Mandatory Telecommuting

Is the decision to implement a mandatory telecommuting program a wise idea? Making the decision to inform people that as of a specific date they will be working from home either full or part-time is a good way for a telecommuting program not to succeed.

A forced telecommuting program will not succeed due to many factors; these include but are not limited to:

1. People rebel against things that are contrary to their nature - people are naturally sociable. There are those who have no desire to work from home at any time and especially if they are given no choice in the matter. Bottom line - their work will suffer. It is not because they are not good employees but due to the fact they are working in a scenario that is not the right fit for them.
2. If a spouse or partner already works from home as a telecommuter or small business person, there may not be room for another person to work at home, it creates less separation of home and family and for some, they just can't work together.
3. Remote work or telecommuting should never be mandatory, as that will build frustration and resentment from the employees. Removing the choice to telecommute may cause some employees to undermine the program, causing it to fail even quicker and cause the management to stop the program in it's entirety even if there are some employees successfully telecommuting. The company may decide to never consider telecommuting again even though they do not examine the reasons for the failure.

It is important for companies to remember that not everyone is suited to telecommuting or wants to telecommute and that not all jobs are suited to telecommuting. When they forget this, they are on a path to creating a failing telecommuting program. Mandatory telecommuting does not take any of these into consideration.

Voluntary telecommuting programs are more successful because people who genuinely want to be working at home are allowed to do so. There is no pressure or sense that "they must or risk losing their job". People who telecommute willingly will also have a more positive attitude towards telecommuting and put more effort into making the telecommuting program succeed.

Why would a company begin a mandatory telecommuting program? There are a few reasons and the key to all reasons is the lack of information and education about telecommuting.

1. The company may see telecommuting as the easy way to improve their finances, ship everyone out of the office and then cut out the real estate expenses.
2. It may be seen as a way to cut other overhead expenses for items such as computers and furnishings.
3. Companies get on the environmental bandwagon and decide this is how they can help.
4. Government incentives to create telecommuting programs can be a strong motivator.

In the above situations, jumping too quickly into a telecommuting program without the research and education will surely doom the telecommuting program. In these cases, the employees will be the ones bearing the blame of the failure, and not the process by which the telecommuting program was implemented.

These situations are quick fixes but not true long term solutions that will work. The success or failure is not seriously taken into consideration. If telecommuting is such a great concept then how can it fail? Refusing to accept that a telecommuting arrangement may fail or why it is failing dooms the program that much quicker.

If you want to create the circumstances for a successful telecommuting program, keep the following in mind:

1. Mandatory telecommuting benefits no one in the long or short run.
2. Voluntary telecommuting will keep people motivated and positive about succeeding.
3. Education and research into telecommuting is the most vital aspect of contemplating a telecommuting program. Without any research or education, a telecommuting program cannot be successful, there are too many unknown factors to be considered and circumstances to be planned for.

If you are contemplating telecommuting as a solution for your company, remember that the success or failure will be a result of organization, planning and implementation strategies - not just poorly prepared or incorrectly chosen personnel. Giving employees no choice in their manner of working will not create a successful telecommuting program.