There are many reasons why remote offices have not taken off, some of which involve technology, but most of them involve human behavior and the challenges of remaining productive when outside of the traditional office setting.

With the recent drastic increase in the price of gasoline and the economic pressures facing almost every company, I believe the time may have arrived for a fresh look at this issue. With certain job descriptions and in some types of businesses, the concept of working in a non-traditional office may have real benefits.

The benefits may include:

1. Improved morale that comes with increased flexibility and a better work/life balance. The flexibility that comes with working from home may be attractive to employees and would provide the company with a competitive advantage over organizations that do not allow employees to work remotely.
2. Reduced expense for traditional office space. Companies that are growing may be able to delay moving to a larger office by utilizing remote employees.
3. Access to an expanded workforce that is attracted to a remote office option. The biggest challenge facing many companies today is finding qualified candidates to fill their open positions. By allowing certain employees to work from home, you open up new labor markets that may have been out of the question due to excessive commutes.
4. Easier to arrange for expanded hours of coverage. Some companies provide support across multiple time zones and struggle to keep the traditional offices open for extended hours.
5. Reduced personal expense by reducing the commute to the central office. Employees will realize a significant financial benefit for each day they are allowed to work from home.
6. Overall positive impact on the environment and reduction in traffic by eliminating cars from the freeways.

If several key areas are addressed, it will dramatically increase the success rate of remote employees. These areas include:

1. Review of job descriptions to determine which jobs are a good fit for working from home. By answering a defined set of questions regarding each position, you can determine which positions will have a higher chance of being successful with a remote employee.
2. Draft new and revised HR policies regarding remote employees. This includes making decisions about which days an employee can work remotely, who is eligible to become a remote employee, what expenses will be covered by the company, how employees will be reviewed, and when the privilege can be revoked.
3. Provide training for the remote employees on how to manage their time and the distractions that come from working at home. Distractions can come in the form of an employee’s family, tasks around the home, and other options that could consume their time and energy.
4. Provide training for the supervisors responsible for the remote employees, allowing them to hold their teams accountable for their work without physically being together.
5. Modify the way both parties think about work, moving from a concept of working a certain number of hours to one of completing defined units of work or tasks. This also involves defining the appropriate amount of time expected to complete a standard set of tasks.
6. Identify “hotel office” accommodations in the traditional offices. This will provide a shared work space for the remote employees when they are in the office.
7. Develop technology to provide video conference, phone service and remote PC support for the remote employees.
8. Evaluate Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools to help document employee activity and provide visibility of tasks for a supervisor.

If the energy analysts are correct, we should not expect a reversal in gas prices any time in the near future. The cost for transporting employees from growing distances will soon represent a significant portion of an employee’s paycheck. Remote offices allow the employees to keep more of their paychecks and address some of the primary challenges being felt by almost every company.

Is it time for you to take another look at a strategy for remote offices?  For more information, visit our sister company at www.RemoteOfficeConsulting.com