Q: I have been approved for a two-day-per-week telework schedule. I am a new teleworker and my worry is that I will miss out on impromptu meetings and special assignments that can help me with career advancement. What can I do to stay visible and involved when I am not in the main office?

A: Your question reflects the concerns of many teleworkers. The key to remaining “visible” can be summed up in one word – Communication. If you go out of your way to stay in close contact with your supervisor, coworkers, and clients, you won’t be trapped in the “out of sight, out of mind” rut. Here are some practical steps you can take to ensure good communication and a strong interpersonal connection with your colleagues:

• Supplement your email communications with occasional phone calls.
  • Call your supervisor to talk about your work priorities for the day and progress on various assignments and to ask about upcoming projects that you could contribute to. Try to call more than once per day - this gives your supervisor a certain comfort level with your “presence at work”
  • Encourage your colleagues to call you. Remind them that you are at work when you are teleworking and available just as you are when you are sitting in your primary office
  • Respond to a colleague’s or client’s email request with a phone call to clarify what is needed and when

• Plan face-to-face meetings with your supervisor, coworkers, and clients.
  • Schedule an in-person meeting with your supervisor - ideally, once per week. If your supervisor is hesitant to schedule a meeting, drop by and try to connect casually for a few minutes
  • Use video conferencing solutions, if available to connect face-to-face
  • Plan a lunch get-together with your coworkers. This can be a great way to communicate informally and catch up on office “happenings”
  • Start a fitness walking group with a few coworkers. Again, this provides an excellent way to connect informally and, as an added bonus, become more physically fit!
  • Visit your clients in person to review progress on the work you are completing for them and to discuss potential future projects

• Volunteer for special assignments.
  • Is there a taskforce forming to explore continuity of operations, revising office procedures, etc.? Is the office planning a summer barbeque? Is there a special awards celebration that needs to be planned? Volunteer to help. Demonstrate that your commitment to the organization is strong and that you are willing to adjust your telework schedule to accommodate the needs of your organization and management. This leads to my last bit of advice...

• Graciously and willingly adjust your telework schedule when your manager requests your presence at an in-office meeting.
  • So many teleworkers worry that if they agree to adjust their schedule, others will take advantage. During my more than 12 years of regular teleworking at the Department of Justice - under different supervisors - I did not encounter this problem. On the contrary, my supervisors and other work colleagues were appreciative of my flexibility and endeavored to avoid scheduling meetings that conflicted with my telework days whenever possible. At times, you may be able to attend a meeting via conference call too. Flexibility is a two-way street - if you want flexibility, you must also be flexible. If you are flexible, you not only continue to be visible, but you are visible in a positive way!

Q: My previous manager was supportive of telework, but I have a new manager who isn’t so sure. What do I do?

A: Timing is of the essence here. Don’t wait for your new supervisor to approach you about your telework arrangement. Instead, ask to meet with your manager and present information on your telework schedule and how you and your former supervisor managed it. Ask for a “grace period” to demonstrate the benefits of your telework schedule - not just for you personally, but for her and the organization. You might ask what types of benefits the new supervisor is interested in and do your best to address those. As part of your strategy, ensure regular contact with your supervisor during your telework days and report each week on the progress of your assignments. As I continually emphasize in this column, good communication is one of the keys to success in implementing, maintaining, and expanding telework.

Q: What is the proper amount of time for a lunch break when I telework? Many people in our primary office take 45 minutes to an hour for lunch. Can I do the same?

A: There is no set amount of time that a teleworker should take for lunch. I would suggest that you look at what your organization’s official policy is - for example, many organizations build an extra 30 to 60 minutes into the 8-hour workday to provide a reasonable lunch break. Also, this is an issue that should be discussed with your supervisor. You are smart to think about this now, and if this isn’t part of your organization’s telework policy, you may be doing everyone a favor by surfacing this concern.