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The Telework Coordinator is the person in the middle; the person management turns to when they want
to know how the program is going, and the person managers turn to when they need advice or assistance.
The coordinator manages the program and is in touch with day-to-day program operations. Small and
mid-size organizations probably won't hire someone for the coordinator position, but they may want to
assign someone the coordinator's duties. Performance of this function will help the program run more
smoothly.
The primary functions for the coordinator are to provide support for managers and monitor the program
for management. In addition, the coordinator may provide training, write reports, and essentially
be the organization's resident telework expert. The Coordinator should be a pro-active person who can
solve problems before they become serious, a good communicator who enjoys hands-on interaction, and
someone who is well organized.
Providing Support: The coordinator should have frequent discussions with managers about telework,
teleworkers, and the effect of telework on office employees who don't telework. Because the coordinator
has these discussions with all managers he or she will see any trends that may be developing. The
coordinator can be a good listener for managers as they adapt to new management techniques. So the
coordinator needs to be part guru, part counselor, and part investigator.
One reason it's good for the coordinator to be part of the program team from the beginning is that the
coordinator needs to have a thorough knowledge of the program and its policies. If the organization
has a disaster preparedness or continuity of operations plan, the coordinator may be the key person to
mobilize the teleworking workforce.
Monitoring the Program: The coordinator is also responsible for maintaining records and tracking
progress. He or she may keep records of applications, evaluations, worker logs and other data. If
there are measurements taken relative to the organization's goals, the coordinator will likely be the
person to compile them and possibly produce reports. So the coordinator also needs to be organized and
have some data handling skills.
Should the coordinator also perform manager evaluations? Certainly the coordinator should know how
well managers are handling their telework responsibilities, and they might conduct an evaluation solely
about telework management. However, coordinators probably should not conduct annual evaluations.
The Coordinator role may not be a full-time job. That depends on the number of tasks assigned and the
size of they program. A manager could assume the coordinator's duties if they have time to do the
work. Like any other program, the telework program requires monitoring and maintenance to operate
properly.
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