The most efficient, effective and successful way to manage telecommuters is by managing by objective (MBO). Managing by objectives is a management tool that clearly communicates your expectations as a supervisor and the employee's capabilities as a telecommuter. If you are managing your telecommuters by objective, you may find it effective to use this technique for your entire team. Here are some ideas for implementing MBO's:
Make a list and check it twice. Prepare an itemized list of what you can expect from the employee. This list can be on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. Establish objectives in a format that will be easy for you to administer and employees to achieve. Include the telecommuter in the process of establishing objectives. This enables the employee to have valuable input concerning his/her probability of accomplishing the expectations.
Break it down. Break down the monthly or quarterly lists into achievable weekly milestones. Perhaps this can be an exercise that the employee completes, or you do together, each week, or every other week. The goal here is to agree on what will be accomplished and delivered by the end of the week. The benefit of this is that everyone knows what is expected, and the employee will know if they are being successful at the same time the manager will know. I find it beneficial in a mixed team (telecommuters and non-telecommuters) to hold everyone to this standard, that way no one feels like someone else is getting away with less.
So it is written. Create a document to support your agreement. You can include this document with the telecommuting contract between you and the telecommuter, agreeing upon what is expected. Provide a space for signatures, and be sure you and the telecommuter sign it. If you have a formal performance management program or application, utilize it to define and measure your established objectives.
Track the results. Make a plan to measure the results, and then track them. At the end of each week, determine how the telecommuter will deliver or mark completed the agreed upon milestones. Depending on the manager, weekly meetings and status updates might be helpful. Use the document you have created as a dynamic document, capable of changing when necessary, in case deliverables are delayed or the scope of the work has changed. This will enable you and the telecommuter to instantly determine whether or not the telecommuter is successful. Encourage the employee to keep track as well.
MBO is usually most effective with experienced or accomplished workers, as you are focusing on the end deliverable, not how the end result is accomplished. If the employee is still struggling with the process, being remote may increase the challenge. So don’t set the program, or yourself up to fail; plan for success by setting the ground rules, and the consequences up front and meet frequently to check your status and success. These programs succeed all across the country, and in companies of all sizes, there are many resources to contact for examples, templates, and case studies. Check out your local Department of Transportation, or www.telecommuteinstitute.com.