Feature

Telework: A strategic advantage

Vinutha V on why teleworking is no longer an employee perk but a business strategy for most organisations.

Every organisation understands that work-life balance is a great motivating factor for ensuring employee loyalty and retention. Initiatives like flexible timing, innovative leave options and teleworking are emerging as popular trends. In the past teleworking was regarded as a perk, but today many organisations consider it as a necessity. It is a preferred option for both employers and employees. Teleworking can be described as the practice of establishing, developing and maintaining successful off-site business practices through telecommunication. Current workplace trends are promoting more flexibility for employees and tailoring jobs to fit individual needs. The image of the traditional workplace where employees permanently sit and work is being replaced with associates working wherever they can be most efficient and productive, whether at home or anywhere outside office. The availability of affordable technology has also been one of the major contributors to the ‘any time, any place’ telecommuting trend. Telecommuting provides a better quality of life for associates and enhances their job performance.

Reduction in real estate cost

"Retaining employees is becoming a challenge. The IT sector is coming up with many options and teleworking is catching fast as a new mode of working." - Ranajoy Punja Vice-President, Marketing Cisco Systems India

The availability of more affordable technology has enabled companies to adopt telecommuting as an alternative work arrangement. A tight job market, fierce competition for talent and a record high turnover among the IT workforce are several reasons why many organisations see teleworking as a benefit to entice new recruits. Another factor fuelling the teleworking trend is the high price of commercial real estate. Instead of leasing new office space or expanding existing office buildings, it is considerably less expensive to provide associates with notebooks and phone lines to work from the convenience of their own homes.

Ranajoy Punja, Vice-president, Marketing, Cisco Systems India, says, “Increasingly, there is a lot of pressure on IT organisations to improve productivity and the need to quickly react to market requirements. Simi-larly, retaining employees is becoming a challenge for these companies. In order to balance pressure on both the ends, the IT sector is coming up with many options and teleworking is catching fast as a new mode of working.”

Teleworking is not entirely replacing the office environment, instead it is increasing in certain key IT segments. Alain Tiquet, Group Director, Marketing EMEA and India, NVIDIA states, “Teleworking is meeting two types of requirements for the IT industry—employees moving occasionally from the office environment and for people who work full-time away from office environment due to family or distance or other related issues. Teleworking is aiding productivity and staying connected 24X7.”

More importantly, when companies require the best people who can work from anywhere, the flexibility of teleworking is offered to them.

NVIDIA has two R&D centres in India—Bangalore and Pune, and when best engineers are required they are always available connected through remote access using desktop, notebooks, sophisticated connectivity, scanner, fax, dedicated e-mail connectivity etc. Out of the total 3,000 workforce as many as 500 people are teleworking across the world.

Benefits both employers and employees

For employees teleworking has its obvious advantages leading to increased productivity, more autonomy, greater lifestyle flexibility, reduced stress, work satisfaction, motivation and no wastage of time commuting to the workplace. Teleworking also provides easier work conditions for workers with disabilities.

On the other hand, employers can benefit from teleworking as it allows reduction in overhead costs, increases labour productivity, which means higher profits, and provides additional recruitment and retention options due to a larger, talented labour pool. Telecommuting also reduces business disruptions due to emergencies such as floods, power outages, strikes and illnesses.

Challenges associated with teleworking

There are several problems associated with teleworking, namely time management and coordination with co-workers and managers. Isolation is another drawback as teleworkers at home may miss the camaraderie and support of co-workers. Without formal structure that the workplace provides, it may be difficult for telecommuters to work efficiently. Teleworking can also lead to burnout or overwork as it gives 24-hour access to work and workaholics may go overboard.

This mode of work is vulnerable to household distractions and hence there can be blurred boundaries between work and family, which might interfere with a teleworker’s productivity. In certain cases teleworkers may worry that reduced visibility will limit their potential for advancement due to isolation, the ability for longer work hours and diminished access to resources at the workplace.

On the other hand, one of the biggest obstacles for employers is the issue of control. Because monitoring performance is more difficult for those working at home, managers often do not recognise the contributions made by teleworkers by way of good performance reviews and promotions.

Teleworkers are often not provided clear performance goals by their managers, who sometimes mistake useful work with physical presence.

Ensuring success

Successful teleworking comprises four main elements—the right work, the right associate, the right supervisor, and the right top management support. These four elements must meet the set standards and practices of telecommuting. Mandatory practices for a successful telecommuting business can be easily identified. First, it is imperative that the top management and human resou-rces, information systems, and contracts/legal departments provide organisational support for a telecommuting programme to succeed.

Tele-managers or an individual who heads the teleworking team, plays a crucial role in motivating and obtaining the best out of teleworkers. Managers need to carefully co-ordinate activities, clearly communicate expectations, help associates avoid isolation, and select individuals with the right work habits for telecommuting. To do this, some managers schedule non-optional meetings on a regular basis. It is important for managers to identify teleworkers who have complained of social isolation and this can be countered by maintaining some social contact with the latter.

Why training is necessary

Successful teleworkers are self-starters who have proven their ability to do the job well with minimal supervision. They know how to organise their work, manage their time and work well with telemanagers. In addition, they have low socialisation needs and good communication skills, are trustworthy and advocate the telework concept. It is imperative to understand teleworkers and hence, mandatory for telemanagers to possess the ability to read people, to understand what is being communicated and not communicated. In some cases the only communication between managers and associates is through e-mail or telephone. Therefore, the need to communicate well can never be overstated.

Keeping track of teleworkers

Effective managers always know the status of their teleworkers’ projects. There are many ways of accomplishing this, including bulletin board postings on the Internet. Experimenting with different methods might prove necessary to find the right fit for both managers and teleworkers. Eventually, the greatest and most valuable skill in telecommuting is mutual trust between managers and employees. Mutual trust makes for a better and more productive work environment.

Future potential

It is imperative to understand that teleworking is an alternative option and not a substitute for person-to-person contact associated with traditional business settings. “Technology is also aiding this mode of working. Service providers are coming up with secured connections and scaleable services such as VoIP. In a huge demand and supply gap situation, teleworking comes as an easy option,” adds Punja.

IT companies can access people from various locations. The obvious fallout of teleworking is reduction in demand for transportation by employees. Reduced commutation results in stress reduction and increased productivity. Telecommuting can also expand opportunities for people with impaired mobility or those tied to the home for any other reason.

With latest unified communication services, information and collaboration between companies and teleworking teams can be made easier, thereby reducing the drawback of team spirit to some extent.

Employees reap the benefits of more time with their families and the ability to focus on projects. Companies save money in a number of ways. Workstations can rotate between those who work in the office and at home on alternate days, reducing equipment and space needs. IT organisations that are hard pressed for time and people can look at teleworking as a tool to reap business benefits.