For some firms, it even reaches a point where top performers leave for competitors that offer a telecommuting option. That’s the situation HR manager and controller Tina Robinson was face with — until she found a way to solve the problem.

Her story:

When a few top performers announced they were leaving, we wanted to know why. Some said they were headed for employers that offered telecommuting, a benefit that fit well with the employees’ lifestyles (such as becoming new parents).

We had considered telecommuting for some positions and for employees who showed they could work independently, but not all of our managers supported the idea.

They felt the employees would become too isolated and out of touch with what was happening in the workplace. But maybe there was a compromise that would work.

Come in one day

On an experimental basis, we used telecommuting for a couple of positions – with the stipulation that the employee had to come into work one day a week.

That day was typically used partly for meetings and other tasks that normally worked better when done face-to-face. At the end of a set period, we evaluated the system and found that nearly everyone liked it.

The managers liked the keep-in-touch aspect, and employees didn’t mind coming in once a week.

Now, we’re ready to expand the plan to cover several other positions. Best of all, we’ve had no key employees leave for a company that offers telecommuting.

(Tina Robinson, controller, University Park, IL)

A new survey finds that companies wind up winning on two fronts: Productivity and cost containment. More than half of those surveyed cited both increased productivity among offsite workers and lower costs as benefits from the practice.

A new survey of 212 IT managers and CIOs in a wide range of industries by CompTIA research tells the telecommuting tale:

• The majority of respondents (78%) report that some employees within their organizations telecommute, at least part-time.
• Most organizations don’t have a high percentage of full-time telecommuting employees. Most organizations (82%) say that less than 25% of employees telecommute full-time.
• Workers in IT management (41%), field technical support (37%), and administration (35%) most commonly telecommute (part-time or full-time).
• Top benefits of telecommuting to organizations include improved productivity (67%), cost savings (59%), access to more qualified staff (39%), employee retention (37%), and improved employee health (25%).
• Significant challenges of telecommuting to organizations include securing corporate information systems (53%), limiting use of unauthorized and unsupported devices (38%), and controlling personal use of corporate mobile assets (33%).
• To meet challenges of telecommuting, IT departments have tackled issues such as upgrades in network circuits and VPN equipment, expanded security, training, and implementation of new virtualization technologies and applications.

These are the five most common mistakes companies make when starting a telecommuting program, according to Brandon Dempsey, work-from-home expert and VP of Suite Commute, LLC:

1. Lack concrete policies and procedures — Often, telecommuting gets started in the company when a handful of employees ask individual managers if they can work from home. But employers should have company-wide policies in place so all managers are on the same page.
2. Go overboard on technology — The arrangement doesn’t have to be a huge financial investment — and too often companies run out and obtain the technology before the plan and policy is in place. Instead, employers should evaluate exactly what they need and purchase accordingly.
3. Fail to train managers — Supervision of remote workers requires a different style from what many bosses are used to. Companies can’t expect them to effectively manage the arrangement without a little training.
4. Jump the gun — Though telework is getting a lot of attention these days, it’s really not the best option for many employers. Companies should look into all the options before deciding telework is the way to go — some of them started offering the option and then had to call the remote workers back into the office.
5. Don’t use a pilot program — One way to make sure telecommuting can work is to start an experiment with a small group of employees before going company-wide.

These six questions can help you create or revise a policy on telecommuting, according to Computerworld columnist Tam Harbert has some advice:

1. Can (and should) this particular person work at home? Some jobs obviously require the employee to be on-site. For others, it’s a gray area. A good rule of thumb: If people could go an entire week without leaving their desks, they’re probably able to telecommute.
2. How will you watch performance? This varies from position to position, but the important thing is for managers to know how they’ll evaluate employees before the company agrees to allow off-site work.
3. Will creativity/quality suffer? It’s not just whether or not work gets done that managers need to watch out for — it’s also the quality of employees’ work. With some people, motivation might go down the tubes once they’re in the comfort of their own homes.
4. What about collaboration? Even in jobs that can be done alone, communication with others is still necessary in most cases. Figure out how IT will keep people connected.
5. What about those that are “left behind?” Studies have shown that job satisfaction goes down for office employees with co-workers who telecommute. Making sure communication tools are in place is one way to help. Also, make sure telework privileges are handed out fairly and consistently to avoid grumblings about some folks getting favorable treatment.
6. Do you have an exit strategy? It’s not uncommon for companies to cancel telecommuting arrangements after deciding it wasn’t the best option. Make sure employees understand they aren’t permanently freed from the confines of the workplace. Things change, and you don’t want employees to think telecommuting is a right.

Many might give a surprising answer to that question.

More than half (57%) would take the telecommuting option, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Wholesale-Distributors. Others said telecommuting wasn’t an option in their lines of work, and only 18% said flat out that they’d take the raise.

Also, 37% of IT employees would actually take a 10% pay cut in exchange for the chance to work from home, according to another survey by Dice Holdings, Inc.

Those answers may be surprising, but they make sense once you do the math, says Dice Holdings. The firm estimates telecommuting could save the average employee $8,400 a year, which, for many, would compensate for the pay cut or lost raise.

