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Just beginning a telecommuting arrangement? Here are some
suggestions for teleworkers reprinted with permission from Work
& Family Connection's e-course, Making Telecommuting
Successful: A Guide for Employees, created with telework expert
Gil Gordon.
1.
Ask for a volunteer “office buddy” to take responsibility
for e-mailing you office news weekly, in return for a monthly
invitation to lunch.
2.
Request weekly feedback from your supervisor for the first few
weeks at least, on how the telecommuting arrangement is working.
3.
Make calls, send memos, and don’t let people forget you. If
there’s a meeting or review planned at which your work will be
discussed, be sure you’re invited. Volunteer to make
presentations or write reports that make your deliverables more
visible.
4.
If you suspect you’re falling out of touch, decide who you
need to contact to maintain your relationships. It’s up to you
to make sure you don’t miss out on anything. Even though you
may only be out for one or two days at a time, you may want to
check with friends to see what went on.
5.
To keep your office colleagues from picturing you sacked out on
the couch, reading novels and watching TV, send out e-mail
updates of where your projects stand and lists of what you’ve
accomplished
6.
Be flexible. People won’t always be able to work around your
schedule, so you may have to come in on some days you ordinarily
work from home.
7.
Establish “office hours,” and encourage those in the office
to contact you when you're at home. Make sure anyone who might
need you knows exactly when they can get you, what to do if they
feel it’s urgent, and how long it will be before you return
their voicemail or email message.
8.
Keep checking out the perceptions of your in- office colleagues.
Telecommuters tell of suddenly noticing relationships cooling
with no warning, perhaps the result of a perceived slight, a
little jealousy on the part of someone who had been wanting to
telecommute, or the sense that the telecommuter just didn’t
care any more.
9.
Know their schedules. Just as your in-office colleagues need to
know when and where to contact you, you need to find them when
you need them. Ask team members and others to copy you when they
work out their weekly schedule.
10. Take credit where credit
is due. Your goal isn’t to be seen as a single-handed
superstar (even if you are one) but as a contributing member of
the department. Make
sure you get the credit that’s due you, but no end-runs around
your manager. Keep the boss on your side, and don’t alienate
him/her.
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