Future of Work consortium

... and that's true whether you are an individual, a manager, or a large organization...

There's a terrific article in today's Wall Street Journal about the benefits (to both organizations and individuals) of telecommuting or alternative work programs ("Seeking Loyal, Devoted Workers? Let Them Stay Home").

The article, by Andrea Coombes, reports on a recent survey conducted by The Kenexa Institute, showing that more than 73% of remote and home-based workers are satisfied with their company as a place to work, versus only 64% of office-based workers (I'm frankly surprised that almost two-thirds of office workers are happy on the job - I've seen lots of other studies showing much lower levels of general satisfaction).

By the way, the finding that flexworkers are more highly engaged than their office-bound colleagues is completely consistent with our own proprietary research, which we are just in the process of analyzing for our Future of Work consortium members.

I particularly liked the comments by Scott Berry, who has telecommuted to Morningstar, Inc.'s Chicago office from his home in Rochester, Michigan, for eight years:

"I always had a good perception of the firm, but obviously it enhances my perception in that they're willing to trust their employees to get their job done without any direct supervision, that they're willing to allow somebody like me to move for family reasons and not business reasons," says Mr. Berry, who started telecommuting when he and his wife started their family and wanted to be closer to relatives in Michigan.

The perks of his current job, he says, include time saved not commuting, enjoying meals with his family, and not having colleagues interrupt him as they walk by his desk. The downsides include not getting to know colleagues as well. He also says his family can be a distraction. "But I think productivity is better, not worse," he says. "There are distractions being a telecommuter, but there are distractions in the office, too."

But the most profound insight in the article comes from Jack Wiley, executive director of Kenexa Institute:

"When companies allow employees to work remotely or from home, they are explicitly communicating to them that 'I trust you to be dedicated to the accomplishment of the work, even if I'm not able to observe you doing it,' " says Jack Wiley, executive director of the institute, which is in Minneapolis. "It boils down to respect," he says. "I respect you and I have confidence in your commitment to the work -- to do this under the conditions and at the time you feel will be most productive for you." [emphasis added]

It's all about trust - and treating your employees as adults. Most, but not all, will thrive if you do. And in my experience, many, many of the talented individuals who have left large organizations to become "free agents" or start up their own small businesses have done so precisely because they weren't trusted or treated as responsible, accountable individuals.

Wake up corporations!

Special thanks to Diane Coles of SCAN Health, who alerted me to the article.