independently.

-   Is trying to lose weight

-   Is warm and friendly

-   Has earned your trust, based on work history.

George selected-Has earned your trust, based on work history.

-   Has good parenting skills

-   Is healthy and athletic

-   Keeps their commitments (does what they say they'll do)

George selected- Keeps their commitments (does what they say they'll do)

-   Is independent and able to make decisions on their own

-   Is a good sport

-   Has the best sense of humor in the office

George selected- Is independent and able to make decisions on their own.

-   Has good common sense

-   Has good communication skills

-   Has trouble getting to the office on time

George selected-Has good communication skills.

-   Is a good writer but has trouble with oral communication

-   Is well organized, able to complete tasks within scheduled times.

-   Is always the first to finish a job

George selected- Is well organized, able to complete tasks within
scheduled times.

-   Is the first to arrive and the last to leave the office

-   Is comfortable with computers and most new technology

-   Is the best source of office gossip

George selected-Is comfortable with computers and most new technology.

-   Has only been on the job a few weeks

-   Is unhappy with their current position

-   Doesn't need a lot of structure and assistance to do good work

George selected- Doesn't need a lot of structure and assistance to do
good work.

-   Has a safe, accessible and appropriate place at home in which to
    work

-   Is a creative problem solver

-   Tries hard to please you

George selected- Has a safe, accessible and appropriate place at home in
which to work

-   Takes pains to be accurate

-   Can arrange personal responsibilities so they won't be a distraction
    during work hours

-   Gets along well with everyone

George selected- Can arrange personal responsibilities so they won't be
a distraction during work hours.

Here are the qualities George has learned to look for in a teleworker.
Some of them are essential, like a safe, accessible and appropriate
place from which to work. Others will simply give the teleworker an edge
-- a better chance of success.

Twelve Qualities of a Good Teleworker

1.  Enjoys working alone.

2.  Has earned the trust of his/her manager.

3.  Is trustworthy (keeps his/her word).

4.  Is self-disciplined.

5.  Is independent. Has shown ability to make good decisions on his/her
    own.

6.  Keeps supervisor and colleagues informed about his/her work.

7.  Is able to complete tasks within scheduled times.

8.  Has good communication skills, both oral and written.

9.  Is comfortable using computers; understands most new technology.

10. Doesn't need constant recognition to feel good about his/her work.

11. Has a safe, accessible, and appropriate place at home in which to
    work.

12. Has dependent care needs arranged during work hours.

# 

**The job**

What kinds of jobs are suitable for teleworking?

Think of a job as a collection of tasks. Some must be done at the office
and some can be done from home, or another location. Some may be
reassigned to someone else in the office, in exchange for some that are
easily done alone.

Tasks like reading, thinking, planning or making phone calls can be
saved for a telework day. And phone, e-mail, or conferencing
technologies can allow collaboration to do other tasks.

The amount teleworking employees are able to do each week depends on the
number of tasks that can be done away from the office, and whether they
have the equipment needed to accomplish them.

**Section 5. Saying no when you must**

Like all job assignments, telework is suited to some and not to others.
If you cannot trust your teleworkers to self-supervise, you'd be wise
not to select them.

Delivering good news is easy. (Remember to tell the employee why he/she
was selected, reinforcing the skills that qualified him/her for
teleworking.)

Delivering bad news is not so easy. But it may offer a golden
opportunity to provide performance feedback to someone who might be a
much better performer if some changes were made, whether they telework
or work in the office.

Mary has been doing some eavesdropping, listening as her fellow managers
respond to telework proposals. She doesn't think much of some of them,
but she'd like your opinion.

Below are some of the responses she's heard followed by the response
Mary should emulate.

a.  "I'm sorry. You are a loyal and valuable employee, and I'd like to
    reward you by allowing you to do this, but we've just got too much
    work to do right now to start something new. Try me next month."

b.  "I'm not guaranteeing that you'll be able to telework once you
    improve in the areas we've talked about here -- that will depend on
    lots of factors. However, I can guarantee that I won't be
    comfortable with you teleworking as long as these problems remain."

c.  "You just haven't shown me that you are trustworthy enough to allow
    you to work from home."

b is the most constructive of the three. It makes no promises, but is
clear that improvements need to be made. The first response treats
teleworking as a reward for good behavior rather than a business
strategy to help the employee be more effective, and the third leaves
the employee with nothing specific to work on.

a.  "I was concerned about the fact that your reports and projects are
    frequently late or incomplete."

b.  "Human Resources would only let me choose one person. Sorry."

c.  "I just don't think we could get along without seeing your smiling
    face around the office every day."

a is, of course, the best response, because it gives the employee a
specific shortcoming to improve. B puts the blame on someone else -- a
cowardly way to go. And C makes a joke out of the proposal, which could
be a very serious mistake if the employee is a valuable one.

a.  "I have to say no to this. I just don't want to manage a teleworker,
    to tell you the truth, and I really need you here."

b.  "I have to reject your proposal for now because too much of your job
    demands face-to-face contact with your coworkers. Let's take the
    next month to try and redesign and reassign some of your tasks, and
    take another look at it then."

c.  "I'm sorry, but a number of areas on your proposal were incomplete
    and not well thought out, so I just couldn't accept it."

b is the best response, since it promises some creative action to try
and meet the employee's needs. Give A credit for being honest, but not
for being stubborn and unwilling to try. And C could have been more
specific and given the employee another crack at it.

