During an interview recently I had a candidate propose working remotely from another state. As we discussed remote employment, the candidate mentioned that he had done some research on remote employment statistics. His findings? Remote employees were often more productive that in-house employees. *hum?* Before I weigh in on that statement let’s talk about telework and remote employees.
According to the 2011 SHRM employee benefits report, "63% of organizations offered some form of telecommuting: 45% of respondents reported that their organizations offered telecommuting on an ad-hoc basis, 34% on a part-time basis and 20% on a full-time basis.”
Statistics from “The State of Telework in the U.S.,” June 2011, by Kate Lister & Tom Harnish indicated that regular telecommuting grew by 61% between 2005 and 2009. While current statistics aren’t available for 2010, I’m reasonably sure that there has been continued growth. Some additional findings from this report:
• Seventy-six percent of telecommuters work for private sector companies, down from 81% in 2005 – the difference is largely attributable to increase WAH among state and federal workers.
• Over 75% of employees who work from home earn over $65,000 per year, putting them in the upper 80 percentile relative to all employees.
• Using the home as a reasonable accommodation per the Americans with Disabilities Act, 316,000 people regularly work from home.
For the organization or the manager, the key to success is being able to communicate effectively and efficiently with remote employees. Companies need to find effective ways to manage internal communications and to provide the remote employees with opportunities to become more visible. Email is going to become the primary means of communication between the employee and the manager. There must be constant and clear communication. While communication occurs via various technologies daily, I recommend that you have the employee travel to the office every couple of weeks or so. One obstacle with remote employees is their ability to build strong relationships with their team members. The employee will need to have an opportunity to reconnect with his/her team members.
An employee of the U.K.-based outfit called Pearn Kandola, Psychologist Stuart Duff and his researcher colleagues found that “it's the employees who chase socialization who thrive in the land of virtual work. The office gabbers. Those who are life of the break-room party. Left on their own, these types of workers are the ones who work closely with clients, chum around with colleagues, and talk it up with bosses. They stay connected no matter where they are. It comes naturally to them.”
So, I’m hearing that it’s the pro-active, go gettem employees that are successful in a remote status. If you have an employee that requires constant supervision, prodding, etc., their chances of success may be a bit less. Okay, I weighed in.
Yes, there are disadvantages to remote work. For the employee, it may be the ability to separate work from personal life. The two seem to co-exist at all hours. For the managers, oftentimes there are uncertainties and/or fear regarding the remote employee. As a manager, you need to focus on what the employee produces rather than on their physical presence in the office. In the paper “The State of Telework in the U.S.” June 2011, Kate Lister & Tom Harnish, “the biggest barrier to telecommuting, by a wide margin, is management fear and mistrust.”
A remote workforce can be a benefit to an organization. It allows an organization to reap the benefits of having talented workforce all over the globe, creating a larger organizational presence in your industry.
According to the 2011 SHRM employee benefits report, "63% of organizations offered some form of telecommuting: 45% of respondents reported that their organizations offered telecommuting on an ad-hoc basis, 34% on a part-time basis and 20% on a full-time basis.”
Statistics from “The State of Telework in the U.S.,” June 2011, by Kate Lister & Tom Harnish indicated that regular telecommuting grew by 61% between 2005 and 2009. While current statistics aren’t available for 2010, I’m reasonably sure that there has been continued growth. Some additional findings from this report:
• Seventy-six percent of telecommuters work for private sector companies, down from 81% in 2005 – the difference is largely attributable to increase WAH among state and federal workers.
• Over 75% of employees who work from home earn over $65,000 per year, putting them in the upper 80 percentile relative to all employees.
• Using the home as a reasonable accommodation per the Americans with Disabilities Act, 316,000 people regularly work from home.
For the organization or the manager, the key to success is being able to communicate effectively and efficiently with remote employees. Companies need to find effective ways to manage internal communications and to provide the remote employees with opportunities to become more visible. Email is going to become the primary means of communication between the employee and the manager. There must be constant and clear communication. While communication occurs via various technologies daily, I recommend that you have the employee travel to the office every couple of weeks or so. One obstacle with remote employees is their ability to build strong relationships with their team members. The employee will need to have an opportunity to reconnect with his/her team members.
An employee of the U.K.-based outfit called Pearn Kandola, Psychologist Stuart Duff and his researcher colleagues found that “it's the employees who chase socialization who thrive in the land of virtual work. The office gabbers. Those who are life of the break-room party. Left on their own, these types of workers are the ones who work closely with clients, chum around with colleagues, and talk it up with bosses. They stay connected no matter where they are. It comes naturally to them.”
So, I’m hearing that it’s the pro-active, go gettem employees that are successful in a remote status. If you have an employee that requires constant supervision, prodding, etc., their chances of success may be a bit less. Okay, I weighed in.
Yes, there are disadvantages to remote work. For the employee, it may be the ability to separate work from personal life. The two seem to co-exist at all hours. For the managers, oftentimes there are uncertainties and/or fear regarding the remote employee. As a manager, you need to focus on what the employee produces rather than on their physical presence in the office. In the paper “The State of Telework in the U.S.” June 2011, Kate Lister & Tom Harnish, “the biggest barrier to telecommuting, by a wide margin, is management fear and mistrust.”
A remote workforce can be a benefit to an organization. It allows an organization to reap the benefits of having talented workforce all over the globe, creating a larger organizational presence in your industry.
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