For tele-managers & employers
This section is for those who are already telemanagers, those who think they might become telemanagers, and for employers.  Material will be added regularly, so come back often.

Why you should care about telework
Because of its proven capabilities to significantly improve productivity and morale, while reducing office space costs, absenteeism, tardiness, stress, and turnover, telework contributes to your bottom line. The return on investments and overall success of telework has been proven over and over again in dozens of well-known companies. The conclusion in almost all cases is that telework results in major benefits and savings.

Here is some reading that can help you:

	Telework suitability  Paper written by Bob Fortier telework suitability factors, including suitable organizations, jobs, employees and managers, as well as candidate assessments
	Telework management guide (pdf) published by Arizona-based VIACK Corporation
	Extreme tele-management? This example was sent by Gil Gordon who writes: "The next time you hear a manager say that he/she can't figure out how to tell that an accountant or programmer, for example, is doing the job remotely, remind that person U.S. Army General Tommy Franks who is running the war in Afghanistan from his headquarters in Tampa, Florida.... This kind of remote management - and it is exactly that, as opposed to remote work (in this case being done by his subordinate officers and troops, of course) really makes the complaints we all hear about "I can't tell what they're doing if I'm not there" seem pretty silly."
	Companies advised to mitigate telemanager mistakes with telework management training
	How to manage telecommuters
	Avoiding remote manager mistakes -- When Mike Wolf and his wife moved to Redmond, Wash, the network research director at In-Stat/MDR knew he'd have to sell the idea of remote management to the firm
	Being an e-manager. What are the keys to success
	CIO Magazine: Remote Control...How do you captain the good ship Enterprise when so many of your crew are working remotely?
	How to set up telework: see links section for specific employers, resources, etc
	In Control, 10 Time Zones Away: Thanks to new technology, managers now run businesses around the world without leaving the U.S.
	Are your staff members ready for telecommuting?
	Good communication key in strong telecommuting: Teleworkers may be out of sight, but companies must find ways so they are not out of mind
	And How Do You Make Your Flowers Grow? An AT&T manager's insights on managing teleworkers
	CNN: How to manage telecommuters
	Though "control-freak bosses" have many tech tools to monitor teleworkers, emphasis should be on results, not monitoring
	Tracking teleworker productivity
	AT&T's advice for tele-managers
	Harvard newsletter: How to manage an offsite team
	Hey Bosses - be clear, be flexible a nice article with some do's and don't's for managers
	Ceridian Research Study: Opinions on Boundaryless Workforce Vary by Workers' Age, Position, Company Size
	Telemanager's index to cost benefits
	Business week article suggests managers pay for telework equipment
	Issues managers should consider before allowing telework
	Manager's turn down tips - how to deliver the news
	FAQs for telecommuting managers
	La résistance au télétravail by Marc Thivierge

Hey, bosses: Be clear, be flexible
(Beth Marklein, USA today 06/30/96)
Telecommuting still has a few kinks. But those who have done it say there are ways to avoid some problems. A few do's and don'ts:

To Employers:
DO make it optional Companies that mandate telecommuting risk winding up with resentful employees. Telecommuting is not right for everyone, says Kim McGonegle, telecommuting coordinator for Aegon Advanced Financial Services Division in Clearwater, Fla. She says employers should include an escape clause that lets telecommuters return to the office without shame if the arrangement doesn't work.

DON'T use it to solve personnel problems Using telecommuting to put distance between managers and employees who don't get along will only increase frustration, says New Jersey-based consultant Gil Gordon. For telecommuting to succeed, the parties involved "have to have a strong foundation. This is not a case of absence makes the heart grow fonder."

DO give tools Telecommuters should have access to everything they'd have at the office, such as databases or office manuals. Anything less is "like saying you can drive this car but there's only three tires," says Gordon.

DO manage by results Jeannie Yee Balido, coordinator for the Telecommuting Assistance Project of the Association of Bay Area Governments in Oakland, Calif., urges employers to clarify expectations and responsibilities. "It doesn't matter where they're doing the work. It matters that they produce," she says.

DO develop a clear policy Consider legal implications, including security of company data, confidentiality, zoning laws and ergonomics. Discrimination also has emerged as an issue, telecommuting expert June Langhoff says.

To Employees:
DO be good to yourself People who work at home often are more productive than those back at the office - in part out of fear their colleagues will think they're goofing off, says Alice Bredin, author of The Virtual Office Survival Handbook (John Wiley & Sons, $16.95). Use the time saved by not commuting to do something unrelated to work, Bredin says, such as gardening or coaching a softball team. Her book provides tips on how to manage your time and create a balanced life.

DO maintain visibility If you depend only on e-mail and voice mail, you risk eroding personal relationships "on which all business is really based," Bredin says. Make lunch dates with co-workers. Attend staff meetings and other functions.

DON'T use telecommuting as child-care fix Many companies require telecommuters to have child-care arrangements. On the plus side, telecommuting gives parents flexibility to work when they want.

DON'T misuse equipment Companies have strict policies on home-based workers' use of office equipment for personal projects - such as doing kids' homework assignments. Consider your home office an extension of the workplace. That goes for e-mail, too: Any e-mail you create using the company's equipment belongs to the company, Langhoff says.

Telemanager's index to cost benefits
There's an array of convincing arguments and documented facts to justify working from home. Allowing workers to telecommute can be a win-win situation for telemanagers and their talented employees. Indeed, as some companies' results show, a well-implemented telework program can be a win-win-win situation, because the community as a whole prospers too. If upper management is still reluctant to green-light your telecommuting plan, state your case with this grab bag of good news and bottom-line arguments.