**This completes Module I. In this module you have** . . .

-   Assessed your own "remote manager" qualities

-   Learned about some "telefacts"

-   Focused on picking a teleworker with promise

-   Walked through the proposal process

-   And discovered the fine art of saying no

You are now ready to move on to Module II.

# Module II. Getting off the ground 

How do you know your remote workers are really working? In this module
you'll discover the secret, learn about communicating with remote
workers, and practice resolving some sticky issues.

### Section 1. Making jobs measurable

Remember, we said Mary was almost ready to go? She still has one big
question about this arrangement with Juan that is getting in her way.
She's not the only manager who is halted in their tracks by this
question.

How will I know He's working?

How do you know your employee is really working when he/she is in the
office, for starters? Let us count the ways you may be able to tell

1.  She looks like she's working, typing away at her computer.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  She could be working. She also could be buying 100 shares of a hot
    stock. Better plant yourself behind her so you can keep checking.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
2.  His car is in the parking lot.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Remember George Costanza from Seinfeld? George's bosses consider him
    for a promotion when they think he's so dedicated to his work that
    he's there in the morning before everyone else and still there after
    they all leave. They don't know that he's just been leaving his car
    in the parking lot waiting for his free visit from a locksmith. He's
    at some cabin on vacation.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
3.  She's at her desk, staring into space, obviously planning a
    presentation.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Or trying to figure out what to say to the high school principal
    about the fact that her 15-year-old was caught cutting class last
    week.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
4.  You can ask him when you run into him in the hall.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  What if you don't run into him at the right time? Hallway management
    works for many managers, but is it really reliable?

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
5.  The results she produces.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  You're right, this is the best answer, and isn't it really the only
    way to know if someone is working? The new, more mobile workforce
    demands that we take our eye off the parking lot and focus on
    results. While trust is important, it is also important to have
    concrete proof at the end of the day. In other words, trust but
    verify.

**Making jobs measurable**

To verify means all jobs have to be measurable.

Both you and your teleworkers should be crystal-clear about what a job
well done will look like, and agree on "deliverables" -- work products,
events, accomplishments, etc., before he/she begins working remotely.
Doing so will help you clarify standards and expectations, and will give
the teleworker something specific for which to aim.

Teleworkers must know

-   What must be done

-   By when it must be done

-   How well it must be done

When the work does not lend itself to a units-per-hour measure, you will
need a broader approach to defining expected results.

Again, below are a list of tasks Juan has said he will complete from his
remote office.

-   Prepare quarterly marketing plans

-   Prepare personnel reviews for my staff

-   Work on strategy and budgets for next fiscal year

-   Prepare presentations for monthly management meetings

-   Answer emails/voicemails

How might Mary know if each of them has been accomplished? Here are four
possible actions Mary might take to let her know when each task is done.

Below are four possible choices for ways Mary could monitor Juan's
performance.

**First we start with the list**:

-   Prepare quarterly marketing plans

-   Prepare personnel reviews for my staff

-   Work on strategy and budgets for next fiscal year

-   Prepare presentations for monthly management meetings

-   Answer emails/voicemails

-   Monitor progress by vendors on new promotional materials

**Next are these choices:**

a.  Set a specific and regular period to meet and check deliverables,
    either in person or by phone.

b.  Wait and see how it turns out.

c.  Listen carefully for both positive and negative comments from those
    concerned.

d.  Check deliverables at the end of an agreed upon period.

We don't have a "right answer" to give you here. The purpose of this
exercise is to help you begin to think about how to monitor performance
that you don't directly observe (there are many ways) and to remind you
to take the time to figure out which ways will work for you as you set
each performance goal.

Try this exercise. Pretend you're locked in your office. Your staff is
in the building and you may have any kind of technological contact with
them, but may not talk to them in person. They can call you, send
e-mail, send a fax, or slip a piece of paper under your door.

Think of five ways you might be able to know on Friday that they had
done what you were paying them to do that week.

In addition to the results you may have thought of, like deliverables
being on time, customers being satisfied and the staff working well
together, these may be added to your list when we shift to teleworking.

-   Co‑workers are getting what they want from the employee in a timely
    fashion.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   The team is able to contact the employee when they need to,
    communicate as often as they need, collaborate when it's important
    to do so.

-   The employee feels successful. The flexible work arrangement has
    made his/her life less stressful.

The signs of success must be measurable whenever possible. But sometimes
you may want to measure more subjectively, based on impressions you
have, or those you get from asking other stakeholders these questions...

-   "Is this arrangement working for you?

-   What's working? What's not working?

-   Are our agreed-upon goals being met?"

In summary:

-   Be clear about exactly what you expect

-   Concentrate on the end product, not the process

-   Manage the results, not the activity

-   Understand and practice the difference between close supervision and
    good supervision

-   Keep asking -- and answering -- this question:

"How will we know when the job is done correctly?"

