Rethinking Telecommuting
March 11th, 2008 by Cali & Jody
Sue Shellenbarger’s Work & Family blog has a chilling story about how telecommuters are being “called back” to the office in droves. The reasons are “a push to consolidate operations, and the notion that teamwork improves when people work face-to-face.”
The notion. The . . . notion. The . . . one more time . . . notion.
We find it funny (as in sad funny, not funny funny) that businesses will spend incredible amounts of financial and human capital to improve processes, systems and methodologies, but they are still satisfied with “notions” when it comes to their HR practices. So you’ll have companies going ga-ga over Total Quality Management, but then turn around and recall telecommuters based on a belief about face time.
Can you imagine an operations manager saying that she has a notion that changing suppliers or using a different manufacturing technique will lead to increased product quality? Would a marketing director say he has a notion that targeting a certain demographic will lead to increased sales?
We’re not saying that employees never need to meet face to face. Or that we need to shut down every office around the world and have everyone work remotely. What we’re asking is that organizations hold their HR practices to the same standards that they apply to the rest of their business. That means taking a step back, examining assumptions, experimenting with new methods, and then listening to the results rather than freaking out and doing what’s always been done before just because it’s comfortable and easy.
If you’re a company that is rethinking telecommuting, we’re asking that you rethink it again. And we hope that whatever decision you make, you make it on something more substantial than a notion.
Brilliant post!
So true! It sounds like those companies calling telecommuters back are taking huge strides back, themselves.
Happy and productive employees will also improve teamwork and your bottom line.
On the other hand, one of the most influential guys in HIT, CareGroup CIO John Halamka, takes an in-depth look at the policies and technologies necessary for supporting flexible work arrangements in “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Telecommuting” over at CIO.com - http://www.cio.com/article/197800
As a telecommuter who was told to come back to the office or take a demotion. I can not only sympathize I can relate to the post first hand.
I am looking for a new company who will appreciate the effort I put forth.
I was told “we feel that a team approach is more effective if everybody on the team is here” …huh…I guess my near 500k in sales last year from my remote location did nothing for their team.