ALT-1 How to Build a Case for Telecommuting
A company I once worked for hung in the main corridor of its IT department the following motto: "The floggings shall continue until morale improves." The IT department's wry sense of humor belied an enlightenment to workplace motivators, being totally hip about motivating the staff not only with the traditional roster of performance stimulants such as recognition, an open door policy, raises, pop and pizzas, but it also recruited that edgy new kid on the block called "telecommuting".
They didn't plunge straight into telecommuting, but at the suggestion of several employees, initiated due diligence research on the subject. The few corporate case studies available at the time generally reported win-win experiences showing (a) increased employee morale, which fostered higher performance that (b) impacted the company's bottom line favorably. My company initiated a trial phase and implemented the required remote access technology so that the company's servers could be reached securely from off-site locations. Now, whether due to the trust and freedom felt or the prior years of flogging, or a bit of both, after two to three months it was evident that the performance levels of all three inaugural remote employees had exceeded all expectations. Within a year, most IT personnel were telecommuting part-time or full-time.
So, what exactly does telecommuting entail? For starters, as techie as the term sounds, it actually is not that new or radical a concept. More than anything, it's a contemporary implementation of a practice dating back in one form or another to the beginning of civilization. Picture a medieval blacksmith's apprentice hammering out a few extra horseshoes in his backyard, a monk transcribing a few more Hebrew scriptures into Latin, or an architect burning some midnight oil in his study to complete an inspiration. They were all essentially working at home. Fast-forwarding to the present, getting up out of our beds, and powering on our Macs or PCs is what we today know as telecommuting.
Of course, telecommuting goes beyond catching up on work or doing extra at home to get ahead. It formalizes a workplace-like office setting within the telecommuter's home, typically configured complete with Internet access, a computer, printer, fax machine, often a company provided phone line, and is used daily, mostly during traditional work hours. For the company, a home office equates to significant costs savings in terms of energy, furniture, stationary, and other such office space expenses, and other shared overhead. Visualize a five story insurance company that transitions 20% of its staff to telecommuting. This eliminates the cost of renting or owning one whole story of a building, the kind of savings that make CEO's sit up and take notice. Studies show that improved employee morale is commensurate with higher performance, which further bolsters the bottom line.
For the company that is deliberating over the costs of buying, deploying, and maintaining a telecommuting infrastructure, it may be surprised to learn how affordable it is. This is especially true when they discover that their IT department has, like most do these days, most of the software and equipment already and just needs to be configured to also facilitate telecommuting. Because such existing software and components are mature, familiar technologies today, they are easy for the an IT network administrator to configure and maintain. The components and infrastructure the company will use include a firewall, a router, RAS (Remote Access Software), a public encrypted VPN (Virtual Private Network) web site, and Internet access. The employee at home then only needs to navigate to the VPN web site provided by the company and authenticate into it to be as connected to the company network as a co-worker in the company's building.If your company has not yet embraced telecommuting, but you feel you are a reliable and trusted employee with a good attitude, Google some corporate testimonials and present your case to your manager. If you get rejected, leave the case studies on the manager's desk, and retreat with a smile. In addition to your initiative, it's a great opportunity to demonstrate character, which will build the manager's confidence in you in an area with which he or she may not be familiar. Try again in a month or two and always maintain an optimistic attitude. Positivity might take more effort than negativity, but it stands a far better chance of yielding better results.Now, for the deserving employee, the privilege of telecommuting bestows obvious benefits. Beyond sleeping in without being late for work and the freedom to wear attire as casual as underwear or less, benefits include lowered transportation costs, no more grinding rush hour fatigue, more flexible hours, and the comforts and conveniences of home. What's not to like about efficiently hammering out a couple of undisturbed hours of work in a row, then grabbing a coffee and stepping outdoors into the backyard for a few minutes? Beyond the direct gratification of such perks, an employee enjoys feeling empowered by the trust shown by its employer, and cannot help but rise to the occasion to give back more to such a company.Telecommuting is one of those rare symbioses that demonstrably benefit the employer and employee mutually. That's win-win, that's progress, and it reduces reliance on inefficient, antiquated alternatives, such as flogging.
