CGI Group, Inc., an IT professional services firm with U.S. headquarters in Fairfax, has long had a flexible work culture, so when the company started to explore a more structured telework program last year, it seemed like the logical next step. After all, many of its employees can already choose to work from home if, for example, the weather is inclement or they have a sick child.

However, when human resources began conducting employee focus groups last summer, they were surprised to find that many employees were hesitant about the idea of permanent or full-time teleworking. Their concern? Negative perception. "We have a lot of people who are already working from home and they have this sense that some colleagues or managers believe that if you're working from home, you're not working as hard as those that are coming to the office," explains Carolyn Kress , a director of human resources for CGI, noting that the program, currently in a pilot phase, will eventually have both full-time teleworkers and part-time mobile workers. "They typically feel much more productive at home because they don't have all of the interruptions, yet they feel that there's this stigma and the need to defend."

From that point on, Kress and Susie Bonvouloir, U.S. vice president of human resources, have been working to make sure that they recognize and address any potential cultural hurdles that arise due to this organizational change. "We feel this is an important program to keep our staff productive and happily serving our clients".

The effort has not been easy, but getting it right is critical, Bonvouloir says. This spring, the company is moving to a smaller office space, which will save on real estate expense but also require those that sign up as mobile workers to share "hoteling" space.

Kress and Bonvouloir spoke with The Teleworker about their approach to dealing with some of the people issues associated with implementing a new telework program.

Q: These feelings about being stigmatized certainly seem legitimate, given that most people have worked in an office setting their whole careers. How are you addressing their concerns so they don't unconsciously derail your telework initiative?

Bonvouloir: We think that the key to that is really to start with managers. They've got to be somewhat re-conditioned to be more focused on results and deliverables. That has really been a part of our culture anyway, probably more so than most organizations. There is still sometimes a natural tendency to think "I've got to see you. If I can't see you, I don't know that you're really working." So I think by training the managers first, you can start to really make that shift where you're measuring a person's productivity and effort by results rather than just having that face-time with someone.

Kress: When it comes to our teleworkers, who will basically work 100 percent of the time from home, we are also talking about requiring them to come into the office for some minimum number of face-to-face meetings with their managers each month, just so people can feel that sense of connectedness.

Bonvouloir: What's more, while our staff applies to become teleworkers and mobile workers, it ultimately is their manager's decision on whether or not they can work from home. And of course, some client engagements and requirements cannot support telecommuting. We are focused initially on jobs that lend themselves to this model, in infrastructure and product development outside of our Federal government work.

There are other conditions as well. For example, new employees have to be on board here for at least six months before they're eligible. That way, people can spend some time getting acclimated to our culture, their manager can get to know their work habits and individuality and they can become viewed as a part of the CGI team.

It's all about communication. It has to be a two-way street between the manager and employee. They need to have a stated agreement on how this will work for each of them.

Q: Are there other things you are planning that will help teleworkers feel a sense of connection with the company?

Kress: We are developing tools and resources to support managers and telecommuters in this work arrangement. We also want to create an intranet site that will foster a community of telecommuters and provide them a way to stay connected to CGI and to each other.

Bonvouloir: Another thing we think will help is to provide more videoconferencing for staff meetings or in place of routine phone calls between managers and teleworkers. The price of Webcams has come down so significantly and we have a vendor that provides conference calling services, so we can do videoconferences very easily. We see that as a really affordable option that will have a lot of social benefits for our teleworkers and provide some reassurance to our managers.

Q: How are you handling the whole issue of who pays for home office equipment?

Kress: We came up with an approach that works with our current work processes and culture. Rather than saying, "Here's a list of what we'll pay for," we're giving people an allowance and letting them spend it on what they need. If they need a new printer, they can buy that. Maybe they have a printer and what they really want is a high-end office chair. The allowance may not cover every single cost. Our approach does cover the majority of costs and allows people to make some choices based on their personal needs and preferences.