Mary and Juan will begin with a 90-day agreement in order to get the
kinks out, find out if the arrangement will work, and give Mary the
framework for a replicable process. Here's what she knows she will need
from each teleworker, whether or not they complete a proposal:

1.  A written description of the project

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Using four of journalism's interrogatives -- who, what, when, and
    where -- she'll make sure her teleworker has included all the
    pertinent facts about the project.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
2.  Clearly written, measurable goals, and ways of measuring their
    achievement

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Create an evaluation timeline, with specific dates on which progress
    will be measured.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
3.  Clearly defined methods of communicating

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Make sure both formal and informal lines are open and everyone knows
    how they will contact each other -- particularly if team members are
    working different hours.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
4.  A plan for what she will do if it succeeds, and if it fails.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  If goals are achieved, will the program simply continue as is? What
    would constitute failure and grounds for terminating the agreement?
    If the goals are not met and a teleworking arrangement fails, will
    she give up on the concept? Or will she investigate why it failed,
    and try again?

It may seem like managing telework means a lot of extra work, taking
time you don't have to spare. It may take a little extra time at first,
but you'll find the results your teleworkers produce will make that time
well spent. And these more results-oriented methods will help your non-
telework employees produce their best work, too.

Congratulations on completing Section 1 "Making jobs measurable."

### Section 2. Communicating for results 

Communication will change somewhat when members of your staff begin to
work from a remote location. Think about how you communicate now with
your in-office staff. How much of it is in person? How much is casual or
unplanned? How much is by e-mail or telephone?

Below is a list of types of communication

-   e-mail

-   faxes

-   telephone/cell phone

-   voice mail

-   regular face-to-face meetings

-   casual, unplanned conversations

-   teleconferencing (via audio, video or web)

You'll find remote managers use more messaging (voice mail and e-mail)
and conferencing, and less impromptu conversations. Real-time, in-person
contacts are still important, but they happen less often, are more
well-planned, and are complemented by the use of conferencing tools
and/or messaging.

But it might not be quite as dramatic a shift as you think it will be.

Will teleworkers be less accessible?

Managers often express concern about getting in touch with their
teleworkers when they need to ask a question or discuss something that
wasn't planned. Accessibility, they fear, just won't be the same as it
is in the office, where you can just walk over to someone's desk or call
them on the phone when you need them.

Or can you? Are your employees who work in the office always available
when you need them?

Try this. For the next week, track how often you get a "live" response
each time you either call or seek out one of your employees (e.g., the
person answers the call him/herself or is available at his/her desk).

You may find that your staff does not sit around at their desks waiting
for your call or visit. Most managers of teleworkers report that their
remote staff is actually more available and more responsive when working
at home.

# 

### Next topic: feedback

Feedback goes two ways.

You'll be providing it to your teleworkers and they will keep you
informed on a regular basis about their progress in meeting goals, and
about any problems they might encounter.

Help them plan how, when and how often they'll communicate with you,
their co-workers, support staff, customers and/or vendors.

**About feedback**

You'll need to give your teleworkers regular feedback to let them know
how well they're doing, and about important developments in the office.

That feedback can be in the form of

-   A five-minute chat when they're in the office

-   A brief message via e-mail or voice mail

-   A note in the margin of a memo

On the following page are some tips about making that feedback
effective.

1.  Make it descriptive

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Tell what the person did without necessarily evaluating it. Talk
    about the behavior and its consequences. Don't label the person.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
2.  Make it specific

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Give detailed and thorough information with examples so the person
    can visualize the exact behavior you have in mind. The more specific
    it is, the more the person can tune into what you're saying.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
3.  Limit it to your top priorities

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Keep it simple and short. Don't overwhelm them with a laundry list
    of things to improve. Pick out the two or three things that would
    account for most of the improvement if changed. Going overboard with
    feedback can frustrate the recipient.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
4.  Include both positives and negatives

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Tell people what they're doing right as well as wrong. An e-mail
    saying "Nice job!" can be very rewarding after a tough project.
    Positive feedback isn\'t necessarily about making people feel good,
    although there\'s nothing wrong with that. It's about letting them
    know what they did well so they can do it again.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
5.  Make it ongoing

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Don't save feedback up for the "right" time. Comment on things when
    you notice them, to avoid the "why didn't you tell me before?"
    reaction.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
6.  Make it private, and time it appropriately.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  When feedback is negative, avoid giving it in front of peers, and
    try not to give it five minutes before your employees leave for a
    week's vacation (or any other time when something else is taking
    precedence); they just won't be concentrating on your message.

Congratulations on completing Section 2 "Communicating for results."

**Creative problem-solving**

George has pulled out his collection of the issues that he and his staff
have resolved over the past few years. Here they are, along with three
alternative resolutions for each. Choose the one you believe worked best
for George in each case:

***Issue***

Gary's attempt to telework was derailed when one irate client was cut
off twice while attempting to reach him through the office, and another
was put on hold interminably while the receptionist searched for him.
Gary was frustrated and upset, and so were his clients.

Possible resolutions:

1.  Gary gave his new home-office direct dial number to everyone,
    negating the need to go through the office.

2.  Those who tried to reach Gary by calling his existing number at the
    office were automatically forwarded to his home-office phone.

3.  The Lab/Branch secretary was told to tell callers Gary was working
    out of his home office now, and to give callers that number.

4.  Gary chose to have his incoming calls go directly into voice mail,
    and he promised his supervisor he would check and respond to
    messages every two hours at least.

George chose number two. While many now have Gary's new direct-dial
number, he still gets some calls through the office branch secretary,
and she was asked to make sure transfers were seamless and successful.
Gary keeps them informed when he will be unavailable and his calls are
then forwarded to voice mail, which Gary checks every two hours.

