For Organizations

Intent of Telework

Management Concerns

Building a Telework Program

Define Management Support

Assemble a Program Team

Determine Program Goals

Employee & Work Suitability

Workplace & Legal Issues

Policies & Forms

Equipment Decisions

Training

Manager Participation

Telework Coordinator

Program Communication

Program Promotion

Manager Evaluations

Telework is not a stand-alone program; it is integrated throughout an organization and is affected by various levels and departments within the organization. To be effective, there needs to be clear lines of communication throughout. Without this, managers may feel isolated and begin to question the organization's support of telework; the IT department may not understand that the problems of teleworkers are a high priority. Small problems can become big ones when there isn't appropriate communication. One of the advantages of using a team to build the telework program is that various departments acquire buy-in and support from all levels of across the organization. It is important to maintain that support through ongoing communications.

• Create a communication channel between line-managers and HR. If there is a telework coordinator, this may be part of their role. Consider tracking how many employees are applying for telework and how many are accepted; the kinds of problems employees are having and how are they being resolved; the kinds of problems managers having and how are they being resolved. It is important for information to flow up, not settle at the bottom.
• Good communication with the IT Department is critical. Check regularly to see what impact telework is having on IT resources, and how, and how frequently, IT is responding to inquiries from teleworkers. There will always be a connection between IT and teleworkers, so work to make it a happy connection, not one that IT and teleworkers both come to hate.
• Create a communications channel with executive management. If there are problems, report them and report solutions that are being tried. Report successes too! Eventually, executive management will want a formal progress report, so collect and organize data on an ongoing basis.
• Develop a program update that can be circulated throughout the organization. Utilize whatever statistics are available. Start with the number of departments in the program, the number of employees that have applied, and the number that have been accepted. Provide updates as more data becomes available. Calculate the money employees have saved on gas, the amount of co2 reduced, and other facts and figures. Report on problems that employees or managers have experienced and how they were solved - this may be helpful to others. Mention telework in the employee newsletter.