A big picture look at how to start a telework program by Tom Harnish at the Telework Research Network, 2011 © All Rights Reserved

1. TELEWORK 101
How To Start A Remote Work Program
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2. Keys to success
‣ Overcome fears and resistance
‣ Address technical and legal issues
‣ Create policies and procedures
‣ In other words, Management 101
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3. What is telework?
‣ Employees conduct some or
all of their work at an
alternative worksite
‣ Also referred to as flexwork,
workshifting, telecommuting.
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4. Already Left The Building
• 5.8 million almost every day
• 7.5 million at least once a week
• 7 million at least once a month
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5. Where Do They Go?
‣ 80% Home
‣ 24% Cafe
‣ 33% Customer s
‣ 25% Airport/Station
‣ 29% Car
‣ 23% Plane/Train
‣ 29% Hotel
‣ 11% Park/Beach
‣ 25% Telework Ctr
‣ 9% Library
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6. Benefits
!
Employer ! Employee! Community !
‣ Productivity
‣ Gas
‣ Oil
‣ Real estate
‣ Expenses
‣ Greenhouse
gases
‣ Turnover
‣ Time
‣ Accidents
‣ Absenteeism
‣ Highway
maintenance
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7. Barriers
‣ Individual Inertia
‣ Generational Differences
‣ Organizational Bandwidth
‣ Management Support
‣ Regulatory Issues
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8. Individual Inertia
‣ People resist change
‣ Need to see what s in it for
them
‣ Sell values not facts
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9. Generational"
Differences
‣ Work Ethic – oh yeah?
‣ Loyalty—a matter of perception?
‣ Respect cuts both ways
‣ Training needs
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10. Organizational Bandwidth
‣ I m peddling as fast as I can
‣ Next Practices not best practices
‣ Prioritize
‣ Leadership from within not above
‣ Results-based management
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11. Management Support
‣ Out of site (sic), out of mind?
‣ Training
‣ Paint the building fuchsia
‣ Sell values not facts
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12. Regulatory Issues, etc.
‣ Employee/contractor issues
‣ Tax laws
‣ ADA
‣ Liability
‣ Insurance
‣ Time and break tracking for
non-exempt
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13. Attributes
For Success
‣ General cognitive skills— ‣ Personal traits—character,
problem solving, analytical self-reliance, dependability
ability
‣ Innovative, able to take risks
‣ Interpersonal and relationship
skills
‣ Competitiveness, drive
‣ Ambiguity tolerance, ‣ Cross-cultural competence
adaptability
‣ Written and oral language
‣ Ability to work in teams
skills
Challenges for International Leadership: Lessons from Organizations wiith
Global Missions, RAND National Security Research Division, 2003.
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14. Management
Competencies
‣ Cultivating relationships
‣ Focusing On Outcomes
‣ Developing Employees
Meeting the Challenges of a Dispersed Workforce, The Conference Board, 2008
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15. Employee
Competencies
‣ Executing
‣ Employing technological savvy
‣ Collaborating
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16. Importance and Effectiveness of Management Practices
Greatest Potential
For Improving
Distance
managers!
Meeting the Challenges of a Dispersed Workforce, The Conference Board, 2008

17. TECHNICAL
Issues
‣ Security
‣ Connectivity, especially mobile
‣ Tech Support
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18. 10 ACTION STEPS
‣ Recruit for character, build fundamentals, develop distance competencies
‣ Emphasize relationships
‣ Facilitate connects, and assess them
‣ Build a communications infrastructure
‣ Secure the support employee need to be successful
‣ Set clear goals and empower distance employees to determine how best
to achieve them
‣ Focus managers on creating a work environment that enables employee
achievement
‣ Concentrate on on-the-job development
‣ Transcend distance with attitudes
‣ Watch Your Cross-Global Managers
Telework Research Network
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19. Contact:
Kate Lister 760-703-0377 (PT)
Tom Harnish 760-473-2574 (PT)
Kate@TeleworkResearchNetwork.com
© 2011 Telework Research Network – All Rights Reserved