"To get the prince of your dreams, you need to kiss a lot of toads"
-Common wisdome
A well-designed Telework solution benefits employers, employees, and communities...

Action Research and Technical Solutions will work with you to design, pilot-test and implement a program that will maximize benefits and minimize start-up costs.

Employer benefits include:

  • Competitive edge in recruiting
  • Cost and productivity savings from reduced turnover
  • Less absenteeism
  • Emphasis on results based management
  • Enhanced morale and productivity among participants
  • Accommodation for employees with disabilities (ADA compliance)
  • Potential to reduce real estate costs
  • Continuity of operations iin emergency/disaster situations

Employee benefits include:

  • Greater autonomy, flexibility and satisfaction
  • $$$ savings (up to $5,000 a year) on costs of commuting
  • More time (1-3 hours/day) for family/personal life
  • Less stress – fewer xtraffic disasterx days

Community benefits include:

  • Job opportunities for individuals with disabilities
  • Jobs opportunities for those in outlying, lower cost areas
  • Fewer cars on the road, less pollution and traffic

Surveys and case studies clearly show that a good telework program can be a win-win solution for employers and employees.

So why aren't more organizations participating in telework programs?

# 1 REASON - Management concerns about employee performance

When the subject of teleworking is raised, it's not uncommon to hear questions and concerns like the following:

"I don't think that everyone on my team could be productive working at home. How do I handle that?"

"What about the employees whose jobs just aren't suitable for teleworking? How are they going to feel? What do we say to them?"

"What if it doesn't work out? Will I be stuck with having people spending unproductive time at home when I think they should be back in the office?"

"How are we supposed to build teams and work collaboratively when half the team may be working off-site on any given day?"

"How do you supervise people and evaluate their performance when you can't see what they're doing?"

Organizations with successful telework programs have addressed these and many other questions. We adapt best practices from successful programs to the unique requirements of your organization, incorporating principles of effective management, and systematic methods for assessing individual attributes and job requirements. We also design a pilot-program and use manager and employee feedback to identify training needs and fine-tune the program.

# 2 REASON - Uncertainty about IT requirements and costs

Implementing a telework program requires addressing a number of IT and telecommunications issues. Questions you will need to answer include the following:

  • What kinds of equipment (computers, PDA's, cell phones, printers, etc.) will we need?
  • How will employees access the internet and the company's private intranet?
  • How do we ensure data and network security? VPNs, firewalls, backups, etc.
  • Should we enhance our teleconferencing/videoconferencing capabilities?
  • What new systems and products will work best with what we have now, and what we are likely to need in the future?
  • What training and support will be required for the new products and systems?

Our IT consultants will work closely with your IT staff and your managers to analyze current and future needs, identify cost-effective solutions, install and test new hardware and software, and train on-site and off-site staff. Click here to learn more about our IT capabilities.
#3 REASON - Time and cost involved in developing the program

Most organizations recognize that it takes time and expertise to develop, pilot-test, refine, and document a program that delivers all of the potential benefits of a good telework program. Although companies need to appoint telework coordinators and advisors, few have someone who has the time to design and implement a program from scratch. We have the experience and expertise to design a program that works for you, and will monitor and document progress toward quarterly milestones, and evaluate the implementation process as well as organizational outcomes.

After an initial free consultation we will provide an estimate that includes a telework oriented job analysis, work style/work habit inventories, individually tailored training programs, recommendations for IT solutions, the design of a pilot-program, and preparation of policy, procedure, progress, and guideline documents.

AND... if you are a Virginia based company with 20 or more employees, you may be eligible for reimbursement by the state of Virginia for the costs of setting up your program.

We will help you meet the eligibility criteria and prepare the documents and reports required to receive up to $35,000 in reimbursements!
Now that is truly a win-win proposition!
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©2008 Action Research and Technical Solutions

When can we help?


You have employees asking if they can work at home and you're not sure how to structure a program.

You are having a hard time attracting people to fill some of your high skill jobs, but cannot increase your salary caps.

More of your employees are working at client sites, hotels, airports, and home. It's time to take a look at how you equip and communicate with your mobile workers.

Commuting costs and traffic delays are creating unnecessary stress for your employees, impacting productivity as well as quality of life.

You have an informal telework program but are not sure you are complying with all the relevant regulations with respect to off-site work places.

You have disabled workers for whom commuting is a huge challenge; you want to equip them to work at home most days.