Corporations across the United States have embraced telecommuting, especially because the technologies for facilitating remote working have become more affordable. Chris Brown, vice president of human resources for West Corporation—a company with "home-oriented" arrangements for nearly 7 percent of its employees—says that many of its remote hires are talent-based. In other words, these are employees who don't live near West's offices, but they were hired anyway for their specific expertise or value to the company.

Some remote workers at West Corporation are employees who previously worked on location but have transitioned to telecommuting for personal reasons—for example, to accommodate a spouse's job change or because they have a sick family member. "If you have a proven commodity and you don't want to lose them, remote work is an option," Brown says.

As associations seek to compete with corporate America in recruiting and retaining talented employees, they might need to offer more flexible working arrangements. Brown offers seven tips for associations considering expanding their telecommuting options.

Tailor job candidate interviews when hiring for remote positions. "We layer in an extra two or three questions during the hiring process" for teleworker candidates, says Brown. He suggests asking whether candidates have had previous work-from-home experiences, how those past experiences were structured, and what potential employees envision in their remote work arrangements with your organization.

The state of work is changing. It's really about talent—almost any job can be done anywhere now.—Chris Brown, West Corporation

Be certain that teleworkers' at-home offices meet your organization's needs. Before releasing work to an off-site employee, ask whether his or her at-home office space and technological capabilities will integrate with your office's systems, and offer to assist with upgrading equipment and security measures if necessary.

Ensure that remote workers have the organizational skills and personality to succeed in a home-based office. In addition to being able to work on projects and meet deadlines with minimal supervision, it helps if these employees possess the maturity and discipline required for unsupervised work. Make sure teleworkers can "be their own cheerleaders," Brown says. "If a teleworker needs constant feedback and admiration of their work from others, staffing-at-home is not for them."

Set expectations at the outset. Since there will be fewer opportunities for personal interaction with colleagues and considerably less face time, it's important that job responsibilities and deliverables are clearly defined at the beginning of the relationship. "Make sure workers understand the boundaries of remote employment, such as the hours they are expected to be working and the amount of travel time that may be required," Brown says.

Schedule some face-to-face time. "At-home workers sometimes feel as if they're on an island, and don't feel as looped in as office workers," Brown says. Planning a few in-person consultations throughout the year and including remote workers in meetings via Skype or conference call can alleviate feelings of isolation.

Allow remote workers to develop "virtual" relationships with office staff. Empower telecommuters to reach out to coworkers—and not just their direct supervisor—to clarify action items and complete projects as needed. "It can be hard for teleworkers to gauge what the temperature is in the office," says Brown. They may even miss out on hearing important information that could influence their at-home projects. "Remote workers need 'earned' relationships with others so they can understand where the pressures are," he adds. They should be encouraged to build their own networks for informal rapport and identify confidantes within the company who can assist them—and supervisors should be supportive of these interactions.

Have metrics in place to evaluate employee performance. Regardless of the job, it's important to "quantify what productivity looks like," Brown says. He recommends putting measurements in place to evaluate whether remote workers are meeting expectations. Mangers need to "quantitatively define your expectations of productivity," even in jobs where metrics are not the norm. "If you're doing it right, remote workers may produce an even greater volume of work" than in-office employees."

Letting go of the traditional HR structure where all employees work onsite can be challenging, but trying a work-from-home arrangement with a couple of employees may reap long-term rewards. Offering remote work options may help your organization stay competitive in the recruiting arena—and may increase overall employee morale and productivity as well.

"The state of work is changing," Brown says. "It's really about talent—almost any job can be done anywhere now."