Sopheon

Debbie Pasvogel, Sopheon and Jane Anderson, MITE

One of the many Twin Cities companies that has participated in the MITE implementation seminars before starting a telecommuting pilot, is Sopheon, which has generously agreed to share their experience in this article. Sopheon can be found on the WWW at:
http://www.sopheon.com/

1. Summary of Sopheon

Sopheon, is an information services company specializing in research and content management. They acquire and manage information and expertise, and integrate them into our clients' decision making process.  They serve leading companies who depend upon the creation of technology-based products for success in fast-changing competitive environments. Their solutions enable their clients to improve the development and commercialization of new products, advance technologies, identify opportunities and achieve innovation.

2. Employee Description and Teleworking Pilot Rationale:

Sopheon has more than 250 employees, most of whom are located at our headquarters offices in the Twin Cities. Members of our national sales force have always operated as teleworkers. Their formal teleworking pilot began in 1994 when we were faced with the loss of two valued headquarters personnel: one due to a spousal job transfer out of state, the other to a long commute (over 100 miles round trip each day).  The pilot was only offered to researchers living outside the Twin Cities area.  Participants had limited connectivity to Sopheon and were responsible for supplying their own printer and office furniture.

Over the last five years, the number of teleworkers at Sopheon has grown steadily. Currently, 27% of our employees participate in the telework program.  Categories of full-time teleworkers nationwide include mobile workers, virtual home office employees and hoteling employees, all of whom have full network and Internet access to Sopheon. Employees who telework on a part-time basis fall into the category of flexible scheduling and have limited connectivity to Sopheon.  Teleworking program participants include field sales force, project managers and researchers.  Jobs suitable for teleworking must be project oriented or measurable through time and material tracking and be done independently with minimal supervision. Eligible employees must be self-motivated, conscientious, have good organizational skills, have a high degree of job knowledge and skill, advanced computer hardware/software knowledge and skill and the ability to make decisions independently.

3. Business Rationales

Sopheon's commitment to teleworking is based upon the following objectives (ranked in order of importance):

1. Retain existing employees
2. Attract new employees
3. Improve customer satisfaction
4. Provide more staffing flexibility to service clients during expanded business hours and weather emergencies
5. Increase productivity and employee morale
6. Generate efficiencies and cost savings.

They anticipate growing our telework staff by approximately 10% in 1999. The retention rate for teleworkers is at about the same level as our retention rate for in-house employees. To their knowledge, no one has left Sopheon because of deficiencies in our teleworking arrangements. Their use of teleworking has contributed to improved employee morale and made flexible work arrangements an employee benefit and a competitive advantage.  Increased productivity is negligible, though we don't require our remote workers to be more productive than their in-house counterparts.

What is employee satisfaction like?  

Teleworkers are very satisfied with the personal benefits of the program.  Teleworking has allowed several individuals to remain Sopheon employees when it became necessary for them to relocate to other parts of the country.  It has also improved the quality of life for several Twin Cities employees as they've reduced their commute by two hours per day, providing them more time for family and leisure activities.  In addition, some teleworkers contend that there are fewer distractions within their virtual work environment than at headquarters.

4. Implementation Challenges - Some of the challenges we faced were:

a. Technical connectivity

Connectivity to Sopheon varies based on job function.  Mobile workers and project managers who conduct much of their business off-line connect to Sopheon via an analog modem. Researchers who connect to Sopheon services many hours per day do so via an ISDN if they're located in the Twin Cities or a frame relay line if they're located elsewhere.

b. Equipment and furniture costs

Sopheon provides mobile workers with docking stations and all other teleworkers with PCs. All teleworkers are equipped with printers, telephone sets and modems and/or routers. In addition, some teleworkers are provided with headsets and recording devices.

Sopheon incurs one-time setup charges associated with telecommunication services as well as recurring telephone service and business long-distance charges.  All teleworkers are given a furniture allowance to cover the purchase of an office chair, desk and document storage container, all of which must meet Sopheon's ergonomic guidelines. Sopheon's policy states that if an employee leaves the company on his/her own accord within one year of signing a telework agreement, the employee will reimburse Sopheon for 100% of one-time setup charges and 50% of approved furniture and printer purchases.

c. Teleworker recruitment and selection

Employees are selected for the teleworking program based on the suitability of their positions for teleworking, the length of their commute and their past and present work performance. Candidates must also successfully complete a computer hardware/software certification program prior to becoming a teleworking employee.

d. Management issues for off-site employees - What was difficult about managing persons?  How did team or supervisory communications change?

Supervisors have had to become conscientious about including teleworkers in team meetings, updating them on outcomes reached via informal meetings and checking in with them on a daily basis to see how things are going. Conducting performance reviews over the telephone is not effective, so performance reviews are scheduled around office visits whenever possible.

Did having teleworkers affect your support staff work load?  If so, how?  What kind of support did they need?

They found a significant increase in workload for information system support staff when they introduced teleworking. In general, teleworkers have needed more assistance in dealing with computer hardware, software and connectivity issues than in-house staff.  That is why Sopheon now requires teleworkers to successfully complete a computer hardware/software certification program prior to moving to teleworker status.

They haven't seen an increase in administrative support workload; however, we have found it helpful for teleworkers to have an in-house counterpart who can help keep them 'in the loop' on what's happening in the corporate office.

e. What telework policy changes did you make after startup?

The program has become more formal over the years. Not only have amendments been made to earlier policies and forms, Sopheon has created a host of new ones.  They've also established a Telecommuting Task Force and monthly conference calls for teleworking employees. Prospective teleworkers must complete a teleworking application form and obtain their manager's approval before the telecommuting task force will consider them for inclusion in the program.  In addition, teleworkers must complete a telecommuting agreement and forms related to their schedule, a home site evaluation, an emergency office evacuation procedure and furniture purchases.  Sopheon has also made a commitment to bring teleworkers into the corporate office once or twice a year for team meetings and training.

5. Any unexpected challenges?

They've found effective communication to be an issue.  It's difficult for teleworking employees to overcome feelings of isolation.  However, this has improved since the establishment of monthly teleconferences and an email program designed to help teleworkers share successes in working remotely and discuss issues. Sopheon has had discussions with teleworkers on how they might overcome their feeling of "aloneness" by being better communicators themselves and by getting involved in activities outside their remote offices. In-house employees also impact these conditions by remembering to include their teleworking peers in meetings and emails, as well as by distributing meeting documentation (presentation materials, etc.) to them prior to scheduled meetings.

Any things you worried about that didn't turn out to be a problem?  

No.

What was the biggest surprise with the telework project?  

The biggest surprise for management was the extent to which the teleworking efforts must continue to evolve in order to be successful.  Many changes have been made to hardware, software and connectivity to take advantage of technology advances.  There is no one 'standard' for setting up a teleworker, because employees have individual needs, and the same technology may not be suitable or available in all locations.

Ongoing education for teleworkers is important too.  They need to be highly proficient with computer technology and troubleshooting.

The biggest surprise for teleworkers has been their feelings of isolation, so we advise them to develop an effective communication style to counteract this. Each teleworker needs to take personal responsibility for keeping communication lines open with their in-house associates.