### Issue

Carmen came to George complaining that while she loved teleworking, she
was afraid she was missing too much. On days when she was in the office
she felt a little excluded from the conversation, and even more
important, she was not updated about a key change in a project she was
working on.

# Possible resolutions:

1.  George sat down with in-office leaders and asked them to go the
    extra mile, be nicer to her, and help her make it work.

2.  George suggested Carmen make a list of requests to present to her
    colleagues in the office, including asking that meetings be held
    only on days when she's in the office.

3.  George called a meeting of the entire office staff to discuss
    alternative work arrangements and how to make them work.

George chose number 3 (making sure Carmen was at the meeting). Everyone
agreed it was in their best interest for flexible arrangements to work
well. Together, they brainstormed things that might go wrong (with
Carmen contributing her issues) and ways to prevent each. Now Carmen has
an office "buddy" whose job it is to keep her in the loop and make sure
she misses nothing. In return Carmen buys her lunch once a month.

In addition, George's staff has decided to hold meetings on "core days"
when everyone is in the office. The last five or ten minutes of each
staff meeting are set aside for informal team sharing, and the group
also tries to schedule an informal social get-together at least once a
month. George has also taken it upon himself to pick up the phone
occasionally and pass along word about changes in projects, etc., and
routinely routes messages and other FYI items to his teleworkers.

### Issue

Ari had been teleworking for six months when he came to George saying he
felt "invisible," and was seriously concerned about his career. He
wondered if the arrangement was hurting it.

Possible resolutions:

1.  George promised to assign Ari some challenging projects, keep upper
    management advised about his achievements, and include him when
    there's a chance to make presentations to senior leaders.

2.  George reassured Ari that he is doing good work, and promised him
    that he will go to bat for him at promotion time.

3.  George reassured Ari that out of sight does not mean out of mind,
    and his perceptions were all in his head.

George chose 1. While he wanted to be careful not to cause resentment by
drawing too much attention to Ari, he did want to make sure he was
getting the same credit or attention he would get if he were in the
office.

Although Ari was doing good work, George didn't make any promises about
promotion that he wasn't sure he could keep. And he didn't want to
downplay Ari's concern, knowing that out of sight can definitely be out
of mind in the eyes of the teleworker -- even if there is no data to
support that perception.

### Issue

Talia had been a teleworker for three months when it began to be
apparent that her job performance was suffering. Her absenteeism had
increased slightly, her phone and e-mail contacts on the three days each
week when she worked from home had tapered off, and she was showing
signs of becoming a loner.

Possible resolutions:

1.  Knowing that telework is not for everyone, George decided to
    terminate Talia's arrangement and bring her back to the office.

2.  George called Talia into his office, listed the specific problems he
    noticed, asked for her comments, and asked her to work with him to
    understand and resolve the problems.

3.  George made a unilateral decision that Talia was teleworking too
    many days, and cut back on her home-office time to one day a week.

George chose 2, feeling he needed to talk with Talia before terminating
or cutting back the arrangement. When he did, he discovered that she was
finding the relative independence overwhelming. Both agreed that more
detailed supervision for the next few months would be helpful. And
George was reminded that just as with in-office workers, it's always
best to problem-solve with his employees, not for them.

### Issue

Carlos would like to take his home office expenses as a federal income
tax deduction.

Possible Resolutions:

1.  George said that would be fine. Carlos should measure his office and
    divide the number of square feet by the total square footage of his
    home to arrive at the right percentage of household expenses to be
    allocated as home-office deductions.

2.  George said the IRS would not allow Carlos to deduct any portion of
    his home office.

3.  George suggested Carlos contact a qualified tax or accounting
    professional.

George chose 3. Even though he thought he knew the answer, office
deduction regulations keep changing and he felt it was important not to
get into the tax-advice business, but rather to get it from a qualified
tax professional. (A copy of IRS publication #587, Business Use of Your
Home, can be obtained by calling the IRS or by visiting the IRS Web site
http://www.irs.gov).

### Issue

Martha was a new teleworker, and on two different days when George
called her he heard a crying baby in the background. When questioned,
Martha acknowledged that the baby was in fact crying, and that her
childcare arrangements had fallen through on both those days.

Possible resolutions:

1.  George called Martha in for a serious conversation, telling her that
    childcare and work generally don't mix and certainly not if the
    childcare duties have an impact on job perfomance. He requested that
    she have both regular and backup care arranged while working either
    at home or the office.

2.  George did nothing, assuming it was just temporary and promising
    himself to keep tabs and make sure Martha's job performance didn't
    slip.

3.  George terminated Martha's telework arrangement.

George chose 1, and Martha has told him she now has a list of backup
care providers ready. George is more careful to make clear to his
potential teleworkers that teleworking is not a substitute for childcare
or eldercare. Teleworkers with small children must make arrangements for
both regular and backup childcare during the agreed-upon work hours.

This completes Module II. In this module, you have covered . . .

-   How to know if your remote workers are really working

-   Communicating and giving feedback

-   Some issues and ways to resolve them

You are now ready to move on to Module III.

# Module III. Success!

In this module you'll learn how to plan for success (and know it when
you see it).We'll cover how to keep your teleworker linked to the
office, and handle any leftover potential problems.

### Section 1. Evaluating success

In this section you will

-   Learn more about evaluation

-   Listen in as an evaluation is planned for a telework project

-   Work on an evaluation of your own

George says: "Hi Mary. How's your telework project coming?"

