A few weeks ago, Turnstone wrote a blog titled Confessions of a Remote Worker - The First 90 Days. The head of Marketing for the company wrote about how he, located in Atlanta, was able to telecommute for his company, located in Michigan, at a local co-working space. Though there were some initial fears, he has been able to create a positive, and productive, environment for himself and his company.
Holtzclaw's article helps to calm the nerves of the business owner and provide a way to enable and evaluate workers. His key points were:
1. Use it to your advantage - provide distinction for what a telecommuting day is.
2. Trust, but verify - have clear ground rules about office participation from home
3. Quantify: Has productivity gone up? Sales made, phone calls made, etc.
4. Know when it's not working - it takes adjustment and evaluation but can be successful when done right
Turnstone's article is about how the worker can be productive. Key tips include:
- Determine what types of calls you’ll likely be involved in remotely before evaluating technology tools; will most be with one other person, or large groups?
- Use in-office time for face-to-face meetings; clear your calendar of anything else that can be done just as easily from home later.
- Test a variety of screen sharing tools, and don’t be afraid to consider new ones as they hit the market; with more remote workers in the workplace every day, it’s a competitive field!
Both articles show the highlights of a positive telecommuting experience, though I haven't researched for negatives. Are you allowed to telecommute? Have you had positive or negative experiences? Let us know in the comments section!
Kendal
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