Managing & Teaming in a Virtual World

Who Cares If They Are Watching Oprah?

"What if they are watching Oprah? What if they are working in their pajamas?"  I've heard this a number of times from managers of telecommuters. My response is "Who cares?  Do you ask similar questions about your in-office workers? Maybe they're watching YouTube. Maybe they're chit chatting all day. Maybe they're watching Oprah streaming on the web."

The telecommuter, just like any other employee, is expected to achieve results. If telecommuters, a.k.a. employees, can meet their established goals and objectives while watching Oprah, wearing flannel, or wearing fuzzy bunny slippers then let them have at it. The things that distract from or focus people on work is so highly dependent on an individual's characteristics and traits that it is unfair to mandate this particular "how" for the work to be done.  TRUST... BUT VERIFY.

What Words Do You Use?

Susan and five of her co-workers were sitting in their manager's team meeting. A few team members who are telecommuting had called in on the speakerphone. Telecommuting was on the meeting agenda that day. Susan's manager discussed it with great enthusiasm, explaining how only high performers would be allowed to participate in this work option. She explained the policies and objectives for the telecommuters as well as the folks left behind. She firmly outlined how communication paths would be established to ensure telecommuters' voices would be heard. Lastly, she described a formal telecommuting kick-off event that would include balloons and pastries.

How do you think Susan and her in-office co-workers felt? How do you think the telecommuters felt? Many times, in our fervor for telecommuting, managers mistakenly polarize their teams and appear to coddle or favor telecommuters. The telecommuters and the non-telecommuters. The high performers and the not so high performing. The focused-on and the not focused-on. The folks at the forefront. The folks left behind.

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