Telecommuter Motivation Can Be Found in Performance Records

In Japan, insufficient power due to the earthquake damage is becoming a serious problem. In the Tokyo metropolitan area, it is affecting not only lighting and air conditioning systems, but the transportation system as well. Telecommuting used to be considered an option for employees taking care of family or raising children, but it's time we start considering it as a way to improve each employee's productivity. Telecommuting is already effective in many fields, including data input, translation, designing, programming, drafting, sales promotion, etc., and will probably be used in many more in the future.

One point when implementing a telecommuting system is to record not only "work time" but also "work output." The below workflow allows teleworkers to predetermine the work output they plan to achieve on a given day, as well as any additional work they are able to finish. Being able to accurately record work output helps in later employee evaluations.

<Reference>

• A Workflow for a Telecommuting System 
• Teleworking is One of Today's Needs

<Tasks>
0. Suggest Work Content, 1. Instruct Work, 2. Reply Schedule, 3. Approve Schedule, 4. Register Output, 5. Confirm Completion

[Telecommuting <Prompt Delivery>: "4. Register Output" screen]

When the supervisor assigns work, the telecommuter adjusts his/her schedule and registers the output by the deadline (Flow 1–5). When the telecommuter decides the work content him/herself, the supervisor is asked to confirm the content, and the output is registered by the deadline (Flow 0–5). Unexpected and additional work output is registered without going through the first few steps (Flow 4–5). This workflow requires a system (BPM/workflow) that can start processes from the middle of the workflow. (Naturally, we recommend Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition.)

Moreover, the below workflow allows teleworkers to adjust the schedule and register output simultaneously. (For small jobs that can be taken care of without adjusting schedules.)


<Tasks>
0. Suggest Work Content, 1. Instruct Work, 2. Reply Schedule, 3. Approve Schedule, 4. Register Output, 5. Confirm Completion

• Telecommuting <Register Additional Output>
• Telecommuting <Prompt Delivery>