Re: Offsite Management

[Robin McCloud <RMcCloud -at- TFMG -dot- COM>]

I currently manage a small Information Development department comprised of
three people, including me. I telecommute one day a week and have no
problems with this schedule, either from my employees or from my boss. In
addition, I allow my employees to telecommute on occasion, according to
circumstances. I have no problems with phone calls or email. I usually check
in on the days I'm working at home, and ask my employees to do the same.

I think limited telecommuting works for a manager who needs to be involved
with a team of writers, but I don't think full-time telecommuting is wise. I
think you should offer the same telecommuting option to the writers who work
for you, as long as you set up limitations based on company policy, and
controls to ensure productivity is met. Personally, I find that productivity
and morale often increases when you demonstrate the old adage "what's good
for the goose is good for the gander." :-)

When you set up an environment that allows telecommuting, you really need to
look at your management and communication style ... and get complete support
from the company for which you work. If you are a manager who likes to be
involved in every facet of your employees' day, then even limited
telecommuting will not work for you. If you empower your workers to make
decisions independent of you, teaching them to work with you as a team, then
telecommuting will work, as long as you set up weekly status meetings with
your employees and keep in contact with the SMEs to whom they report. OTOH,
consider your presence necessary for psychological reasons as well as
practical ones (research, testing, meetings, etc). If you're completely
hands-off and out-of-sight (= out of mind),  then what's the use in you
being around?

Other experiences? Many moons ago, I was Managing Editor of a newspaper, and
had several "roving reporters" under my wings who were always out in the
field, following leads and working at home. Rarely were any of us in the
office, except at press time. I used the same policies then as I do now.
Freedom seems to engender creativity and productivity among most people.
OTOH, I've worked with larger groups of writers in which limited
telecommuting was allowed, even amongst the managers, but the option to work
at home was more controlled for security reasons (mainly government jobs).
Personally, I prefer the best of both worlds. I previously telecommuted full
time in a position when I was the "lone writer." Also the lonely writer. I
didn't like working at home full-time because I like getting in the middle
of things.

Robin Mc2 (McCloud McDonald)
Sr. Technical Communicator
Information Development Department
The FAST Management Group, Inc.
Redmond WA
 <http://www.tfmg.com> www.tfmg.com