Mary says:"Juan will begin working from home next week. And because
we're short on space I've been asked to head up a big telework project
and send as many as 30 volunteers in my division home to work
part-time."

George: "Do you have an evaluation plan?"

Mary: "Evaluation? Isn't that what you do when a program is over? How
can you evaluate what you've done until after you've done it?"

George:"Good question. To evaluate means to assess a program's
performance. But if you don't decide first what success would look like,
how will you know when you get there? Why don't you begin with Juan, and
I'll help you create a plan that you can replicate for the whole
project?"

At George's suggestion, Mary has called a meeting of everyone who might
be considered a stakeholder, including two of Juan's coworkers, two
staff members who report to him, his shared assistant, a senior manager
and someone to represent their customers. Juan will be responsible for
representing the interests of his family and himself.

The job of the group will be to envision success, determine how they'll
know it when they see it, and learn from the experience so they can
replicate it in the future.

Their first job is to envision the company's goals for the project.
Together the group has agreed on these. Below describes how the group
could achieve these project goals.

-   Increased effectiveness or productivity.

Juan's goal is to increase awareness by 10%. His staff agrees that by
clarifying goals and roles, reallocating some of the work, and getting
rid of duplicative tasks, this goal is easily achievable, and very
measurable.

-   Reduced employee turnover.

Some employees in the Branch have talked about leaving for another job
in a more flexible environment. The group will make sure those people
know the department is now open to piloting telework arrangements, and
Mary will ask HR to watch turnover carefully in the coming months and
report comparison figures.

-   Reduced absenteeism.

Juan is quite sure his absenteeism will decline, and Mary will be able
to measure it easily.

-   Increased customer satisfaction.

Juan and his staff will increase their efforts to ensure customer
satisfaction, and will measure it by distributing a small written
customer satisfaction questionnaire quarterly.

-   Improved morale.

Juan expects his morale to improve, but it is important to Mary that all
stakeholders experience at the very least no decrease in morale. She
will measure this with a small written survey each month.

-   Improved work-life effectiveness.

Again, while the arrangement will enable Juan to handle his family
responsibilities more effectively, it is important that coworkers and
staff not suffer because of it. To measure it, Mary will ask a question
about it on her monthly survey.

-   Results-oriented management.

Both Juan and Mary have set this as one of their goals. An evaluation is
planned to asses whether staff, self and manager feel success is being
achieved.

-   Effective use of meetings.

It is agreed that each meeting during the pilot period will end with
participants completing a short, numerical evaluation of whether it was
purposeful, focused, constructive, and completed its purpose.

Now Mary has asked each stakeholder (Picture of 8 stakeholders sitting
around a table).

1.  What success would look like for them

2.  How they will know it when they see it, and

3.  What action, if any, they need to take now in order to evaluate
    success later.

Their responses were:

**Division Director:**

Success for me will be a process we can replicate. I'll know it when I
have it in my hand.

And to begin with, I'd like a record of all the steps we've taken so
far.

**Mary:**

I too would like a replicable process. I also want my staff and
customers to be satisfied, and I'll be happy if benefits exceed costs.

I'll measure production targets by looking at weekly reports, customer
satisfaction by communicating with customers in the middle and at the
end of the pilot, and employee satisfaction with lots of communication,
and a 360-degree feedback form at the end of the pilot. And we'll do a
cost/benefit analysis.

I'm preparing the cost/benefit analysis, and the forms for everyone to
complete when the time comes.

**Coworkers:**

We'd like to maintain a good relationship with Juan, make sure we're
communicating and calls and e-mails are returned promptly. And we'll
call it a success if we have no added work.

Each of those things can be measured by asking the right questions at
our bi-weekly staff meetings.

**Direct reports:**

Success for us would be clear goals, predictable communication, regular
feedback and accessibility in emergencies.

We'll make sure to evaluate each of those items in our Friday feedback
sessions, and in a 360-degree evaluation at the end of the pilot.

We'd like Juan to prepare a simple evaluation form that we can reference
weekly, and a more elaborate form that we can use at the end of the
pilot.

**Support staff:**

We'd be happy with clear instructions, regular feedback, accessibility
in emergencies and no last-minute jobs assigned at 4:30 p.m.

We'll also discuss those goals in our Friday feedback sessions, and
we'll include them on the 360-degree evaluation at the end.

**Customers (represented by staff):**

Success for us will mean that we can reach Juan (or his representative)
when we need him. We'll want him to respond immediately (if not sooner)
to our needs. We want hassle-free service, and we want to be easily
transferred to him when we call. And no background-noise clues about
where he is, like children crying or dogs barking.

If you don't hear any complaints and sales don't drop, we're probably
satisfied. But poll us at midpoint to make sure, and have Juan check it
out informally from time to time.

**Juan:**

I'll feel satisfied if I meet my targets, my career progresses, my
customers, Mary and the rest of the staff are satisfied, and I don't
feel too isolated.

I'll make it a point to notice and track my own reactions, and I'll
check out how others are feeling at least bi-weekly.

I'll give some thought to my career goals and make sure I share them
with Mary. I'll also make sure we talk monthly about my timeline and how
I'm doing.

**Mary:**

There's one more group of stakeholders we don't want to forget. Juan,
what would success look like for your family?

**Juan:**

I think they'll be happy if I seem less stressed, sleep better, and am
able to offer my mother a little more of my time. I'll poll them from
time to time, and report the results to this group.

