According to legislation passed by the House of Representatives, the head of every federal agency must create a program allowing authorized employees to telecommute at least 20 percent of their work hours every two weeks. Following a growing trend of increased telecommuting in the private sector, the move will give employees the opportunity to work some hours from home saving money on gas as well as providing the employee more control over their environment. According to the Business Legal Review, over the past several years telecommuting has increased an average of 11 percent a year. In 2007 over 35 percent of jobs globally include some sort of telecommuting option.

While there are definite merits to creating a telecommuting program, there are also some pitfalls that need to be addressed to ensure its success. Providing such an option to certain employees and denying it to others for reasons such as home location and seniority can cause discontent from those unable. This can be especially dangerous in a team environment and can lead to lower morale as well as higher employee turnover.

According to Karol Rose, the five biggest telecommuting mistakes employees and employers can make are:

Top Employee Mistakes

1. Don’t set boundaries for themselves regarding work and personal responsibilities
2. Don’t find ways to stay physically connected to the workplace and colleagues
3. Think they can work the same way remotely as they did in the office
4. Underestimate the need to communicate frequently with boss regarding what’s working/not working so can be proactive
5. Don’t do enough problem solving regarding ‘what if’ scenarios before they begin telecommuting

Top Five Employer Mistakes

1. Think it’s not already happening
2. Think it’s harder than it is
3. Assume if “I can’t see you, you must not be working”
4. Fail to understand telecommuting may require a blend of off-site and in-office face time
5. View telecommuting only as an employee benefit; fail to see how telecommuting can benefit the business by meeting customer needs across time zones or save the company utility, real estate, and other overhead costs.

For information on setting up and running an effective employee telecommuting program visit Telework.gov or Quint Careers.

Tips To Help You Telecommute Successfully

• Don’t work too much. Your office is so accessible that it can be tempting to work during your family time. When you finish for the day, close the door and get on with your life.
• Make a schedule and stick to it. Try to work the same number of hours you would at the office. Make a schedule so that you work, eat, and spend time with your kids at the same time each day. This will help your family get into a routine and accept your hours.
• Break up your work day. Take breaks, make telephone calls, spend some time with your kids. It will help you avoid feeling isolated.
• Use a separate business line and voice mail. When the work day is over, or you are on a break, you won’t have to worry about having your phone answered in a professional manner. You can also turn off the bell on the phone after hours and check your messages in the morning.
• Stay in the loop. Try to schedule at least one telephone call each day with your office and share the day-to-day details of your work day. Keep up with office happenings,
  e-mail associates, remember their birthdays and try to visit the office a few times each month.
• Just say no – to overwork and to housework during your business hours.

Visit Clemson University for more information on these and other resources for telecommuting effectively.