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E-mail has drastically altered the way many of us work. Complicated instructions can be passed to dozens of people as quickly as it takes to type them out. And if we want to get in touch with a busy colleague we no longer need waste hours trying to telephone them. But in our e-nthusiasm are we in danger of replacing real communication with the mere exchange of information?

As manager of a regionally dispersed team of information, training and development officers, mostly home workers, it is a danger of which Julian Hallett, development director at the Down's Syndrome Association, is aware. He makes a point of phoning all 16 of his staff regularly.

"E-mail isn't a substitute for talking to people," he says. "If you need to give someone feedback and you know you're not going to see them for a while it's much better to give them a ring. E-mails are concise but cold and it's so easy for what you say to be misconstrued. You have a much better relationship with colleagues when you pick up the phone. And sometimes you can replace 20 e-mails with a single phone call, like when you're planning diary arrangements."

A tricky aspect is keeping in touch with what people are doing and how well they are performing. If someone is working from the same office base it is usually easy for their manager to spot when they are having problems. But a geographically remote worker may be able to conceal that they are not coping.

Hallett also sees his staff regularly. Rather than always calling meetings, Hallett aims to get out to meet them - although not at their homes.

He says: "I make a point of seeing people at an event such as a conference where I can see what they are actually doing. People say they appreciate my taking the trouble to come and see them but it's also a back door way for me to find out how well they are performing."

Hallett believes it is important to adjust your management style to the individual needs of your staff. He says: "Some people are very competent in their work but like a lot of feedback. There are people that I speak to four or five times a week but other people would feel that I was trying to keep tabs on them if I rang them so frequently. Over time you get to work out each person's preferred management style and how much autonomy they need."

But building a sense of team membership can be a challenge. To counter isolation, Hallett encourages his staff to be in regular phone and e-mail contact with each other. There are five information officers, providing advice and information to callers who may be people with Down's syndrome, parents, carers or professionals. Hallett says it is important for the officers to feel able to call on each other for support. "Some of the issues people have to deal with can be very distressing. People need to know they can ring a colleague if they've dealt with a difficult call."


Hallett also encourages the team to keep each other posted about what they are doing. "People who moan about not knowing what's going on are usually the ones who don't let other people know what they themselves are doing. They need to realise that communication is two-way."

Selecting staff who are likely to thrive in a home-working environment is essential. It doesn't suit everyone to be part of a team that meets only three or four times a year.

Hallett says: "At the selection stage we try to pick people who are already working in this way. Some people who are office-based say they are used to working independently but it's quite different when your home becomes your base. I ask candidates to list the pitfalls
of working from home. It is revealing when they can quickly list the advantages but haven't really thought about the disadvantages."

Curriculum Vitae 

Name: Julian Hallett.
Job: Director of development, Down's Syndrome Association.
Qualifications: BA (Hons) Psychology; MSc Inter-professional Studies (learning disability).
Last job: Development officer, Mencap in Wales.
First job: Resettlement officer, Gwent Social Services.

TOP TIPS

• Enthusiasm can be more important than previous experience.
• Encourage regular phone calls and e-mails between home-based colleagues.
• Use meetings for socialising as well as business.

RUBBISH TIPS

• Be a model of consistency and adopt the same management style for all staff.
• If someone makes a mistake or misses a deadline, dash off an e-mail pointing it out.
• Invite yourself into a worker's home to check they are set up correctly.