**More about evaluation**

As Mary prepares to track and record the process, here are some
questions she might ask herself:

-   Could we have simplified the process?

-   Was it well organized?

-   Did we leave out any important steps?

-   Were all the stakeholders satisfied?

-   Is this replicable? How could I improve the process next time?

Think about the following questions and how you would answer them.

1.  What might be decided as a result of evaluating this arrangement?

2.  Who cares about this information? Who might be the audience for an
    evaluation?

3.  From what sources should the information be collected?

4.  What staff members should participate in the evaluation?

### Section 2. Linking your teleworker to the office

Are you ready to help your teleworkers stay linked to the office so they
get the information they need -- and manage their careers?

Answer True or False to these ten questions as honestly as you can.

1.  I believe someone who teleworks is likely to have fewer career
    advancement opportunities.

2.  For most of the people I supervise, it's impossible to measure their
    results.

3.  It's never easy for me to honestly assess an employee's performance
    or ability.

4.  In the last year no employees who report to me have been promoted.

5.  I tend to measure employee "output" rather than "input."

6.  I'm aware of the career goals of each of my staff.

7.  I'm aware of the skills of each of those who report to me.

8.  I try to find opportunities to spotlight their work.

9.  I will hold myself accountable for keeping my teleworker(s) from
    feeling isolated.

10. I'm confident that I can find ways to keep a teleworker linked to
    the office.

If you answered False to at least three of the first four and True to at
least four of the rest, you should have no trouble keeping your
teleworker(s) well-connected, well-informed, happy, and satisfied with
their careers. Any "wrong" answers? Use them as a guide for action.

Managers of teleworkers almost always report that their teleworkers are
at least as promotable as in-office staff. The skills it takes to be a
good teleworker -- making good decisions, solving problems
independently, etc. -- are the skills they look for when considering
people for advancement no matter where they work.

For many reasons, including concerns about career, promotions and pay
raises, it's important to keep teleworkers connected to the office. When
a remote worker becomes too remote, job performance can suffer.

Below are eight suggestions for keeping your teleworkers connected and
some potential challenges. Then we'll tell you which ones we think are
appropriate.

1.  Have a discussion about career goals.

2.  Be sure to give credit where credit is due.

3.  Keep tasks diverse.

4.  Focus on results.

5.  Invite your teleworker(s) to participate.

6.  Be aware of advancement opportunities.

7.  Spread the word about everyone's accomplishments, teleworkers
    included.

8.  Take the time to make sure news of office changes is passed on.

-   Teleworker Karl handed in an assignment that included an old and
    outdated organization chart.

> Take the time to make sure news of office changes is passed on.

-   A close friend of teleworker Jamie has warned you Jamie is thinking
    about taking a job with more advancement opportunities.

> 1\. Have a discussion about career goals.
>
> 2\. Be sure to give credit where credit is due.
>
> 3\. Keep tasks diverse.
>
> 6\. Be aware of advancement opportunities.
>
> 7\. Spread the word about everyone's accomplishments, teleworkers
> included.

-   Remote worker Betsy says she's a little bored with the assignments
    she's getting.

> 3\. Keep tasks diverse.

-   Teleworker Jose prepared a PowerPoint™ presentation that you
    delivered. It brought you rave reviews.

> 2\. Be sure to give credit where credit is due.

-   You've been asked to form a task force to review new marketing
    ideas.

> 5\. Invite your teleworker(s) to participate.

-   Teleworker Marina has told you she's fighting feelings of loneliness
    and isolation.

> 5\. Invite your teleworker(s) to participate.
>
> 8\. Take the time to make sure news of office changes is passed on.

-   Your office staff has come to you complaining that you spotlight
    teleworker Ari's accomplishments more than theirs.

> 2\. Be sure to give credit where credit is due.
>
> 7\. Spread the word about everyone's accomplishments, teleworkers
> included.

-   You recently caught yourself wondering how teleworker Kenneth is
    spending his hours.

> 4\. Focus on results.

### Section 3. Handling challenges

You may well face challenges we haven't thought of. But here are some we
anticipate you certainly could face. Learn how others have handled it
and get some suggestions from our own Gil Gordon, telework consultant to
Fortune 500 companies since 1981.

1.  How do I deal with members of the office-bound staff who seem
    unhappy about the arrangement?

Gil Gordon says:

Those in the office may experience feelings from joy for their colleague
to jealousy, frustration or irritation. Encourage them to express any
concerns to the teleworker as the arrangement is being planned. Make
sure they know the teleworker's schedule and how to communicate when
he/she is out of the office. Let them know this is a team effort (if it
is) and what's in it for them to help it succeed. And make sure they're
not being asked to do extra work in the office while teleworkers are
working at home.

2.  What should I do when it looks like it's not working?

Gil Gordon says . . .

Not everyone who tries this is going to succeed, despite all your (and
their) best efforts. The desire to be social may be overwhelming, or the
distractions too strong. And even though most teleworkers are more
effective, it's possible that their work will slip and they -- or you --
will want to end the arrangement. Make giving up your last resort, but
once that decision is reached, help both employee and team see it as an
opportunity to see how they work best, and reinforce their value to the
organization.

3.  How about equipment breakdowns?

Gil Gordon says:

Make sure your teleworkers have a way to contact tech support. Agree
beforehand what hardware and software will be used and how it will be
supported.

