1. Successfully Managing Telecommuters
Telework-Emerging Opportunities for Employers and Employees in the Marketplace
March 16th, 2011
Presented by
Shannon J. Uecker, HRBP PHR

2. Agenda Introduction Telecommuting at Noridian
NAS/BCBS Status
Virtual Team Management Best Practices
Managing by Objectives (MBO)
Define the Best Virtual Team Member
My name is Shannon Uecker and I am a HR Business Partner with Nordian Administrative Services (a sister company to BCBSND). I am currently the project manager for the BCBSND telecommuting corporate project and the lead for the NAS telecommuting program.
Telecommuting is relatively new to Noridian. In November of 2010 we ramped up our efforts which were driven by office closures and cost reductions. Since we were constantly working with a moving target our program was a work in progress for the first 3-4 months.
No longer are the traditional management styles effective. Many leaders have become virtual team leaders and begin managing by objectives (MBO). We have also had to define a virtual team member and determine who would be the best fit for those roles.

3. Noridian’s Telecommuting Definition
Telecommuting occurs when an employee, who first has been approved to telecommute, will perform a substantial portion of their work (50 percent or more of the time) off-site or at the employee’s home for more than an occasional period of time.
Noridian defines telecommuting as occurring when an employee, who first has been approved to telecommute, will perform a substantial portion of their work (50 percent or more of the time) off-site or at the employee’s home for more than an occasional period of time.
We currently have employees working from 50% to 100% from their home.

4. 2010 NSBA Small Business Technology Survey
Source: 2010 NSBA Small Business Technology Survey
2010 NSBA Small Business Technology Survey
One interesting trends that has been on the rise among small-business owners, likely due to continually improving technology, is allowing employees to telecommute. According the Annual NSBA Survey of Small- and Mid-Sized Business, in 1997 only nine percent of small businesses allowed telecommuting, ten years later in 2007 that number jumped to 19 percent.
According to NSBA’s most recent technology survey, 44 percent of small businesses allow their employees to telecommute. Granted, the demographics of the two surveys are somewhat different, but there is no doubt that technology improvements have made telecommuting a much more affordable and reliable benefit to offer employees.

5. The True Cost of Commuting: Hours per year
One-Way Minutes
Round Trip Minutes
Hours Per Year
Equivalent 40-Hour Weeks 10 20 80 2 40
160 4 30 60
240 6
320 8 50
100
400
120
480 12
Figures adjusted for vacation, holidays and sick leave time normally taken during the year. Source: Working From Home by Paul and Sarah Edwards.
Costs can be easily be calculated in the amount of time lost traveling to and from work each day. As seen in this graph taken from “Working From Home” by Paul and Sarah Edwards, the drive time adds up throughout the year.
Example: We have an employee who commuted from her home in Washington to our office in Oregon. It was roughly a 1 hour commute one way each day. Now that she is able to telecommute from her Washington home she is able to start her day with less commuter stress each day. She has also noticed that her shoulder and her back pain that she once experienced has now subsided.

6. Noridian Telecommuting Positions
Education Representatives
Auditors
Medical Directors
Noridian Administrative Services
Telephone Representatives
Information Services (IS)
BCBSND
Both NAS and BCBS have employees who are telecommuters. NAS has had to jump their program in order to adjust to the work environment.
The bulk of NAS’ telecommuters are in professional roles:
Education Representatives (4 employees/Idaho, Oregon, California and Arizona)
Auditors (13 employees/Minnesota, Utah, Montana and Arizona)
Medical Directors (3 employees/Missouri and Arizona)
BCBSND has implemented a pilot program which is slated to end at the end of April. Once the pilot is ended, the expectation is that other departments will follow suit with the telecommuting program.
Telephone Representatives Non-exempt (2 employees/North Dakota)

7. NAS Telecommuters by State
This chart is a graphical representation of the states we currently have telecommuters.
Top 3 States:
Montana – 10
Oregon – 7
Utah -6

8. Managing Virtual Teams
Management Matrix
Design A Telecommuting Program
Make It A Team Effort
Create Support Strategies
Assure Social Networking
Managing Virtual Teams
Designing a telecommuting program: Either for a company or department
Define the criteria
Formulate an implementation plan
Work with non-telecommuters
Team Effort: Avoid the island effect
Ensure all team members feel they work as one
Involve telecommuters in all group meetings and events
Point out the positives of the telecommuters
Support Strategies:
Technology solutions
Buddy/Mentor system
Availability to check phone messages and respond to hot topics
Social Network:
Interact via phone, and instant message systems (Spark)
Determine what days the employee should work in-office (1-2 days/week is preferred) if possible.
Web conferences (if possible)

9. Managing by Objectives (MBO)
Management by Objectives (MBO): A management tool that clearly communicates your expectations as a supervisor and the employee’s capabilities as a telecommuter. The most efficient, effective and successful way to manage telecommuters. Focus on the end deliverable and not how it was accomplished.
The most efficient and effective way to manage telecommuters is managing by objectives (MBO) or managing by results. (See Defn. above)
Managing the performance of telecommuters in a vital part of a successful telecommuting program. By managing by objectives rather than observation (eyeball management), you will have quantifiable metrics to measure the program.
If you are managing off-site staff using MBO it may be beneficial to use the same technique for on-site staff.

10. Managing by Objectives (MBO) (Break It Down)
Achievable List
Measuring Success
Accomplishments and timeline
Documentation Development
Break it Down:
Establish weekly, monthly and quarterly list of goals to be accomplished. The benefit of this is that everyone knows what is expected and the employee knows whether he/she is successful or not. Lists are also good for mixed teams (remote and non-remote), to hold everyone to these same standards.
Determine what is to be accomplished and delivered at the end of each week. What are the deliverables and how will they be met? What to do if those items will not be completed on time?
Measuring success in key to determining the ROI. All roles should have a quantifiable aspect for which management can track results. Meet weekly to assess the workload and status.
Develop documents for telecommuter. Indicates what the employee is agreeing upon and what is expected. Noridian has a telecommuting agreement that all telecommuter review and sign before telecommuting.

11. Who Makes the Best Virtual Team Member
The Right Employees:
Familiar with their work, organization, it’s culture and colleagues
Independent self-starters that do not require micromanagement
Self-motivated, self-disciplined, able to ignore distractions and focus on the work at hand
Finding the right employee is vital to the success of the program. Telecommuting may not be the best fit for someone who is new to the organization. Developing a program to move problem employee’s offsite is not the goal.

12. Who Makes the Best Virtual Team Member
The Right Employees (cont.):
Able to communicate quickly and effectively with in-office staff
Minimal need of socialization with in-office staff
Home offices that equipped with proper equipment and meet the safety and ergonomics requirement

13. Questions to ask a potential telecommuter
How will telecommuting enhance your productivity?
How will your productivity be measured?
What makes you an ideal candidate?
How does your position qualify you for telecommuting?
To what degree to you require socialization with in-office staff? Explain.
We have created a series of questions to aid in determining if someone is a fit for the telecommuting position.

14. Questions to ask a potential telecommuter (cont.)
What are you work habit strengths and weaknesses?
Can you communicate quickly and effectively? Give examples.
Can you work independently with minimal interaction with your supervisor? Explain.
Are you self-motivated, self-disciplined and able to ignore distraction and focus on the work to be done? Explain.
Do you have a separate work space in which to work? Explain in detail.
Why should you be considered for a telecommuting position?

15. Successfully Managing Telecommuters
What questions do you have?