Telecommuting is a great option for the agency and the employee. It can improve continuity of operations and morale. There are cautions, however, as shown in a recent article from the MIT Sloan Management Review. What I took away was adivce for when you are telecommuting
- Stay in touch when you are out of the office. If you are participating in meeting by web or telephone let people know you are there. Ask questions. Report on what you are doing. Support or eleborate on what someone else said.
- Check in with people during the day. Just because co-workers are out of sight, they should not also be out of mind. Think about the times of day you usually interact with people in the halls or go by their offices, for example, on the way to lunch. You can remember to do the same remotely.
- Do not treat a workday away from the office as a retreat. If you need quiet time to review a document or prepare a report, however, let people know that you are reserving time for a specific task. For example, put it on your calendar.
Also a recent article from Government Executive on telecommuting.