4.  What do I do if everyone wants to telework? How does one manage
    multiple teleworkers?

Managing multiple teleworkers isn't that different from managing
multiple employees. Goals must be individualized and feedback given. You
may want to establish guidelines about who is where and when (for
instance you might have all teleworkers in the office on Thursday, or
make sure that at least one of your three teleworkers is in the office
each day, etc.).

5.  I can't seem to get comfortable with the thought of managing from a
    distance.

Gil Gordon says:

Managing from a distance is really no different from managing in the
office. Good managers set goals and expectations, monitor progress, give
feedback, etc. A side benefit for managers of teleworkers is that they
often find they have more time for their own work now that they are
spending less time in direct supervision of teleworkers.

6.  It looks like my teleworker's performance is slipping.

Gil Gordon says:

Handle the person exactly the same as you would anyone whose performance
is slipping. Try to analyze what's causing the problem, discuss it
openly with the employee, and involve them in the solution. Clarify that
the continued ability to telework will depend on bringing performance
levels back up to meet your expectations.

7.  I suspect my teleworker is moonlighting for a company or vendor.

Gil Gordon says :

First, ask yourself what evidence or indication you have that the
problem exists. If it's fairly strong, check with Human Resources to see
what your organization's policy is on outside employment. Then state
your concern directly and factually and inform the employee about
possible consequences. Make them part of the solution rather than
imposing your own. (While you may get short-term compliance with a
threat or edict, you may also lose the employee's long-term commitment.}

8.  How does telework affect the performance appraisal process?

Gil Gordon says:

Just as with in-office workers, the appraisal should focus on the
results that were expected and achieved. What counts is the product, or
the deliverable -- not the number of hours the person spent in the
office.

9.  How often should my remote workers be expected to check their
    e-mail?

Gil Gordon says:

There's really no "right" answer to this question. Teleworker, manager,
coworkers and/or customers will need to agree on frequency, and the
teleworker might carry a pager to warn him/her if a waiting message is
urgent.

10. Is there a way for me to monitor employees while they're
    teleworking?

Gil Gordon says:

The essence of teleworking is to manage by results and work products.
Select your teleworkers carefully. If you pick people whose work record
in the office is very good, they're not likely to turn into chronic
goof-offs while teleworking.

11. What about all the new technology?

**About Technology**

Because there is so much out there, and it changes so fast, we've chosen
to focus on supervisory and administrative issues in this training. The
success of telecommuting is, however, very much dependent on technology,
so we suggest you work closely with your own internal IT and
telecommunications staff. Training for teleworkers is available and
required. Please check the NIH telework website for more information at
http://telework.od.nih.gov.

**This concludes Module III. In this module you have** . . .

-   Learned how to set goals for your teleworkers and evaluate their
    progress

-   Learned how to keep them linked to the office

-   And learned how to handle a variety of challenging situations

You are now ready to proceed to Module IV.

# Module IV. Planning together with your teleworker

What issues need to be resolved with your teleworker before the
arrangement begins? In this module you'll do some planning together,
complete some forms, and lay out the ground rules.

In this module, you'll discover the issues to resolve before the
arrangement begins, lay out the ground rules and head off potential
problems. And you'll have a framework for mutual agreement with your
teleworker.

***Section 1. Issues to resolve*** ***together***

You and your teleworker will want to meet together to work out the
details of the telework arrangement to your mutual satisfaction.

Below are issues with suggestive questions you can ask.

**Schedule**

-   How many days each week will your teleworker be at home?

-   Will the number of days increase later on?

-   If so, under what conditions, and what will be the maximum number of
    days?

-   What days of the week, if any, must be in-office days?

-   Will the number of at-home days vary from week to week?

**Work hours**

-   Will there be core hours during which your teleworker agrees to be
    available by phone?

-   If you agree to work an "early bird" or "night owl" schedule, how
    will communication take place?

-   What arrangements can be made to satisfy your need for
    predictability and your teleworker's need for flexibility?

-   Under what circumstances will you approve overtime?

**Communication**

-   How can you ensure that your teleworker will be available by phone
    when needed?

-   Will voice mail or an answering machine take messages? Who will
    provide the voice mail?

-   How will the teleworker's calls be handled at the office? Will
    his/her home-office number be given automatically? Calls
    transferred? Forwarded? Messages taken?

-   How often will e-mail be checked?

-   Would a daily status-check call be appropriate?

-   Will a business line be used exclusively for business purposes?

**Use of office time**

-   What tasks will be done in the office? Which will be done at home?
    How will the task allocation be evaluated?

-   Under what conditions will the teleworker be asked to come in on a
    telework day?

-   When will staff meetings be held? Project reviews?

**Logistics**

-   How will their files be backed up?

-   What support are they likely to need from the office on at-home
    days? From whom will they get it? What if that person is not
    available when they need them?

**Equipment**

-   What steps should be taken to make sure all equipment is installed
    and working properly?

-   Who will your teleworker call if there are PC problems? What if the
    network goes down? If it's a network problem, how will they find out
    about the problem or the repair status?

-   Can contingency plans be made so they're not idle too long?

**Shortcoming analysis**

-   What areas have proved problematic in the past for you and your
    teleworker?

-   What "friction points" exist, if any, that might be a source of
    strain? How can both of you take responsibility to change them?

# Anything else

-   What haven't you discussed?

-   What is making you uncomfortable?

