Telework isn't for everyone

Managers and employees need to carefully consider who is best suited to work from home

For some folks, the isolation of working from home takes all the appeal out of telecommuting.

In the 2005/2006 National Technology Readiness Survey, released in June, 25% of 1,015 respondents said they have supportive employer telecommuting policies or jobs that would allow work from home. Yet less than half of those who could feasibly telecommute would choose to do so more than two days per week, according to the survey by the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and technology research firm Rockbridge Associates.

Roughly 14% of eligible teleworkers said they would not telecommute at all.

Being able to recognize when someone is not a good fit for a telework arrangement is critical, says Rose Stanley, the work-life practice leader at WorldatWork, a nonprofit professional association focused on human resources issues.

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For some folks, the isolation of working from home takes all the appeal out of telecommuting.

In the 2005/2006 National Technology Readiness Survey, released in June, 25% of 1,015 respondents said they have supportive employer telecommuting policies or jobs that would allow work from home. Yet less than half of those who could feasibly telecommute would choose to do so more than two days per week, according to the survey by the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and technology research firm Rockbridge Associates.

Roughly 14% of eligible teleworkers said they would not telecommute at all.

Being able to recognize when someone is not a good fit for a telework arrangement is critical, says Rose Stanley, the work-life practice leader at WorldatWork, a nonprofit professional association focused on human resources issues.

Savvy companies question candidates from the start about whether they will be able to work from home for long periods of time, how they plan to keep themselves socialized, and ways they plan to stay connected with supervisors and co-workers, Stanley says. Some use employee contracts that not only specify an individual’s performance goals but also spell out how the employee plans to work virtually.

While management should do its part to make sure the right people are selected for telework roles, in the end the onus falls on the employee to make it work. “Generally speaking it is the responsibility of the virtual worker, or teleworker, to figure out ways to stay connected to their co-workers and supervisor,” Stanley says.

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