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  Internal Refusal: Want to Telecommute? Learn to Communicate Tony Wallace, a young software developer from Dayton, Ohio, is thrilled at the prospect of workin" rel="nofollow">ing from home where he could take care of his two small children, three dogs, and a cat. Like many forward-lookin" rel="nofollow">ing employers, Northrop Grumman Corporation, a leadin" rel="nofollow">ing aerospace and defense technology company, is encouragin" rel="nofollow">ing workers to consider telecommutin" rel="nofollow">ing. The company recently created a formal program with specific policies explain" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing eligibility and requirements. Currently, only positions in" rel="nofollow">in technical sales, in" rel="nofollow">information technology, Web and graphic design, and software development qualify for telecommutin" rel="nofollow">ing. In addition, workers must be dependable, self-motivated, and organized. Because telecommutin" rel="nofollow">ing is a sought-after privilege, employees with proven high performance, seniority, min" rel="nofollow">inimal absenteeism, and superb communication skills receive priority consideration. Telecommuters need to follow company policies determin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing work hours, break times, and work schedules, even off site. Moreover, they must visit the main" rel="nofollow">in office located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton at least once every two weeks to report to their supervisors in" rel="nofollow">in person. Northrop Grumman promotes telecommutin" rel="nofollow">ing because it can benefit the company as much as it benefits its workers. In addition to flexibility, telecommuters usually experience gain" rel="nofollow">ins in" rel="nofollow">in productivity and efficiency. The employer lowers overhead costs and retain" rel="nofollow">ins valuable workers who are not able or willin" rel="nofollow">ing to commute to remote corporate offices. Tony is a diligent worker, but after only a year and a half at Northrop Grumman, he doesn’t have the seniority needed for a successful application. His performance over the past year was satisfactory, but not outstandin" rel="nofollow">ing. It seems as if he still needs time to prove himself. In addition, his major weakness is average communication skills, which you (his supervisor) discussed with him durin" rel="nofollow">ing the company’s last annual performance review cycle. While Tony has made improvements in" rel="nofollow">in communication sin" rel="nofollow">ince the performance review, he is not yet a competitive candidate for the telecommutin" rel="nofollow">ing position.     Each supervisor is responsible for notifyin" rel="nofollow">ing their reports concernin" rel="nofollow">ing the outcome of the telecommutin" rel="nofollow">ing application process. As Tony’s direct supervisor, you must turn down his application. Be gentle, but honest in" rel="nofollow">in revealin" rel="nofollow">ing the reasons for the no. Remember to leave the option for a future application open once Tony meets certain" rel="nofollow">in conditions.