Advantages for the Organization
Improved recruiting: In a 1997 information management survey, the staffing services company Olsten Corp. learned that one-third of companies with telecommuting programs use them to attract qualified employees. Long-distance relationships also avoid the costs of relocation, estimated at as much as $80,000 per employee.

Increased employee retention: Companies with telecommuting programs find their employees are less likely to leave for greener pastures. A 1997 AT&T survey of active telecommuters revealed that 36 percent would quit or find another home-based job if their employer decided they could no longer work at home. A similar study by the Families and Work Institute revealed that more than one-third (35 percent) of employees with children under the age of 15 say they would change jobs if they found one offering more flexible work arrangements.

Higher productivity: Both telecommuters and their managers report that workers accomplish more when out of the office. In an AT&T-sponsored survey of Fortune 1000 telemanagers, 58 percent reported increased worker productivity. The state of California's telecommuting pilot program measured productivity increases of 10 percent to 30 percent, and American Express tallied a 20 percent productivity gain for off-site call center employees.

Bottom-line savings: The payoff in real estate savings is impressive. Dr. Franklin Becker, a professor at Cornell University and co-author of Workplace by Design, says that 70 percent of desks, offices, and workstations are unoccupied or underoccupied during a typical workday. Telecommuting allows companies to consolidate office space.

For example, IBM's telework plan has let Big Blue cut its U.S. real estate holdings by 22 million square feet-and save $50 million annually. And a facilities manager at Lucent Technologies estimates that for every dollar spent setting up a home office, the company saves $2 in real estate expenses. Even our federal government has jumped on the bandwagon; its plan to have roughly 3 percent of the federal workforce telecommuting by 2002 is expected to yield $150 million in net taxpayer savings annually. Finally, NCR experienced a net savings of three times the program's cost from its telework program.

Reduced absenteeism: According to the 1996 Unscheduled Absence Survey by CCH Inc., absenteeism costs U.S. companies $603 per employee per year. The National Safety Council says that on an average workday, 1 million employees are absent from work because of stress-related problems.

By contrast, telecommuters can work from home when a minor illness or sick child keeps them from the office. Unisys found that its telecommuters take 33 percent less sick leave than other workers. Teleworkers at Holland America Westours take two fewer days off per year than their office colleagues.

Disaster preparedness: Telecommuters are a key factor in keeping companies going when disaster strikes. Within hours of the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake, teleworkers were conducting business, even though their office buildings had been destroyed. Homeworkers kept many Eastern Seaboard companies open during the blizzard of 1996 and ice storms of early 1998, leading to record Internet traffic levels.

Advantages for the Employee
Lower stress: According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), stress ranks as one of the top 10 reasons employees miss work. By working at home, employees avoid a stressful commute, as well as the noise and interruptions common in most office cubicles.

Increased flexibility: Telecommuters have more control over their time than their in-office counterparts. This lets them work at their peak energy times and adds flexibility to their overall day and schedules.

Saved time: According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the average American worker spends anywhere from 42 minutes to one hour each day commuting to and from work.

Over the year, that's the equivalent of almost six 40-hour workweeks. A typical commuter can gain nearly two "extra" weeks a year by telecommuting.

More cash: Telecommuters' home expenses do go up a bit, mostly in the areas of higher communications and utility costs. However, they save on commuting costs, office clothes, dry cleaning, and lunch expenses. In addition, DOT says the average round-trip automobile commute in the U.S. is 23 miles. If gasoline costs $1.05 a gallon and the employee telecommutes only two days a week, he or she should save approximately $100 in gas each year. Telecommuters working in densely trafficked urban areas save far more.

Advantages for the community, cleaner air
Environmental Protection Agency figures indicate that if just 10 percent of the nation's workforce telecommuted just one day a week, Americans would conserve more than 1.2 million gallons of fuel per week.

Similarly, if only one in 100 American car owners left his or her wheels in the garage one day a week, it would save an estimated 42 million gallons of gas per year. And in addition to conserving energy, we could breathe a little easier: A 90-minute round-trip commute pumps nine pounds of carbon monoxide and 45 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air every day.

Reduced global warming: Automobiles and light trucks emit 20 percent of the U.S.'s fossil fuel-based carbon dioxide (CO2) -a key contributor to the greenhouse effect. A typical car gives off 20 pounds of CO2 for every gallon of gas consumed.

Closer community ties: Not only do teleworkers find they are able to spend more time with their families, many homeworkers also spend part of the time they once spent commuting participating in community service-coaching Little League games, tutoring kids at the library, planting a community garden, or reading to seniors.

A Telecommuting Contract
The State of California suggests you use this form as a possible template for your written agreements with teleworking employees.

Preamble
Telecommuting is an arrangement that (Employer) may choose to make available to some employees when a mutually beneficial situation exists. These are the conditions for telecommuting agreed upon by the telecommuter and his/her supervisor. This arrangement can be terminated by either the employee or employer at any time.

1	The employee agrees to work at the following location (hereafter referred to as the Telecenter) ....
2	The employee will telecommute (X) days per week, or as scheduled/needed
3	The employee's work hours will be as follows:....
4	The assignments the employee will work on at the Telecenter and their expected delivery dates are as follows:....
5	The following equipment will be used by the employee at the Telecenter:....
6	The following software will be used by the employee at the Telecenter:...
7	The arrangement for payment of telephone calls/data transfer made by the employee from the Telecenter for Company business is:....
8	The employee has read and understands all company policies regarding telecommuting.
9	Additional conditions agreed upon by the telecommuter and the telemanager are as follows:..
Signatures
	I have reviewed the above materials with my telemanager prior to working at the Telecenter. Telecommuter signature and date: I have discussed the above materials with my telecommuter. Telemanager signature and date: