InformationWeek

Developing a telework program can be a frustrating exercise for an IT department, which must consider issues such as security, capacity, and user support, Miller says. But these issues are better managed if IT gets involved early in the process. "Successful programs involve the IT department as a key player in the development of a formal program," Miller says.

Gail Martin, executive director of the International Telework Association & Council, agrees. "A formal program requires a commitment from the top down and team effort by representatives from human resources, IT, facilities management, and finance," Martin says. US West's Miller recommends that the task force developing the telework program provide the IT department with complete profiles of the teleworkers, so the IT staff can understand teleworkers' needs for voice, bandwidth, and mobility, and standardize technology choices and contain implementation costs.

US West's Extended Workplace Solutions incorporates strategic alliances with Gil Gordon Associates, which provides consultation on the people and process aspects of telecommuting; MicroAge Inc., which provides customer service to companies that purchase support through Extended Workplace Solutions; and Symantec Corp., which offers Internet security and remote-access technology, such as its pcAnywhere software product.

Extended Workplace Solutions consists of four levels of services. Coordinated Service Delivery customers are represented by a US West project manager who develops and manages the ordering of phone lines, installation of computers, modems, and software, and carries a one-time charge of $250 per teleworker. ConnectedCare, with a one-time charge of $275 to $395 per user, includes the installation of telecommunications, computer, and modem to the company intranet, as well as a training session with the teleworker. AfterCare is a contract help desk for teleworkers, that lets them make a single call to troubleshoot and solve the majority of the desktop application, modem operations, and telecommunications problems. It averages $15 per user a month. FieldCare provides the customer in-home maintenance to repair equipment and costs about $350 per year per user.

As part of any telework policy, Miller recommends that employers and employees each sign a document detailing issues such as responsibility for home-office equipment and expenses, liabilities for furniture and equipment, the extent of company insurance, and even the number of days to report to the main office and the frequency of contact from a remote office. Although workers' compensation regulations in most states hold the employer responsible for an employee when he or she is working, regardless of location, a signed agreement can mitigate a company's risk in this area, he says.

The question of corporate risk and responsibility with regard to telecommuting set off something of an uproar late last year when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released a five-page document on the subject. In response to a query sent by a company asking for help in defining its responsibilities to its telecommuting employees, OSHA said that an employer would be responsible for preventing or correcting hazards in a home office. "Employers must take steps to reduce or eliminate any work-related safety or health problems they become aware of through on-site visits or other means," the document says.

The document caused employers to ponder liability issues, and teleworkers had visions of "inspectors in bedrooms and the like," says David Fleming, a telework consultant and president of Fleming LTD in Davis, Calif. Fleming has organized telecommuting programs for the state of California and large companies. Although OSHA quickly assured the public that it wasn't demanding home-office inspections, Fleming says, the short-lived tempest underscored the fact that important issues regarding telecommuting still need to be considered and resolved. "In my opinion, [OSHA's change of heart] doesn't relieve the employer from some risk-management action, such as providing training about ergonomics and providing guidelines for setting up a home office," Davis says.

OSHA plans to hold a national dialogue on telecommuting this summer to discuss relevant factors with subject-matter experts, Martin says. The International Telework Association & Council will sit on that panel. "Telework is somewhat of a new phenomenon, and there are issues that need to be considered," Martin says.

The University of Texas' Houston Health Science Center is among the employers who have developed detailed programs. Sherry Wilson, director of the center's Employee Assistance Programs and director of its Work/Life Program, wrote an extensive guideline for telework at the university. In it, she recommends that employees prepare thorough written proposals before approaching their supervisors with requests to telecommute. For example, she suggests that employees begin by preparing a log recording what they do on their job during a two-week period.