U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Managing Teleworker Performance

As the number of teleworkers increases, managers must maintain performance levels and meet organizational goals. Meeting these challenges requires excellent performance management skills. At OPM's 2001 Strategic Compensation Conference, Ms. Clair Krizov, Executive Director, Environmental and Social Responsibility at AT&T, and Adriane Thormahlen, Senior Program Analyst from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), described the success their organizations have had managing Teleworker performance.

• Teleworking at AT&T
• Teleworking at IRS
• More Information

Teleworking at AT&T.   AT&T has had teleworkers for over a decade. By 2000, 56 percent of managers at AT&T teleworked at least once a month and 11 percent were in a full-time virtual office status. According to Ms. Krizov, managing teleworkers successfully requires the same basic performance management skills used to supervise workers who are at the work site. These skills include:

• planning and establishing goals at the work unit level,
• setting expectations for what needs to be accomplished and how well,
• measuring performance, coaching, and giving timely feedback, and
• recognizing employees for their achievements.

Ms. Krizov acknowledged that using voice messages, cell phones, conference calls, and e-mails to communicate with employees requires specific communication skills. Since there is little face-to-face contact, excellent listening skills are key to understanding the intent behind words. Managers need to ask for clarification if needed, ask probing questions, notice the tone being used, and use encouraging words to maximize the flow of information. At the same time, interpreting e-mail messages demands that managers understand the connotation of words, the meanings of words being emphasized, and the tone of the message.

At AT&T, teleworking has had a triple bottom-line impact that allows it to meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations. These positive results include social, business, and environ-mental performance:

• 70 percent of employees are more satisfied with the job
• projected savings are $100 million in productivity, $18 million from reduced turnover, and $25 million in real estate costs, and
• pollution was reduced because 110 million fewer commuting miles were driven.

Ms. Krizov explained that when teleworker participation at AT&T reached 56 percent in 2000, major problems such as isolation, loneliness, and loss of camaraderie decreased significantly. Creating that critical mass of teleworkers ensures a sustainable program and makes teleworking easier and more productive.

Teleworking at IRS.  IRS recently completed a flexiplace pilot with 2 managers and 18 employees as volunteers. The pilot, according to Ms. Thormahlen, allowed the information technology function of IRS to demonstrate that teleworking was a win-win for the organization and its employees. Teleworkers were given cell phones, laptops with e-mail access, and hoteling workstations (i.e., shared work space). Success of the pilot depended on excellent performance management skills, including setting goals and expectations, evaluating performance, and giving feedback to employees. The program had positive results:

• 82 percent of employees reported an increase in productivity,
• 100 percent of managers were satisfied, and
• 60 percent of employees felt more motivated.

Formal training for supervisors and employees engaged in teleworking efforts is critical, stated Ms. Thormahlen. Supervisors must learn to establish effective communication networks and employees must learn how to plan, organize work, and set up a home office. The most difficult hurdles to overcome at IRS were the technical support problems faced by the teleworkers. Remote management did not pose any challenges that could not be addressed.

More Information.  For information about teleworking at AT&T, you may e-mail Ms. Krizov at ckrizov@att.com. For information about teleworking at IRS, you may contact Ms. Thormahlen at 202-283-4081 or e-mail her at Adriane.Thormahlen@IRS.gov.

Originally published on Fall 2001