Once a telework program is in place, how can you find out if your own program is working? One way is to ask your own telecommuters. That's the advice from Mary McClintock, a product development manager for teleworking solutions at Nortel in Raleigh, N.C.

Meet Regularly
Nortel telework program managers make a point of getting groups of their telecommuters together to share their insights and learn from the best practices they develop.

Ask Questions
McClintock holds quarterly meetings involving herself and about twenty other telecommuters to get their input. At those meetings, she asks:

Valuable Suggestions
Since holding these regular meetings, Nortel's telecommuters have offered a number of useful suggestions and examples of best practices have come forth, such as:

Share Insights and Ideas
At Nortel, the telecommuters' training includes a mandate to communicate with peers and share insights and knowledge. Such sharing not only helps spread good ideas and practices, but according to Ms. McClintock, it builds a sense of community among the company's telecommuters. "It brings telecommuters together," says McClintock. "Sometimes telecommuters feel they're not part of the group anymore. They're kind of on their own. Now they're actually part of a new organization of telecommuters."