Build a business case for telecommuting

(MoneyWatch) For a number of years, it appeared that teleworking was in ascendancy; more and more businesses were allowing employees to work one day a week or more from home, and data suggested that this led to increased productivity, less traffic congestion, and improved morale. Recently, though, a few large companies have done an about face. As was recently reported, Yahoo is one of the most high profile businesses to bring all of its employees in from home.

• Teleworking employees have higher productivity
• Yahoo ignores benefits of telecommuting
• Telecommuting reduces ethics violations

If you were planning to pitch a telecommute agreement to your manager, don't worry. These could well be anomalies -- not a new trend -- and equipped with the right business case, you might be able to persuade your company to allow you to work from home one or more days a week. Here are some things to consider as you build your plan:

Don't pitch this as a convenience for you, the employee. That might be a benefit and something your manager might consider, but you should make the case that this is better for the company. Cite productivity statistics and explain how eliminating commute time might allow you to start work early or work later -- important if staff is thin at certain times of day when certain activities need to happen.

Be sure all the tools are in place. Make sure that you will have access to all the tools and applications you need to get the job done, including VPN access. It can be useful to create a "telecommute checklist" of things teleworkers need to get the job done, to demonstrate that you've thought it through.

Be able to deal with computer issues. You don't have to be able to replace IT, but you should be able to address concerns about being able to solve technical glitches on your own, since you'll be working remotely and computer problems do crop up from time to time.

Be available. Explain how you will use email, phone, and instant messaging to be available to collaborate and communicate with co-workers, partners and clients. Your absence from the office should be seamless and invisible to anyone who needs to talk to you.

Photo courtesy Flickr user Ed Summers

[TransparentBusiness]

Dave,
These are great tips. Another tool employees can use as leverage when having that important discussion about job flexibility is a one that can create transparency and, thereby, give managers peace of mind. www.TransparentBusiness.com is free and easy to use. Last year, it won the PC World's award for "Best Cloud Computing Solution for Enterprise." This web-based application allows managers to see, in real time, how many hours the remote worker has spent on which project through features such as automatic time logging, up-to-date project tracking, and periodic screenshot sharing. This level of transparency creates trust and accountability. It will give employers a way to take advantage of the benefits of telework programs without the risk.

[slewis_pd]

Yahoo's real problem wasn't with telecommuting. The problem was with accountability, managing by objectives etc. If Yahoo's management was setting goals and objetives with their employees and following up, they would have noticed that work was not getting done and folks weren't logging in etc. I am sure this was an issue with employees who came into the office as well as employees who telecommuted. Unfortunately telecommuting took the hit for the lack accountability at Yahoo.

If you are interested in telecommuting, you might find my experience as a telecommuter helpful (I've been doing it for over 12 years.) You can read about my experiences here: ******/dpbQf