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did you know?

Nearly 60 percent of workers believe that telecommuting at least part-time is the ideal work situation.

IBM saves $700 million in real estate costs by allowing 25% of its worldwide employees to work from home.

wise words we heard

Businesses that ignore the possibilities offered by emerging technologies risk becoming dinosaurs.

virtual work

Virtual workers are defined as people who work from home, from the road, from anywhere that isn't a traditional office. The common denominator for all virtual workers is that they communicate and perform work duties almost entirely through electronic technology. Going virtual makes sense for many workers, not just the people you see plugging in at coffee shops around the globe: Gen Yers just starting out, older workers phasing into retirement, people who need a custom-fit because they have restricted physical abilities or live in remote geographic locations, or two-job families where being close to both jobs is impossible. High- and low-wage employers have found moving to virtual work productive and profitable. Call centers, sales teams, individual consultants - even entire organizations - have all found this new way of working to be virtually perfect.

Virtual work can create a more robust business overall, as it has been shown to cut workplace costs and produce more satisfied, productive employees.

Advice for Employers

Adopt a performance-based management philosophy. Look more at results and less and whose car is in the parking lot.

Use technology in innovative ways to promote team building. Consider going beyond the basics of phone and email in order to help create a close group and help workers connect. Set up a community home space featuring pictures and profiles of team members, a discussion board, a team calendar, or a chat room.

Show respect. This might mean being sensitive to members who speak English as a second language, or paying attention to language and cultural differences, business protocols - even time zones.

Design fair and consistent guidelines for who can take advantage of virtual work.

Meet in person, too. Many companies that adopt virtual work also have regular retreats or in-person check-ins. This promotes team cohesion.

Remember that workers cannot be available 24/7 and will need boundaries to make virtual working successful for both themselves and the business.

Advice for Workers

When making a case for a flexible work arrangement, cite the business benefits of higher productivity, less time lost commuting, worker loyalty, decreased absenteeism, improved health and sometimes reduced real estate costs. (See Studies and Research)

Create an expectation of clear work/life boundaries. Just because you are now connected to work at home or on vacation doesn't mean you should be online 24/7. Clarify what will work well for you and your employer.

Be realistic but open-minded about virtual work's plusses and minuses. While it fits well with some jobs, virtual work isn't a good fit for others.

Consider stepping up the frequency of communication. This can mean checking the team's calendar or sending an email after every phone conference to document and confirm the action plan. Find out what will make this work well for everyone.

How to Ask for a Telecommute Arrangement

Submitted by Kelly Berkley on Wed, 2011-05-25 04:00

I recently met Ruth Martin from MomsRising.org at a work life policy panel discussion put on by the Younger Women’s Task Force: DC Chapter. As I listened to Ruth talk about MomsRising and their grassroots efforts to bring greater work schedule flexibility to mothers, she quickly won my respect. In addition to her admirable work and accomplishments within the grassroots movement, Ruth is a mother that works from home, which means that Momsrising.org is an employer that practices what they preach. I am not a mother but I have one- and she has worked full-time since I was 8 weeks old. My father worked full-time as well so I grew up going to work with my mother (at a public library). Once I reached the age of 9 or 10, I graduated to latchkey kid. It’s not hard to see why Ruth’s message hit home for me and I immediately thought of a way that I could contribute.

Several years ago I wrote a proposal to my employer asking permission to telecommute full-time because I wanted to move to a new city but still keep my job. My proposal to telecommute was approved and the head of human resources asked to keep the document as a template.

As a throwback to dual working parents, I’m sharing my telecommute proposal. I hope you find it helpful and that your employer finds it too hard to say “no” to.

A few tips and items to consider in your proposal:

Trial Period- Consider including a trial period in your proposal. This gives you and your employer an out if any issues arise for either party. It may also put your employer more at ease with your request.
IT Requirements- This is very important. Talk to your IT department. Find out what IT requirements are needed for you to work remotely and find out if there are any additional costs. Be sure to include the IT requirements in your proposal.
Expenses- Include an itemized list of expenses that would be incurred by telecommuting.
Savings- Include supporting stats on what it will save the company to keep you and to have you work from home. I got my stats from the Human Capital Institute and John Sullivan, an HR best practice advisor and researcher.
Telecommuting Calculators- The Telework Exchange has a nice calculator for determining the financial and environmental cost of your commute.

