More companies are looking into telework as a way to lighten the burden of employees’ commuting costs and cutting back on real estate expenses of providing in-office facilities. If your company is one of them, here five things not to do:

These are the five most common mistakes companies make when starting a telecommuting program, according to Brandon Dempsey, work-from-home expert and VP of Suite Commute, LLC:

1. Lacking concrete policies and procedures — Often, telecommuting gets started in the company when a handful of employees ask individual managers if they can work from home. But employers should have company-wide policies in place so all managers are on the same page.
2. Going overboard on technology — Telecommuting doesn’t have to be a huge financial investment — and too often companies run out and obtain the technology before the plan and policy are in place. Instead, employers should evaluate exactly what they need and purchase accordingly.
3. Failing to train managers — Supervising remote workers requires a different style from what many bosses are used to. Companies can’t expect them to effectively manage the arrangement without a little training.
4. Not using a pilot program — One way to make sure telecommuting can work is to start an experiment with a small group of employees before going company-wide.
5. Jumping the gun — Though telecommuting is getting a lot of attention these days, it’s only one option for cutting costs and relieving the burden on workers. Companies should look into all the options before deciding telework is the way to go.

Tags: employees, offsite, pilot program, policies, procedures, real estate, telecommute, train