The St. Louis Business Journal had a great article this week outlining some of the key points when allowing your employees to work from home. (Click here to view the article) Since I helped with the article I felt it important to share a few additional points just on how to select those who are allowed to work remotely or Telecommute. We often refer to this as “Telecommuting Selection Criteria.” Alright here goes:

1. Determine the reasons for allowing Remote Work or Telecommuting. See below post on strategy to determine this.
2. Look at the Departments/Divisions that your company is considering to allow to work remotely.
3. Look at what job functions within those Departments/Divisions are capable of completing work off site.
4. Break up the job descriptions into what tasks can be performed on and off site.
5. Set standards for what employees must meet or comply with to be considered.
6. Look at the individual employee’s core competencies after they have met all the above criteria, to determine eligibility.

Looks like a lot, hunh? Well that’s because it is. Simply allowing managers to cherry pick who is allowed to Telecommute and who isn’t is a recipe for disaster or a lawsuit. As an employer it is your job to set the bar and then let manager’s follow the process. This protects the company and keeps selection as equal as possible. Telecommuting is not difficult, it just takes a little preplanning to ensure greater success. Check back soon for another update!

If you need assistance with this process, please feel free to call or contact me directly.

Brandon Dempsey
1-888-878-4832
Brandon@suitecommute.com