Openup - Beginners How To Guide

Key Messages
How-To Guides
Case Studies
Assessment Tools
Solutions Providers
Library

Beginners How To Guide

eWork Guide

Functions to be eWorked

The jobs that are most often found to be suitable for eWork include:

Professionals and managers: Architects, accountants, managers (including marketing, finance, public relations, quality, human resources), project managers, account managers, financial analysts, brokers;
IT specialists: Systems analysts, software programmers, technical support, software localisation engineers;
Professional support workers: Book-keepers, translators, proof-readers, indexers, researchers, senior administrative staff;
Clerical support workers: Data entry staff, word-processor operators, directory enquiry staff, telesales staff;
Client Service Functions: Direct sales, sales support, technical support, marketing and reservations.

Jobs that are more likely to be suitable for eWorking typically:

Involve thinking more than acting;
Are heavy on information processing;
Can be clearly defined or individually driven;
Have transparent objectives and measurable outputs;
Do not require specific equipment or infrastructure to be undertaken;
Have minimal requirements for supervision.

You may find that some parts of a job are suitable while others are not. For example, a trainer could work at home preparing material for a new course but must be onsite to deliver it.

These questions may help in identifying suitable jobs:

Is there is a need for remote access to data, files or documentation?
Is there a need for access to specialist plant or equipment?
Are clients contactable from remote locations?
Does the job require face-to-face communication?
Would the hardware, software and associated costs make it too expensive to do this job remotely?
Can the job be properly monitored and supported remotely?

The main economic benefit of eWork is usually either increased productive hours per week or increased productivity. Consequently, the more highly paid the employees, the greater the benefits. On the other hand, larger numbers of lower-paid employees, engaged in repetitive work requiring little direction, may also be attractive to target for eWork, for both economic and higher staff retention reasons. Irrespective of the type of work is involved, it is essential to have a measurement system so that:

Individual performance can be managed;
The scheme as a whole can be evaluated.

Suitable Managers

Some managers may resist the introduction of eWork because they feel threatened by the loss of control or status it appears to entail. Others may lack the specific skills required to manage eWorkers successfully. In both circumstances eWorking may fail as a result, so selection of suitable managers is as important as selecting the candidates for eWorking.

Yet, in managing eWorkers, the fundamentals don't change. The managers should set expectations, monitor progress, give feedback, and encourage and affirm their staff, irrespective of where their employees are located. A good manager of eWorkers will be capable of managing projects rather than time. Such a manager has the capacity to:

Articulate accurately the content of, and agree, tasks with the eWorker;
Ensure adequate resources, training and support are provided;
Develop coherent and realistic scheduling with the eWorker;
Establish performance criteria related to task completion, reporting, team interactions and task status reporting;
Protect the employment, career development and health and safety position of the eWorker;
Affirm and support the eWorker effectively during the establishment process and the operational phase.

Managers may not fit this profile if they:

Are unfamiliar with information and communications technology;
Have poor communication or interpersonal skills;
Cannot set clear targets and monitor them;
Oppose eWorking in principle;
Do not have relationships with staff that are based on trust, empowerment and mutual respect;
Are newly-appointed and have not yet built trust with their teams.

Selecting eWorkers

The key personality traits for successful eWork are:

A high level of self-discipline;
Decision-making and problem-solving skills;
Self-management and time-management abilities;
Good communication and interpersonal skills;
An ability to cope with reduced social contact and isolation.

In most pilots, demand for eWorking opportunities usually exceeds the number of places available, so you have to select. You can avoid problems by having clear and open policies and criteria, which should cover both the business needs that may be met through eWorking, and the employee characteristics that you are seeking. It is important to make it clear that eWorking is not an entitlement or a privilege, but a different way of working to suit business needs. Business goals must remain the priority.

Building an eWork Business Case

The business case must compare costs and benefits. As you've seen, the main benefits tend to come from either increased productive hours per week or increased productivity. However, other possible sources of benefits were reviewed in Section 2 and should be included in the business case, even if some of them (for example, enhanced customer service) are difficult to measure in cash terms.

The costs can be categorised as:

Establishment costs - hardware and software, training, IT, HR and Health & Safety costs;
Recurring costs - telecommunications costs, travel and other support costs.

When calculating costs remember that it is only the additional costs arising from eWork that should be counted. And allow for savings elsewhere - perhaps in reduced travel support or lower overheads.

Enterprise Ireland recently launched a series of pilot eWorking projects in a number of sectors not traditionally associated with the process. Details on these can be accessed on the eWork website. Based on these pilots, EI has estimated that the average cost for a home office set-up is approximately �3,500 per employee, excluding additional training and IT support (about �500 per annum). With moderate telecommunications costs and ISDN links, other recurring costs are estimated at �500 per employee on average. EI concluded therefore that first year costs average �4,000, with recurring annual costs of �1,000.

Implementing the pilot scheme

A formal pilot scheme needs a small project team including:

An "owner" or champion from senior management;
An IT department or service company representative;
A HR department representative.

In larger companies, it may be useful to have a team member to represent employees' views.

The project team should review the feasibility study and business case, especially the timescale and budget. It should decide how to communicate its activities to the rest of the company and how to monitor and evaluate the trial.

Once management has approved the details, implementation can begin (see Section 4).

Monitoring and Evaluation

A conventional business project may thrive simply from its proximity to all the key supports. An eWork project - not to mention the eWorkers - cannot thrive in isolation. Successful implementation requires continuing and professional support by all the key players involved. The monitoring and evaluation mechanism is essential in retaining the support of these groups and tying its success or failure to their actions.

As well as performance measurement, monitoring methods can include:

Feedback from customers, perhaps through short telephone surveys before and during the project;
Feedback from other members of the team on how the eWork system is operating;
Visits to the eWorkers from the manager. Such visits also have motivational benefits, but the privacy of eWorkers' homes must be respected.

Finally, the project team will have to evaluate the results against the business case objectives for introducing eWork, and report to management on whether it has provided the business edge sought.

<<<previous

Start of Guide

Next>>>