A Job Well Done, From Home Wisconsin

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Originally published at Internet.com

Telecommuting is increasingly becoming an option for IT employees, just as it is for their business peers. A new survey from Robert Half Technology shows that 21% of 1,400 CIOs in companies with more than 100 employees say there is more telecommuting among IT staff than there was five years ago.

"That's pretty significant," says John Estes, VP at the IT talent staffing firm. "People resisted it for so long - there were issues of control, productivity, security and all that. But more companies are trying to think of creative ways to attract and retain staff."

Providing workers the option to work at home one day a week or more is one way to do that, because it helps workers in an employee-driven market enjoy a better work-life balance, he says.

CIOs who responded to the survey report many of the same benefits that their peers on the business side experience, including improved morale and increased productivity due to reduced commute time, which was cited by 28 percent of respondents.

But they experience some of the same frustrations, too. Forty-four percent said that less in-person contact with colleagues diminished employees' quality of work, and 30 percent believe employees are not as productive because they have less oversight.

The message: be selective about who can participate in these programs."There are self starter types and some people that need to have a lot of supervision," says Estes. "Certainly those that are able to work autonomously would be better candidates."

Some jobs are better suited than others to be carried out at home, as well. Sorry, network administrators and network engineers. IT staffers who might have better luck getting the boss to let them work at home include those with titles such as documentation specialist, some programmers, and in some cases help and support desk personnel.

"A documentation specialist or technical writer-as long as they have the technical specs of what they need to get done-that lends itself to this more than just about anything," says Estes.

And these professionals may be in something of the catbird's seat in negotiating for this request, as well, given the increased app development and all the government compliance issues on most companies' plates.

"There's so much of a need now, especially in publicly traded companies, for strict documentation," he says. However, just over half the CIOs surveyed say that telecommuting isn't offered, at all. Security has traditionally been a concern when it comes to IT personnel working at home, and still is for 31% of the respondents who said that telecommuting employees generate too many security concerns.

"I think there's always the potential for a problem when you have people with access to critical information and they're not supervised," Estes says. But maybe it's time to get over fears in this area. "At the same time that is kind of a running scared policy," he says. "At some point, you have to trust your employees." The firm gives some tips to CIOs who want to keep things running smoothly with a remote staff. They include:

* Clearly communicating telecommuting guidelines to staff about who can work at home and how often

* Schedule weekly meetings on days employees are on-site to provide project updates

* Keep a schedule of workers' on-site availability, and where and how they can be reached when off-site.