Template of Proposal to Telecommute:

Proposal to Work Remotely

Date:

To:

CC:

From:

RE: Proposal to work remotely

Dear,

Enclosed you will find a written proposal to work remotely. If you have any questions, please let me know. I am prepared to discuss them with you and make modifications to the proposal as required.

Thank you for your consideration of my request.

Sincerely,
(Page Break)

My existing job description on record remains the same and is hereby incorporated into this proposal by reference and further elaboration below. This proposal focuses on one alteration; my employment will change from an in office environment to a remote telecommuting environment. This proposal is offered after consultation with NAME OF SUPERVISOR

I propose that I, xxxxxxxxx, continue to work in my current position as a full-time, salaried employee with full-time medical and other benefits and employer share of social security and other employer obligations already in place. I have been working for COMPANY for almost xxxx years and am a proven performer who is very committed to my work and this company. In this proposal, I will describe my position, how it can be performed in a different location, how I will transition to a new work environment, and the cost and benefits of working remotely.

Position Description

The JOB TITLE role contributes toCOMPANY NAME by EXPLANATION OF HOW YOUR JOB BENEFITS COMPANY, This position supports LIST DEPARTMENTS OR STAFF HERE. LIST YOUR KEY JOB Responsibilities HERE:

xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx

The following represents a possible issue as well as a solution due to working remotely:

Issue (example: budget management or processesing invoices)

Issue:

Solution:

The Remote Work Environment

I will have a designated work space with a desk, my company furnished laptop, a phone, and printer/fax. My phone line will be strictly dedicated to work use so as not to create any confusion with billing. It is easy to call into internal meetings because most are set up with a dial-in option for the convenience of others who cannot physically attend. I will keep my current work schedule of Monday through Friday, 8:30-5:30.

Communicating with Co-workers, and Supervisors

I will call into the team meetings and check in with my supervisor daily via phone or email. I will provide a weekly status report to SUPERVISOR NAME every Friday to convey my work progress and product. To keep my documents readily available to the team and others in the organization, I will post documents to the intranet and shared drives. To access shared drives, applications, and data securely, I will request approval from theIT DEPARTMENT to install NECESSARY COMPUTER PROGRAMS on my PC. I will travel whenever needed and come in to the office a couple days each month.

Working from a remote office will require me to maintain relationships with fewer face-to-face interactions. The phone, instant messenger, and email will become my primary methods of communications. Because I conduct xxxxxxxxx successfully, I believe I am well equipped to communicate effectively by phone. Additionally, having onsite “pals” to assist with on-site needs that may arise will be a significant help. I have good working relationships with my coworkers and believe that they will help in this way when needed.

Workplace Safety and Security

I pledge to keep my front door locked and to store sensitive company information in a locked drawer. My company furnished laptop will be locked when I am on vacation or away for an extended period of time. I have a shredder and will use it when appropriate.

Trial Period

This remote employment is subject to a six-month base period with an evaluation after the first 90 days. After the base period, an extension of an additional six months will be added if both parties are pleased with the work performance transitioning to standard work arrangement thereafter.

IT Requirements:

One aspect needed to make working remotely a success is for the position to receive a xxxxxx license. IT has communicated that this will incur no extra cost to the xxxxxx department as they have already purchased a large quantity of xxxxxxxx. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx appliance that provides a secure, always-on, single point-of-access to any information resource. Access is permission based and is integrated with xxxxxxxxxxxx. The xxxxxxxxxx role in the xxxxxxxxxx environment is to provide remote users with the capability to access internal network resources such as applications, data and printers, in order to effectively perform the duties of their jobs from a flexible range of locations.

Expenses

Below is an itemized list of estimated remote office expenses that will be incurred:

Item
Estimated Cost

Monthly Phone Bill
$100/mo.

VPN
$0

Printer
$50

Printer ink
$10/mo.

Printer paper
$13/mo.

Internet
$35/mo.

Travel to HQ 2 times a year
$600

In considering my proposal to work remotely, please also consider the following:

Cost of losing talent- 1.5 times burdened salary (Source: Human Capital Institute)
Cost of poor hire- $300k (Source: John Sullivan- HR best practice advisor; http://www.drjohnsullivan.com/)
Cost per day- $7000 a day for operating without a key player (Source: John Sullivan)

I appreciate your consideration of my request for remote employment and look forward to hearing your decision. Hopefully this will be of mutual benefit and we will review it as scheduled.