Tips for Teleworkers:

DO:

• Have a designated workspace at home
• Have a "beginning of the day" ritual
• Stick to the same schedule on teleworking days
• Take breaks
• Plan your work ahead for your teleworking day
• Train family members and neighbors to avoid interrupting you
• Avoid bad habits like overeating
• Call the office and keep in touch as often as necessary
• Meet all deadlines
• Maintain or increase your level of performance while teleworking
• Take teleworking very seriously
• Attend department and group meetings
• Keep your boss informed of the progress you are making
• Have some type of "end of the workday" ritual such as a walk around the block
• If teleworking works well for you, talk to your supervisor or manager about increasing the number of days you can telework
• If teleworking is not working for you, talk to your supervisor or manager. See if you can find ways to solve the problem(s) that you have been encountering. If the problems persist, you may want to consider going off the program

DON'T: 

• Don't procrastinate or develop bad work habits at home
• Don't change your work schedule every time that you telework
• Don't let the radio or TV distract you or impair your professional image
• Avoid working at home if you are not getting along with your spouse
• Don't work at home if you have an infant, a toddler, or an elderly person who requires constant care and attention
• Don't take work home that requires group decisions or input from coworkers
• Don't run to the refrigerator too often
• Don't sleep late on teleworking days
• Don't stay in your bedclothes all day long
• Don't give telworking a bad name
• Don't stay on a teleworking program if it's not working for you. Teleworking does not suit every person's lifestyle or job responsibilities 

Tips for Telemanagers:

DO: 

• Do trust your teleworker
• Encourage good organizational skills
• Encourage goal setting
• Give appropriate and timely feedback
• Take time to plan
• Do ask for status reports
• Manage by measuring results
• Communicate regularly
• Use teleworking as an opportunity to strengthen your management skills
• Be flexible and use your creativity to achieve optimum results from the program
• Expect changes
• Take teleworking very seriously
• Delegate assignments equitably among teleworkers and non-teleworking employees
• Plan meetings when teleworkers can participate
• Include your teleworkers in day-to-day activities
• Schedule regular status reports
• Be prepared to ask the employee to return to the office if teleworking does not work well

DON'T:

• Don't conduct curfew checks
• Don't call your teleworker every hour to check on progress
• Don't ignore your teleworker
• Don't ask for constant status reports
• Don't set unrealistic deadlines for projects
• Don't neglect problems
• Don't manage by closely supervising
• Don't expect perfection; there will be adjustments
• Don't give teleworking a bad name
• Don't expect everyone to be a successful teleworker

Source: Telework Colorado