How to manage employees who work from home

Image courtesy of Flickr user Randy Kashka

You've heard the stats: employees who can work from home and set their own hours (at least some of the time) are happier and less likely to complain of work-life stress. More important? They're less likely to leave your company than their office-bound counterparts.

But how does managing your telecommuters work on a day-to-day basis? Allison O'Kelly, CEO of Mom Corps, a flexible professional staffing agency, manages a 100 percent virtual workforce. Here's her advice for managers:

Train in person. If you're hiring someone into a virtual position, awesome. You can find a great person without having to pay moving expenses! But "training is the most difficult part," says O'Kelly. You have to explain exactly what it is the person needs to do, as well as your culture. "We have had some people who we have tried to train virtually and it really is difficult," O'Kelly says. The solution? Spend time together. O'Kelly is in Pennsylvania, and recently hired a CFO in Atlanta who spent two different weeks with her. Spread out over several weeks, those two weeks have been "invaluable," she says.

Sometimes you do need standing (virtual) meetings. In traditional offices, standing meetings accumulate like clutter. No one knows how they started, but now, even though you see three people all day in the hall, you still have an official meeting with them just because it's Tuesday at 10 a.m. With a virtual workforce, though, "it's very easy, when you don't see people, to fall into your own little world and not really realize that they're there," says O'Kelly. An official daily check-in isn't necessary (unless someone gets a new task every day), but a weekly call keeps everyone on task.

Communicate. Instant messaging is your friend. It's the equivalent of popping into someone's cubicle. You can turn it off when you need to focus, but you'll probably have it on a lot.

Guard your time. The telecommuters who report to you clearly have a relationship with you, so the tendency is for them to ask you questions as they arise, rather than asking colleagues (who they may not see or talk to as much). O'Kelly used to just answer all these emails, but then came up with a better solution. "I needed to draw a hard line about what people should be talking to me about, and what people should be talking to other people about," she says. Now, if someone asks O'Kelly a question that's in someone else's domain, she emails back to say, "Please ask Mary about this," or some such.

Do try to see each other (sometimes). One reason workplaces shy away from telecommuting arrangements is because "there's nothing like a face-to-face meeting," says O'Kelly. But just because in-person meetings are valuable, that doesn't mean you need to be together to get the work done, she adds. Seeing a colleague 40 hours a week is just overkill. Instead, "at least once or twice a year, gather everyone together in one area," O'Kelly says. Locals can get together more often. Seeing each other a few times a year is enough to cement a relationship and still maintain the benefits gained from not battling traffic at rush hour five days a week.

How do you manage your telecommuters?

[Ken C. Schmitt]

Great article! As the owner of a boutique recruiting and career coaching firm, all my employees are telecommuters. Why? Because each of their jobs requires that they are out and about doing just that- their job. Our jobs do not require a desk in an office for the majority of the time. Although it is imperative that we are staying connected with clients and candidates, but we are out in the field networking and meeting with them. So how do I stay on top of their productivity and success? Communication- it's key whether they were in an office or at their kitchen tables.

Each of the suggestions you made above have led to my company's success over the years. However, I think it's important to begin with hiring the right people and this can only be done when I, the owner, know exactly what I want my company to look like. But investing the time to establish my Core Values and goals BEFORE I hired a single person, I knew half the battle was won.

I think your suggestion to train in person is essential. Nothing beats some hands on experience. When meeting in person, not only do we get to know one another and our communication styles, but we are able to have real experiences with the aspects of the job. I also feel your suggestion to manage time is essential. It is easy for telecommuters to only have a relationship with you as you are the one who hired/trained. However, getting to know each person on staff helps to create a team who can work well together and helps to free up my time as well. Lastly, in my firm, we have made a commitment to meeting on a regular basis- even if it's once a month. Again, not only does this build our team but it allows us to determine ways to work together, answer one another's questions and make sure we are all on the same page.
Thank you for an insightful article.
Ken C. Schmitt
www.turningpointsearch.net

[lvanderkam]

@Ken- thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful response. Yes, knowing what kind of business you want and what people would best work toward that mission are critically important. As for meeting in person, I always tell people that yes, of course it works best. But just because you love steak doesn't mean you have to have it for every meal! A combination of in-person and remote collaboration can work well.