-   What is lurking in the back of your mind that may be a potential
    problem?

**Section 2. Forms that you need to discuss with your teleworkers:**

Boundary Issues Planning Form

You should be able to respond to:

When (and how often) will you . . .

Be available for calls?
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Check and answer
e-mail?\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Check and respond to voicemail?
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Respond to pages?
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Will you plan to . . .

-   Let the office know when you'll be out? \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Measurability form**

Think about the specific performance indicators in the teleworker's job.

Complete the following form for each of your teleworkers. If they are
taking the companion teleworker course, they will also complete the form
as part of their training. When both of you have completed the form, sit
down together and discuss your lists.

In a perfect world, the two lists would be the same, meaning you and the
teleworker would see the job in the same way. But since none of us is
perfect, there will be differences. Clarifying those differences before
teleworker begins is a good way to avoid problems later.

# Measurability Form

List the 3-5 main parts of your job

1.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

2.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

3.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

4.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

5.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

For each part, clearly specify the deliverable.

1.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

2.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

3.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

4.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

5.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

What are the quality checks used on that deliverable?

1.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

2.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

3.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

4.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

5.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

What checkpoints exist (that is, what are the interim and final
deadlines)?

1.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

2.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

3.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

4.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

5.  \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

This concludes the training for managers, "Managing Telework
Successfully: A Guide for Managers

Following is a quick, ten question review of some of the lessons you've
learned with the best responses.

1.  The most important quality for a remote manager is

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  The ability to delegate

b.  The ability to manage by results

c.  The ability to trust

d.  A sense of humor

b is the correct answer. The ability to manage by results is the correct
answer. When you can do that, you can successfully manage a host of
teleworkers, all working different hours and in different places.

2.  The most important reason for completing a proposal before you begin
    your arrangement is that it will

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  help you see the benefits of the arrangement

b.  help you decide if he/she is really qualified

c.  help those involved think through the process

d.  help other staff to see that the process is fair

c is the correct answer. Helping you and your employee think through the
process is the most valuable contribution the proposal step can make,
even though all the others may indeed occur.

3.  Which of the following would not appear in your teleworker's
    agreement?

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Their reason for wanting the arrangement

b.  The time schedule for implementation

c.  Task allocation (what tasks will be performed when)

d.  How it will impact the organization

a\. is the best answer. Their reason for wanting the arrangement is the
unwanted item in their proposal. Asking why puts you in an uncomfortable
position. You may have to say no to a heart-wrenching plea if it doesn't
meet business needs. Or you may have to use the wisdom of Solomon to
decide between two potential teleworkers with compelling personal
stories. Not asking why keeps it on a business footing.

4.  Most suitable for telework are jobs with measurable results. The
    primary question to ask is . . .

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  How will we know when the job is done correctly?

b.  Are all stakeholders satisfied with the results?

c.  Are the deliverables satisfactory and delivered on time?

d.  Is the in-office staff able to communicate with the teleworker?

a\. is the best answer. How will we know when the job is done correctly
is the question to ask at the beginning. The others are all good
questions, and fit within the big question.

5.  When asking stakeholders to plan how they will evaluate a
    teleworking arrangement, the question they should be asking is . . .

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  What will success look like for me?

b.  How will I know it when I see it?

c.  What do I need to do now in order for me to evaluate success later?

d.  All of the above

d is the best answer. All of the above is correct. Identify the
stakeholders, sit down together and ask these three questions.

6.  One of the primary reasons for failed telework arrangements is . . .

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Lack of dependent care

b.  Teleworkers fail to increase their productivity

c.  Isolation from the office

d.  Resentment on the part of in-office staff

c is the best answer. Isolation from the office is the correct answer.
Remember to help your teleworkers stay connected by making sure they're
included and aware of what's going on in the office, and by making sure
they are in the office on a regular basis.

7.  Which of the following is not a recommended way for averting
    negative feelings about a telework arrangement among in-office
    staff?

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Seeking their input as the arrangement is planned

b.  Offering the option of telecommuting to more staff

c.  Encouraging them to express any concerns to the teleworker

d.  Making sure they're not being asked to do extra work in the office

b is the best answer. Offering the option of telework to more staff may
or may not be appropriate, but it could be a slippery slope if that's
the way you choose to avert negative feelings.

8.  To be sure that the teleworker's home office is appropriate, experts
    recommend...

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Making an initial home visit

b.  Making monthly visits to his/her home office

c.  Getting a detailed blueprint of the layout

d.  Trusting the teleworker

a is the best answer. Making a home visit (but only after notifying them
first).

9.  When appraising the performance of the teleworker, a manager should

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  Go through the same process as for non- teleworker

b.  Give the teleworker some slack

c.  Prepare a special evaluation form

d.  All of the above

a is the best answer. Go through the same process as for non-
teleworkers. The appraisal should focus on the results that were
expected and achieved. What counts is the product, or the deliverable --
not the number of hours the person spent in the office.

10. The key to successful teleworking is

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  How the arrangement is explained to stakeholders

b.  The cooperation of all stakeholders

c.  The communications plan

d.  The selection of the teleworker

d is the best answer. The selection of the teleworker is probably most
important, although success depends on a combination of the right job,
the right employee -- and the right supervisor.

Congratulations! You have completed the course \"Managing Telework
Successfully: A Guide for Managers."

A certificate of completion is generated with your name on it.