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"Doesn't your average knowledge worker already have most of the tools necessary to work away from the office?"
Distance-/Telework: the Challenges
The technology makes it possible. It can be built. Therefore, It WILL be built. Progressive organizations are already implementing Distance/Telework. Increasingly, jobs are becoming Telework jobs.
There is a telework coalition, a telework exchange for federal government telework jobs. The federal government is ahead of many private corporations in this area to reap telework benefits.
What is the number one barrier to implementation of telework programs?: managers who fear that they will be losing control over their people.
Naturally, telework accountability and reporting programs must be in place. However telework training programs that teach the use of the equipment, software and how to follow special telework task development, performance and reporting policies are not enough.
The Pin-Stripe Program, at this level, builds up in each participant loyalty to the team and to his/her employing organization...which reassures managers, especially if they take the Pin-Stripe course along with the people they are responsible to supervise!!... And - as we have learned from the Army - "unit loyalty", spread over all units, translates well into loyalty to the whole Army. Promoting loyalty one team at a time will yield loyalty to the whole organization.
Teleworkers and Distance workers need to learn to lower their cultural and behavioral barriers to Collaboration.
The Pin-Stripe program is taught specifically in view of teaching participants the value of lowering their barriers to Collaboration.
Distance-/Telework: the Benefits
- Distance/Telework is a managerial arrangement whereby employees do not work in the offices of the organization.
- Telework statistics show that the benefits to the employer in investing in telework can far outweigh the costs, yielding 200% to 1500% Return on Investment (ROI) in the first year.(GSA Telework Technology Cost Study, 2006) alone. This is the potential opportunity and challenge that have to be met!!
- Distance/Telework is a WIN/WIN/WIN solution for the employer, the employee and the community:
For employers: Provides agility in all parts of the organization- Supports Business Continuity or COOP (personnel is dispersed and ready to work at remote locations - insulated from disasters)- Prepares for the next phase of growth - Enables you to hire rare and great talent globally - Enables you to organize, expand and integrate work groups - Saves on your real estate expenditures- Promotes higher morale and productivity from your employees.
For employees: Have a more efficient and effective use of their time - Allows them to better manager work/life commitments - Provides them better job satisfaction - Saves them commuting time and transportation costs. They can select housing in less expensive distant suburbs..
For communities: Decrease air pollutants - Fights global warming - Reduce traffic congestion - Saves on road building - Fewer automobile accidents - Fewer Latch-key kids - Less stress on Public Transportation. Reduce dependance on foreign oil. Helps solves the Energy Crisis.
Collaboration
Telework
