Ah. The good ol' days. There was a place called the office and there was an activity called "office work," and the former was where we did the latter.

Like it or not, the world of work has changed, and so to has the definition of "office". What once was considered the place to work is now just considered a place to work.

High speed Internet, Web conferencing, voice messaging, IP telephony, VPN, LAN, state-of-the-art security, data networking solutions and other virtual office technology have all but eliminated office tethering and made it possible to work from home or off-site while enjoying access to networks, services, and other office information.

The ability to work from home occasionally, commonly referred to as teleworking, is a highly desired benefit for employees. Employees want more flexibility and control over their schedules - they're tired of wasting hours of unproductive time each day sitting in traffic or on a crowded train. They want to spend less time working by working smarter and more efficiently so they have more time for the other aspects of their lives.

employers benefit, too.

Fortunately for employers, teleworking has proven to be a win/win situation. A properly implemented teleworking plan can help organizations increase productivity, reduce costs, enhance competitiveness, and improve the bottom line:

• Cost savings - Employing teleworkers reduces overhead and occupancy costs, which allows companies to grow without expanding office space. It also reduces recruitment, staff turnover and absenteeism.
• Increased productivity - Fewer days are lost to illness, travel time and stress, the interruptions of an office environment, and external disruptions such as transport strikes or severe weather are avoided. Employers are able to spend more time working on the planning, analysis, and other tasks that often get sidelined, as teleworkers are responsible for their own self-management.
• Increased morale - Employees feel empowered by employers' trust and confidence in their adoption of more independent work styles.
• Skill retention - Employees who might otherwise leave may choose to remain in their jobs.
• Organization flexibility - Teams representing the best skills and experience for a particular project can be created, regardless of geography.

e-managing

Wondering how you can properly manage employees you can't see? How do you know your employees are not at the spa or the driving range, instead of at their computers?

The key to managing teleworkers is giving up on the idea that you can monitor what they are doing. Employers have to focus on the results and not on the activity levels. They need to set clear performance expectations, have a policy in place, and make sure there is good communication among team members.

The bottom line is clear: a well-planned, well-managed teleworking program pays off for the employees and the employer. The technology is ready, the employees are ready, and the knowledge about how to make teleworking work is widely available. Are you ready to work outside of the box?

*Unless otherwise noted, information for this article was sourced from Doing the Office Work Without the Office by Gil E. Gordon and to and Telework (Telecommuting: The Benefits - and Some Issues.