#######################################
KEYZINE: An e-zine for LEADERS:
ABOUT THE PEOPLE PART OF BUSINESS
Volume 23, February 2003
Publisher: © Key Associates, 2003
http://www.mkkey.com
#######################################
This Issue: "Evolving Workplaces: Telework"
Contents:
"You don't have to trust all your employees, just the ones
you want to keep. The same is true for flossing teeth."
-Cynthia C. Froggatt, author of Work Naked
"I sincerely believe that employers who find the answers
to the questions (surrounding work/life) are going to be
the leading employers in the future. These leaders will
attract and retain the very best people. This is the
competitive advantage."
-Lew Platt, CEO, Hewlitt-Packard
**************************************
WHAT'S HOT IN LEADERSHIP
**************************************
GIVING PEOPLE MORE FLEXIBLE WAYS
OF WORKING: WHERE THEY WORK, HOW
THEY ARE PAID, HOW THEY COMMUNICATE,
HOW THEY DO WORK.
BECAUSE THE STATE OF "FLOW,"
THE CREATIVE STREAM, OCCURS
AT WORK AND AT HOME, CREATING
BORDERLESS ORGANIZATIONS,
WHERE WORK CAN BLEND WITH LIFE.
MASTERING TECHNOLOGY--INFOMATING
NOT AUTOMATING. USING TECHNOLOGY
FOR TELEWORK: laptops, cell phones, voicemail,
virtual meetings, teleconferencing, live chats, fax,
corporate computer networks.
MOVING EMPLOYEES FROM A DEPENDENT
STATE TO A INDEPENDENT OR SURVIVALIST
MODE. MOVING YOURSELF FROM CONTROL
TO REINFORCING AUTONOMY.
***************************************
MAINTAINING YOURSELF AS A LEADER
***************************************
Where do you get your best ideas? In the shower?
Driving in the car? Sleeping on it? While exercising
--e.g., walking, swimming, running? This is proven.
Yet traditional work environments do not contain
these options.
Remodel your work life with nap rooms, exercise
on the job, use of commute time. Declare two days
a week as no-meeting days. Travel with an idea
capture tool. Utilize walking or running meetings
--people are more creative on their feet. Create
work space all around in your life (unless you have
trouble turning work off). Your best ideas will come
while playing.
**************************************
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
**************************************
I want to be supportive of women and families,
yet how far do I go?
Given that 60% of families have both parents
working, 70% of women with children under 6
work and the number of women graduating from
college is 1/5 more than men, it is in your
interests to reduce work/family conflicts.
Flexible hours, job-sharing, day care, compressed
or seasonal schedules and telecommuting/
telework are some ways to solve this
problem. Xerox calls these "family-friendly
policies," and measures their effectiveness
in reduced absenteeism, customer satisfaction,
and their company ranking in Working Mother
magazine's Best Places to Work.
Why is there a trend toward telework or telecommuting?
Real estate costs, rising gas prices, accommodation
for families, increased productivity (really!), and increased
employee morale--expressed in reduced turnover, decreased
absenteeism, more flexibility, and greater work/life
balance. Face-to-face time is the most expensive time,
and is rarely more than 50% of our jobs. Organizations
in the US employ more than 11 million telecommuters,
and half of those remaining want to be.
How can I assure that the organization is getting
its due?
Try a telecommuting agreement, with hours,
measures of performance, frequency and type
of communication. Also, you may want to experiment
with various degrees of telework:
Look at results, not the old cues like dress codes and
being "on time." Responsible workers will make
sure that they have enough interaction with colleagues
and managers to be successful.
Who is the ideal candidate for telework?
Cynthia Froggatt in Work Naked (2001)
talks about different types of solo workstyles
related to workplace preference. In surveying
500 employees, she found these styles linked
to study preferences in school:
Library studiers (24%)--like to separate work
and life; want quiet and a community of studiers;
therefore still gravitate to an office for their
solo work;
Dorm studiers (62%)--like doing something
different every hour therefore they distract
others; like to control their setting, work odd hours
and mix life and study; therefore are good
candidates for solo work at home;
Student Union studiers (14%)--like background
noise and to get away from their desks; don't like
to be alone; like to separate work and play;
find similar settings where they can set up
a laptop and work for a while.
**************************************
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
**************************************
Key Associates offers work process redesign
for organizations and individuals.
See http://www.mkkey.com
Courses for managing telework successfully
http://telecom.workfamily.com/
Library of work and life research
http://www.lifecare.com
For web collaboration and seminars,
http://www.placeware.com
**************************************
OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES
**************************************
AL Learn atives offers services and products to
organizations that are exploring or implementing
various forms of telework:
http://www.allearnatives.com
Listen in on a meeting of the International
Telework Association & Council
http://www.workingfromanywhere.org/
The latest on collaborative technology
http://www.collaborate.com
Telecommuters can access email and
corporate resources after-hours
http://gotomypc.com
On-line portal for telework
http://www.telework.com/
**************************************
ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS
**************************************
Daniels, Kevin et al. Managing Telework:
Perspectives from Human Resource Management
and Work Psychology, Thomson Learning Europe,
2000.
Dinnocenzo, Debra A. 101 Tips for Telecommuters:
Successfully Manage Your Work, Team, Technology
and Family. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 1999.
Edwards, Paul & Sarah. Working from Home:
Everything You Need to Know About Living and
Working Under the Same Roof . J.P. Tarcher, 1999.
Froggatt, Cynthia C. Work Naked: Eight Essential
Principles for Peak Performance in the Workplace.
San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2001.
Gurstein, Penny. Wired to the World, Chained to
the Home: Telework in Daily Life. Univ of British
Columbia, 2002.
Handy, C. Trust and the virtual organization.
Harvard Business Review, May/June, 1995, 40-50.
Hoefling, Trina. Working Virtually: Managing
People for Successful Virtual Teams and Organizations.
Stylus Publishing, 2001.
Langhoff, June. The Telecommuter's Advisor:
Real World Solutions for Remote Workers.
Aegis, 1999.
Nilles, Jack. Managing Telework: Strategies for
Managing the Virtual Workforce. Wiley, 1998.
Robertson, Ken. Work Transformation: Planning
and Implementing the New Workplace. HNB
Publishing, 1999.
Zelinsky, Marilyn. New Workplaces for New Workstyles..
McGraw-Hill, 1998.
