Managers who have expended a lot of effort to put together a good team are naturally concerned that telework
will undo their hard work. It's important to examine when teamwork needs to occur in-person versus virtually.
Some really great work can occur when team members work together in the same space. They can brainstorm and
hash-out solutions in a way that is difficult to replicate through virtual tools. But how often does this need
to happen - once a week, twice a week? On the remaining days these employees could be teleworking. In fact,
some team members may be better prepared for the team meeting after they've spent some time working alone.
There is a wide selection of tools available today that allow people to collaborate virtually. Teleworkers
and those that don't telework can and should be connected. Something as simple as Instant Messaging (IM) can
make it easy for team members to quickly bounce ideas off each other. The toolkit includes a discussion
of collaborative tools.
One of the pilot study participants told us their CEO holds a "fireside chat" with all employees using
web conferencing software, so teleworkers can stay "in the loop" and "feel connected".
A telework program should encourage teleworkers to maintain their ties to the office and the team. Most
teleworkers will only work from home one or two days a week, so staying informed is not much of a problem, but
those who are away more often may need to make a special effort to stay in the loop. Teams sometimes organize
events, like a weekly lunch, to replace the social "water cooler"; an opportunity to discuss things informally.
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