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Tips For Implementing a Telecommuting Program

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When Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announced in February that Yahoo employees could no longer work remotely, the internet went up in flames with opinions over the change. Some applauded Mayer for her leadership decision while others saw it as a regression to a corporate ethic of long hours at the office and a disrupted work-life balance. We maintain that while a telecommuting program is not right for every company or every employee, it can afford a great deal of benefits across the board when implemented correctly.

Telecommuting in the U.S. grew 73% overall between 2005 and 2011 (Global Workplace Analytics, 2011). It is estimated that over 3 million American workers did at least part of their job from home in 2011.

Employers who run telecommuting programs report happier, more productive employees. Not only that, but telecommuting can help both businesses and employees save money by cutting transportation costs, office overhead and childcare expenses. It’s all part of the Work 3.0 culture we’ve discussed so thoroughly in the past.

Could  telecommuting be right for your business? Take a look at these guidelines for developing a successful program.

Realistically assess your employees’ personalities and working styles.

While remote work is friendly to many company roles across a multitude of industries, understand that it simply isn’t for everyone. The ideal candidate is highly self-motivated, inquisitive and a team-player while in-office. If one or all of your employees don’t quite meet that criteria, a telecommuting program may fall flat.

Evaluate the tools you need to succeed.

Paramount to any functional telecommuting program is high-level communication between remote employees and the physical office. This requires special equipment that will vary in complexity based on the size of your business and its unique communications needs.

Two of the more basic necessary components are Unified Communications and video conferencing ability (check out Mitel UC360 for an amazing synthesis of the two). Both UC and teleconferencing enable instant productive collaboration between in-office employees and their telecommuting counterparts. It can also assist you in keeping them accountable.

Design a telecommuting policy and set the ground rules clearly.

How long must an employee work in-office before they can take advantage of the telecommuting option? How will you measure their work-time, breaks and overall productivity (weekly status reports, network monitoring, etc)? Are you liable for any at-home accidents during work hours?

These are just some of the elements of telecommuting that you need to consider, set in stone, and put in writing for your employees. Provide a mandatory in-office training session for all employees where you set forth company-wide expectations for telecommuters. When everyone knows the rules, they will feel more motivated to be part of the team.

Periodically evaluate productivity.

Like we mentioned before, you must set a standard procedure for monitoring the work activity of remote employees. Along with weekly status reports, an advanced Unified Communications suite is your best bet for ensuring that things stay business-as-usual whether your employee is down the hall or at their desk at home.

Stay on top of network security.

When employees are no longer under one roof during business hours, special attention should be paid to keeping the network, be it cloud-based or premises-based, safe and secure. 24/7 network monitoring, encrypted file sharing and the aforementioned ground rules can help make sure that your information stays protected.

Don’t rush into it.

As you can see, a telecommuting program brings with it a number of concerns and considerations that go beyond sending your employees home and hoping they continue to get things done. Take the time to plan, acquire the necessary technology and prepare your staff accordingly before jumping in.

BCS has the expertise and technology to facilitate a successful telecommuting program for your business. Whether you need Unified Communications, teleconferencing equipment or network monitoring, call or contact us today.

 image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

The Beauty of IT Outsourcing: We’re the IT Department That Never Takes a Vacation.

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Summer is almost here and as the weather heats up, you and your team are sure to start dreaming of days spent relaxing on sandy beaches and maybe even putting in requests for time off to make those dreams realities. But before you pack the sunscreen and arm your email with an out-of-office message, remember that business doesn’t slow down for summertime–and neither do IT demands. Could IT outsourcing be right for you?

Trusting BCS to be your offsite IT department can give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing that all is taken care of, no matter where you or your staff happen to be. Our Basic Managed Services Plan provides small businesses with the kind of flexibility and constant vigilance required to stay on top of the competition these days. You can’t afford downtime and we want to make absolutely certain you never have to face it.

Along with server maintenance and backup monitoring, the Basic Managed Services Plan includes:

  • Priority Queuing to ensure that the server handles the most important tasks first and doesn’t get overloaded with commands.
  • 24/7 Help Desk Support to give you professional and clear technical assistance whenever you need it.
  • Network Hardware Maintenance so you can avoid downtime and never skip a beat in reaching your business goals.
  • Anti-Virus Updates installed in a timely manner so you can focus on your company’s mission instead of worrying about network security.
  • Security Audits of each component of your IT infrastructure.
  • Onsite Labor that includes installation of new hardware, repair of existing hardware and friendly, knowledgeable BCS staff members to answer any questions you might have.

For 27 years, BCS Voice and Data Solutions has been a trusted IT outsourcing authority in Hampton Roads and beyond, so you can rest assured that we will guide you in the right direction.

One of the best things about using BCS for your IT outsourcing or support is the freedom we give you to choose exactly what services you need from us…nothing more and nothing less. Deciding whether to fully outsource your IT department, utilize partial support for some tasks, or to create a fully in-house department is a complex question for many companies. Schedule a free IT consultation with BCS and let us help you think through your needs and options.

Images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Business-IT Alignment

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How long has it been since your company last assessed the quality of its business-IT alignment? If it has been a while, there is a good chance that your company isn’t operating as efficiently as it could with an IT strategy revised to support current business objectives and fiscal needs.  Especially in an age when business depends so heavily on technology, it is vital that the two elements interact strategically toward one goal.  As we enter 2013, it’s a good time to take account of your business-IT alignment and make changes as necessary. Let’s look at three ways you as a forward-thinking business professional can adjust the business-IT relationship for the better and reap the rewards as the year ensues:

Make your company’s customer the focal point of IT

Like a company’s product or service offering, marketing and advertising, and fiscal planning, IT strategy should be tailored to the company’s ultimate client-base. Often internal IT departments begin to view the company as their customer, when in order to operate effectively, all departments including IT should focus on serving the needs of the customer.  How you make this happen depends on your type industry.  If you sell to people, you can simply ask them how your technology can serve them better.  B2B operations are a little more complex, but by considering the nature of the businesses to which you sell, you should be able to make small changes to your IT strategy that will enhance customer experience.

Come together frequently to assess business-IT alignment

While this seems like a function of common sense, the daily grind can put up a wall of non-communication between a business’ leaders and its IT department that neither party intended to be there. In order to avoid this issue, companies should hold regular meetings in which business and IT goals are coordinated, service problems/failures are accounted for and evaluated, and, in general, everybody makes sure they are on the same page.

Outsource discriminately

If your IT operations are handled offsite, make sure that you work with a service provider that considers and understands not only your company’s technology needs, but also its overall goals, mission, and client base. Just as you would an internal IT department, stay accountable to your service provider and demand the same in return.

BCS Voice and Data Solutions works closely with its clients to provide tailored outsourcing solutions that will drive your business forward. Call us today.

Source: SearchCIO