Often, it’s the workers themselves who are reluctant to skip the drive into work.

Almost half (46%) of workers said their companies allow them to work from home — but only 32% actually do it, according to a recent survey by Steelcase, Inc. Why?

One biggie: They don’t think it’s a smart career move. Of the workers who can telecommute but don’t, 71% said they think their bosses would worry about a drop in productivity and 64% thought they’d be skipped over for a promotion if they weren’t in the office every day.

They might be on to something: Half the respondents overall said they are in fact more productive in an office environment.

That’s a key bit of info for managers to note. As more employers offer the arrangement, it’s going to be important for managers to keep an eye on who’s getting the work done and who isn’t.

A lot, according to staffing agency OfficeTeam. In a recent survey, 69% of managers said it’s common for their company’s employees to work off-site. Furthermore, 82% said telecommuting is likely to increase in the near future.

What’s it mean for HR?

On one hand, offering a work-at-home (sometimes, or all the time) can be a way to keep employees and job candidates on your side, instead working for companies who will let them stay home.

On the other hand, a lot of employees may be asking to telecommute, and it’s often impossible, due to factors like a person’s duties, managers’ opinions or company culture. Companies need to be careful when coming up with policies and prepare for complaints about unfairness.

What about your organization? Do you allow telecommuting? Have employees suggested it? Leave us a comment and let us know how you’ve handled the situation.

Limit recreational use.

When employees take company-owned laptops and other pieces of equipment home, it’s likely they (or members of their families) will get some personal use out of them.

But that puts the integrity of the company’s data at risk, as the computer could be exposed to viruses or buggy software.

A growing concern for companies that give devices to employees is their children, who are often more tech-savvy than their parents. That means they may know how to work around security controls that IT has set up, or do things like download and install software.

What to do

What’s the best way to handle it? Some companies make employees sign policy that prohibits the device from being used by anyone other than the employee and for any significant non-work purposes. Other employers don’t have a set policy but remind employees that they’re responsible for whatever happens to the device while it’s in their possession.

In many cases, education is the best way to prevent problems. In a recent survey, 31% of employees who work from home said they were unaware of their company’s security policies.

Companies across the country are looking for ways to help workers cope with rising gas costs. But many might be offering flexible arrangements too quickly without considering the legal consequences.

One way more and more employers are trying to lower costs and raise flexibility is letting some employees telecommute at least one day a week. That can be a big boost to recruitment, retention and employee satisfaction, but it also comes with a fair share of legal challenges.

Here some things to keep in mind if your company’s thinking about allowing any telecommuting:

Security — In some cases, employers can be held liable when personal information about employees or customers is stolen. Since employees working from home are more prone to security problems than others, special care is needed when telecommuters work with sensitive information. Managers need to work closely with IT to make sure employees have a secure set-up before they do any work from home.

Also, clear ground rules need to be established, such as:

• no working on public wireless networks
• family members or other people shouldn’t use the company’s equipment, and
• any data in physical form (CDs, paper documents, etc.) must be kept in a secure place.

Safety — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has made it clear it won’t inspect home offices — or require employers to inspect them. Nonetheless, employers should be ready to handle claims of injuries from people working at home, since they might be entitled to worker’s comp.

Guidelines and rulings are unclear about when telecommuters get comp — it depends on the state and the specific situation surrounding the injury. It’s something employers with work-from-home programs must be ready for, since teleworkers are often eligible.

Time-tracking – As telecommuting gains popularity, it’s not just exempt employees who get the benefit. Nonexempt employees are taking advantage, too, which creates some new legal issues.

For example, keeping track of the time a nonexempt employee works can be tough without a clock to punch as soon as someone walks in the door.

What’s a good solution? Some companies install timeclock software that lets telecommuters clock in over the phone or by logging in to their computers.

Overtime — Also, it’s sometimes hard enough to keep nonexempt employees from working unauthorized overtime hours — and the problem multiplies with people away from the workplace.

To limit problems, companies need a clear policy regarding when and how much employees are allowed to work. Or, managers can consider only letting exempt employees telecommute.

Discrimination — As with any benefit, if it’s given to some employees and not others, there’s always a chance someone might claim discrimination. Before rolling out a telecommuting program, employers should have rules on who’s eligible based on objective criteria — for example, position type, department, seniority, performance, attendance records, etc.

These are some tips experts give for productively working from home:

• Have an office. That should be a place where an employee works and nothing else. Using the space for work and non-work purposes can make it hard to be productive.
• Check in with colleagues. Teleworkers should go out of their way to make contact with office employees, even more often than they really need to in order to get work done. E-mail, instant messaging and the old-fashioned telephone are good methods of contact.
• Keep a timesheet. Even if managers don’t ask remote workers to track their time, doing so for their own sake can help them make sure they’re still putting in the right amount of time.
• Show up every now and then. If the employee still lives within a reasonable distance, coming into the office sometimes can help with catching up on stuff that needs to be done in person.
• Pay attention to IT. A company’s IT department should have a solid policy on working securely, but that only helps if employees put in the effort to follow it.