Book Review
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Title: Managing Telework: strategies for managing the virtual workforce Author: Nilles, Jack M. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, August 1, 1998 ISBN 0-471-29316-4 Reviewed by: James F. Kisela Jack Nilles new book Managing Telework: strategies for managing the virtual workforce is a thorough and detailed workbook on how to implement and manage a telework program. This pragmatic workbook has the forms, documents, check lists, guidelines, and formulas to guide you through planning for and implementing a telework project. The thirteen chapters combined with the five appendices provide a comprehensive roadmap to this new topic. |
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Chapters
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Appendices
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| 1. Concepts of Teleworking |
A. Supervisor's Telecommuting Check List |
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2. Selecting Teleworkers |
B. Telecommuters Agreement |
| 3. Site Location |
C. Depar®ent Telecommuting Policies |
| 4. Telework and Technology | D. Detailed Work Agreement |
| 5. How Do You KNOW They're Working? | E. Tools for Assessing the Future |
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6. Rules and Regulations |
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| 7. Measuring Results | |
| 8. Issues for Home-Based Teleworkers | |
| 9. Training | |
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10. Getting It Together |
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11. Organization Design Impacts |
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| 12. Marketing Telework Centers | |
| 13. Telework around the Globe: A Peek into the Future |
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If, however, you are looking for thoroughly documented evidence that telework has produced a substantial return on inves®ent in real business situations, you will have to look elsewhere. Nilles states that his "... own experience and that of others shows a number of benefits of successful teleworking, benefits for employees, employers and the community at large." This experience has led Nilles to conclude that "the average net benefit per telecommuter ... is about $8,000." Except for the one study he details, however, there isn't any other evidence, and even this one study is full of questionable assumptions. This appeals to those who intuitively feel that the benefits of telework outweigh the costs, but doesn't give the overwhelming evidence that senior management wants to see in regard to the bottom line. His benefits of successful teleworking include: |
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* Significantly increased productivity |
| * Reduced turnover rates (and related new employee recrui®ent and training costs) |
| * Reduced office space requirements |
| * Lowered real estate costs |
| * Better management |
| * Increased organizational flexibility |
| * Faster response times |
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* Increased employee morale |
| * A cleaner environment |
| * Reduced energy consumption and diminished dependence on fossil fuels |
| * Greater participation by teleworkers in local civic activities |
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Nilles states categorically that new successful teleworking
programs "will pay for themselves in a year of less." Furthermore,
he implies that this payoff will include paying for all implementation
costs, not just direct program costs. This is an impressive statement.
Of course, he says that it is possible to do some or all of the implementation
wrong and have an unsuccessful program. But if you follow these "key
principles" you will be successful:
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| * Pick your teleworkers carefully; |
| * Set up the proper working environments and technology and telecommunications support; |
| * Jointly establish performance-oriented evaluation procedures; |
| * Train the teleworkers, their co-workers, and (as appropriate) their families; |
| * Get frequent feedback on how well you're doing; and |
| * Alter your procedures and rules, as appropriate, in response to the feedback. |
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These are, of course, just good management practices, as he readily admits. But he omits what many would suggest should come first, namely management buy-in and training. There are not many rigorously scientific studies pro or con about what predicts success in teleworking, so the anecdotal evidence that Nilles has accumulated carries much weight, given his long experience in this field. That being said, my own experience and discussions with other Human Resource managers and consultants suggests that he has understated what many others consider the most important principle: of management buy-in and training (especially the front line supervisor). Without the commi®ent of the management team responsible for change as dramatic as this you cannot and will not have a strong enough basis to ensure success. Without the buy-in and training of the direct managers for a new teleworking program it will almost certainly fail. This is a major flaw in an otherwise outstanding handbook for planning and implementing a telework program. |
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Web resources for telework and telecommuting ITAC (International Telework Association and Council) www.telecommute.org : a comprehensive source of general information on telecommuting Canadian Telework Association www.ivc.ca/.: information that goes beyond the Canadian experience Gilgordon.com: Gil Gordon is the guru of the telecommuting world |
(Posted 1/28/99)