How to Encourage Telecommuting without Sacrificing Productivity

April 17, 2014 at 11:37 AM by Rob Stevenson

When former Google executive Marissa Mayer took over as CEO of Yahoo, she made an immediate splash by Depositphotos_23914191_xs
canceling the company's popular work-from-home program.  Mayer addressed the controversial decision at the 2013 Great Place to Work Conference. "It's not what's right for Yahoo right now," Mayer said, citing the importance of collaboration in the workplace.

Businesses looking to couple employee satisfaction with collaboration find themselves in a challenging position. Allow telecommuting and you miss out on the spontaneous in-person conversations that spark innovation. Ban it, and you risk alienating employees. The solution? How about an outside-the-box strategy that promotes both?

Kill the Clock-in

One of the main draws of telecommuting is the feeling of freedom that employees get outside of the office. Strict hours establish an environment of distrust in the employee-employer relationship. A set time frame also prompts employees to watch the clock rather than strive toward goals. Employers can bring a piece of telecommuting to the office by loosening the start and end of the work day, and when employees have a flexible window in which they can come and go, they regain a piece of their independence and inspiration. Media rental and streaming provider Netflix is known for giving its employees freedom from the clock. Because it empowers its employees, Netflix has earned a reputation as one of the best employers in the United States.

If you're looking to raise morale but don't want to sacrifice productivity, loosen up on a rigid 9-to-5 structure.

Get Out of the Office

Telecommuting is on the rise largely due to the advent of cloud computing. In decades past, employees were tied to the office because that's where the company servers (or filing cabinets) were located. Cloud computing enables employees to access systems from anywhere they can jump online. Modern cloud communications providers offer customizable clouds. For example, compies like Box, Dropbox, Bitcasa, and Mitel offer public, private and hybrid cloud configurations. This allows businesses to build custom cloud deployments based on whether they need systems for employees, customers or both.

With a cloud computing system in place, you can expand the walls of your business to coffee shops, hotel lobbies and conferences. This mobility enables teams to get out of the office by organizing remote meeting spaces. Employees get the fresh feel of telecommuting without giving up in-person interaction. This solution can also help businesses save on office space and related overhead costs. If one team rotates to a remote location each week, your need for space decreases. Larger businesses may not be able to establish remote sites, but it's a viable compromise for smaller, nimble companies.

Spruce Up the Place

When employees have control of their environment, they feel more empowered to do good work. That's the takeaway from a 2010 University of Exeter study in which workers were given the opportunity to arrange an office with the plants and pictures they wanted. Those workers were 32 percent more productive than employees who were not given this control. Encourage employees to personalize work spaces. If possible, allocate a small budget for each employee. The gesture will demonstrate that you want your office to be a comfortable environment—even if it's not employees' homes.

 

The bottom line here is to treat employees like adults and give them the freedom to accomplish their tasks n a reasonably flexible schedule. Couple this respect with all the tools to get the job done no matter where they are, and you will foster a culture of trust and productivity.

What other techniques have you used to strike a great work from home balance?

                                     

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