posted 12-15-2000 10:04               

In recent years, many employers have experimented with flexible work arrangements to attract workers in a tight labor market. For certain job candidates, telecommuting offers an appealing alternative to an arduous commute. Technological advances have made it easier for home workers to stay in touch with their colleagues and clients than ever before. But many telecommuters and their employers have found that technology isn't enough. Some bosses claim that home workers' inability to interact spontaneously with their coworkers undermines their performance.

In their book, The Social Life of Information (Harvard Business School Press, 2000), John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid agree with the need for informal contacts among employees, emphasizing the "social character of work." However, they don't automatically write off options such as telecommuting. Instead, they encourage companies to think of telecommuters as deep-sea divers rather than as frontier pioneers. As such, home workers must rely heavily both on technology to connect them to the home base and on a support team to monitor and maintain that connection.

Following this metaphor, companies must offer telecommuters ways to connect with their colleagues beyond phone, fax, and e-mail. These tools are fine for intentional contacts but inadequate for less calculated interactions. Access to department "chat rooms," electronic bulletin boards, or real-time teleconferences may offer home workers informal ways to network with and learn from their coworkers. The bottom line? Organizations need to give home workers opportunities to cultivate productive relationships with their peers.

--Janice Molloy