Flexibility At Work // Issue Six

// Work at home tips

Work at home tips
by Kerry Fallon Horgan, Managing Partner, Flexibility At Work and author "Time on, Time Out!"

The personal and business benefits of a well-managed work from home program are enormous. These can include increased morale and productivity, retention of staff, lower absenteeism, reduced stress and burnout, improved health and safety and reduced office space and overhead expenses.

In the USA, technology leaders like IBM and HP are changing office space dynamics by having one desk to every three or four employees. Westpac estimated that they save $1.4 million a year in technology costs by having 100 business banking managers working from home.

When I asked an AMP General Manager, why they had introduced such flexible work practices he cited the success of their help desk workers’ telecommuting program. Half of the help desk team work from home one week and the other half of the team are at home the second week. So each person works a week at home then a week in the office. That team has reported a 20 percent increase in productivity. No one had resigned in a four year period - unusual in this kind of work which tends to have about an 18 month turn around.

The help desk team manager explains how their work from home team operates,
"We have organised ourselves into two groups. While group one works from home, group two works in the office. On alternate weeks they swap. On Fridays everyone comes in to the office for a team meeting and training.

We provide a service to our customers until 8pm every day. The people working from home cover the phones until then. This initiative has also helped us save money in taxi fares home for those working late.

Each person at home has a ‘buddy’ in the office who does anything for the work from-home person that can only be done in the office. A direct, priority telephone line into the office gives work-from-home people immediate access to assistance. When someone calls in to the help desk they can’t tell whether they’re talking to someone in the office or home.

Some people feel isolated with long periods at home, so occasionally they will come into the office on a home day. It’s also important to make everyone feel a part of the team, and that’s something we constantly work at. We are very conscious of maintaining the team’s morale and dynamics. We use a call logging system with a broadcast facility. When someone types in a message it pops up on everyone’s screen. It is used for passing around work information as well as keeping in touch with one another,"

"In my opinion it is the single best thing we have ever done in our team that has benefited AMP and the staff. They see working from home as a real benefit of working at AMP. I know a number of key staff would have moved on without it".

AMP employee surveys have found that the benefits expressed by home-based workers included a reduction in stress, more sleep, more time with their children and for non work activities, and increased effectiveness and productivity due to fewer distractions. Some managers also said that their communication and team management skills have improved as a result of home-based work because it has forced them to focus on the issues of managing performance and communication in a new way.

Achieving the positive outcomes possible from home based work requires:

the selection of appropriate work and workers,

management and co-worker support,

setting clear performance objectives,

planning for safety and security,

the availability of appropriate technology and the ability of the home worker to use it.

It’s important that your OH&S policies and procedures reflect that your employees can work from home. Policies need to indicate agreed inspection times, there should be procedures for reporting and remedying faults, processes for undertaking modifications, and a contact in the organisation with whom the worker can discuss OH&S concerns.

Security is an objection raised by many employers for not allowing employees to work from home. With all flexible work options, trust is a key element of making these practices work. A value sadly lacking in many organisations.

To address security issues, expectations need to be clarified from the outset. Guidelines can be developed covering overall security of the home, the materials that can and cannot leave the office, procedures for classification and handling of sensitive and confidential information, and access to the home office by other members of the household. Employees should be updated regularly on confidentiality and privacy issues.

Merrill Lynch, a US Bank, has 21 pages of guidelines and a carefully planned four step preparation process for employees working from home. Only one of their 400 telecommuters has dropped out. Each employee and their manager spend time discussing measures of productivity, work flow, time management, communication and other issues that have the potential to ruin the arrangement. The company’s Vice President of alternative work arrangements says "That’s the kind of planning it takes. We didn’t just wake up one morning and say okay, let’s go with it".

Success breeds success and it’s often a good idea to trial a successful pilot for three to six months before finally committing to a full scale telecommuting program.

This article has been adapted from the book "Time On, Time Out! Flexible Work Solutions to Keep Your Life in Balance," which provides key strategies and checklists for the introduction and successful maintenance of home based work. For more information go to http://www.flexibility.com.au/bookandtape.html

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For advise on how to implement and manage flexible work arrangements contact Kerry Fallon Horgan on telephone (02) 9402 4741

Our leading edge workshop "Creating Flexible Workplaces & Getting Balanced" will be held in Canberra on 23 May 2008. To run this program at your workplace contact Flexibility At Work on (02) 9402 4741.

Lots more tips and strategies are available in Kerry’s book “Time On, Time Out! Flexible Work Solutions to Keep Your Life in Balance”. Hard copies have sold out but this 300 page book is now available as an e-book. Download your copy here

"Time On, Time Out! Outlines strategies to minimise competing commitments using case studies of real people, with real babies and real jobs. It proposes solutions that reflect the broad range of experience and consultation the authors bring to their research, as well as optimism and enthusiasm for achieving a balance between work and life." New Workplace Magazine Further reviews at www.flexibility.com.au

Our personal life coaching sessions can give you the breakthroughs, insights, motivation and strategies you need to reduce the symptoms of stress, make the most of your precious time and achieve the life you want.
Contact Kerry Fallon Horgan on Tel: (02) 9402 4741 or email kerry@flexibility.com.au for your first coaching session, which includes a free copy of the 55 minute MP3 audio program “Flexibility At Work: The Opportunities & Challenges”.