"We use communications and information technology to work together, whether someone is two floors away or 2,000 miles away," points out Ianna. "Remote communication is a given today. If you can’t manage and work remotely, you’re not going to be successful."

Hoteling worker Deborah Bense, a program analyst with the IRS’s information resources management office, says her manager had to change her style very little to accommodate remote workers. "Management needs to trust their employees. We’re all adults; we can get the work done," says Bense. "My manager is very flexible. We talk or exchange e-mail every day, but she knows that if she asks me to do something it’s going to get done." Though Bense had worked for her manager for short periods before she began working remotely, she has 25 years of service with the IRS. "I guess that counts as something of a track record," she says with a laugh.

Training Is Key

Not all companies may be in a position to easily mimic the success of AT&T and the IRS, which offer extensive classroom and print materials to train managers on telework, and handpick managers who are most likely to succeed. "A lot of companies haven’t trained their supervisors," says John Girard, a vice president research director at Gartner’s Network Center in Stamford, Conn. "I get calls every week from companies that think they have technical issues, but what they have are serious management issues. A good supervisor can make it work, but the program will fail if the supervisor isn’t enthusiastic."

Managers who are best at handling teleworkers and other remote employees tend to be good at scheduling and managing work assignments and identifying workflow problems before they turn critical, HR directors say. Managers who aren’t as strong in project management may underestimate or overestimate project time lines for remote workers, which can result in missed deadlines.

Dun & Bradstreet, like many other companies with formal telework programs, requires employees to put in at least some time in an office--three to six months minimum--before embarking on a remote-work program. Time in the office for the business research company based in Murray Hill, N.J., allows managers to assess employees’ strengths, weaknesses and work habits in person. It helps employees experience a company’s unique corporate culture and work ethic firsthand. And it allows team members to get to know one another before embarking on an e-mail and phone-based relationship.

Companies that haven’t yet taken the telework plunge should set up a pilot program first to flush out bugs and bumps in the system, says Fred Ewald, vice president of Ewald Associates, an Ivyland, Pa., consultancy that has worked with the Marasco Newton Group and the IRS. For example, IRS Information Resources Management has just completed a hoteling pilot that encompassed 20 IS workers and raised several issues that will need to be addressed before the program is rolled out to a larger population.