HR Horizons HR Blog

Webmaster September 11th, 2008

On September 20, 1994, some 32,000 AT Achievement of the balance between work and personal time

Geographic dispersion of staff resources Berhard, 22 .

Implements a means to distribute resources strategically and accommodate customers with measurable satisfaction ratios Berhard, 22 .

Achieve new levels of operational efficiency

Contemporary trend toward executive management using remote connectivity for video conferencing and global access to mission-critical application systems Berhard, 22 .

Gives companies an edge in vying for and keeping talented, highly motivated employees.

In addition, compensation will eventually be changed to reflect the new work environment. The valued role of incentive rewards may increase as a result of the extra hours that employees are now clocking Hein, 9 .

Closer teamwork and greater flexibility Apgar, 127 .

Value that employees place on increased personal time and control Apgar, 127 .

Disadvantages of Telecommuting

There are also numerous issues and disadvantages to telecommuting that human resources should be aware of and anticipate. Among these include:

Human Resources should be able to handle ending an AW relationship, especially if the company feels it must eliminate a person from its program for poor performance.

There is difficulty in anticipating deterioration in the employee s at-home situation. For example, a divorce can result in the company losing an established office address, phone and fax number. What processes is or should be in place to assure invoices or work documents delivered to the former home are forwarded to the new location

Cost considerations for the telecommuter go above the basic infrastructure requirement.

Integrating telecommuting into the corporate culture involves cautiously estimating personnel considerations, support issues, long-term investment strategy and productivity standards.

Higher recurring expenses and a steeper cost impact to support remote computing.

Corporations must start investing capital dollars in security economics-the analyzed loss of corporate information as a result of data piracy. Proper planning and careful review of security procedures helps corporations overcome this problem.

The alternative workplace provides both tremendous tangible and intangible benefits. However, as most economists would point out, There s no such thing as a free lunch . There are many human resources problems and issues that must be addressed before telecommuting can be optimally and positively impacted.

Examining the Obstacles to Telecommuting

First, companies wishing to utilize telecommuting should uncover any potential obstacles that could deter or impact its effectiveness. During the planning process for telecommuting, it is important to brainstorm to uncover any possible problems or threats. In addition, access to the Internet, inappropriate transmission of potentially offensive materials and electronic mail are also concerns for companies wishing to deploy telecommuting should address Courtenay, 67 . Among the potential obstacles that must be overcome include ingrained behaviors, cultural and system improvements, and legal and tax ramifications.

Ingrained behaviors and practical hurdles make telecommuting hard to implement Apgar, 121 . This may result in employees who will resist the effort to this new paradigm. A special concern for human resources should be old-line managers. Old-line managers are one of the biggest obstacles to the alternative workplace. The problem is they manage by observation, not by results Harler, 27 .

Managing both the cultural changes and the system improvements required by and AW initiative are substantial Apgar, 121 . Human Resources must retool to support the new type of employee. For example, at Levi Strauss. A family task force was created to assist in reconciling between work and family life. The task force was formed to examine the changing needs of employees in terms of flex time, part-time jobs and other issues. The task force, which meets monthly, is chaired by the CEO, a fact that underscores its credibility and organizational priority Riggs, 47 . Among the system improvements include time management. Managers in an AW environment, particularly one in which employees work from a distance, must also pay close attention to time management. Failure to do so will severely impact the workflow of a telecommuter Apgar, 128 .

Companies should look at the legal and tax ramifications of a corporate telecommuting program. Among those legal issues that must be addressed include insurance, liability and workers compensation, and local legal and union issues. What would happen if company owned property is stolen or damaged from a worker s home Does the worker s homeowners insurance cover it, or does the employer While liability and workers compensation is a concern for employers, the issues have not been totally defined, and therefore not worth of much worry. In addition, court cases have not defined this area Harler, 28 . When companies research local legal issues, they should particularly look at zoning in the employee s hometown. Some condominium bylaws, for example, forbid working out of the home Harler, 28 .

Additional Considerations Before Deploying Telecommuting

Before deploying telecommuting, fundamental questions should be asked by key management players. Are you committed to new ways of operating Are you braced for a cultural tailspin as your employees learn new ways of connecting with another from afar Are you committed to examining your incentives and rewards policies in light of the different ways in which work may be completed Is your organization informational rather than industrial Industrial in this context that the organization s structure, systems, and management process are designed for intensive face-to-face interaction and that employees remain rooted to specific workplaces Apgar, 124 . In such an environment, the potential for AW arrangements is limited Apgar, 124 . Do you have an open culture and proactive managers Are you prepared for some push back Can you overcome the external barriers to an AW program Will you invest in the tools, training, and techniques that make AW initiatives work

Informational organizations, by contrast, operate mainly through voice and data communications when it comes to both their employees and their customers Apgar, 125 . Informational, as used here, does not necessarily mean high-tech. But it does mean that managers and employees are moving up the curve toward information-age literacy, which is characterized by flexibility, informality, the ability to change when necessary, respect for personal time and priorities, and a commitment to using technology for improving performance Apgar, 125 .

Making Telecommuting Successful

Once a company decides to implement telecommuting, several tasks should be implemented by human resources to ensure a smooth transition in the workforce. First, top management understanding and support will be paramount in meeting the challenges presented by the changing work force Riggs, 47 . Second, managers must realize that trust is the primary issue on both sides of the telecommuting equation. Trust in particular should be addressed by removing doubts Riggs, 48 . Third, a telecommuting policy should be implemented before the option is offered Manire, 52 . The policy should clearly define telecommuting as it applies to managers. This helps ease adjustments, drives technical decisions, and enables you to make remote work as seamless as possible with the office setup. In addition, key management and human resources objectives should include the following: Develop a telecommuting policy, set measurable objectives, and regularly evaluate results Manire, 53 .

Conclusion

Today, organizational goals haven t changed, but environments have. The goal for productivity remains an objective for management as we approach 2000. But we realize today that significant gains in productivity may not be achieved not through division of labor but by creating mechanisms for people to communicate more effectively and to manage information more efficiently.

Popularity: 35% [?]

• Human Resources
• Comments(0)