Measuring Success

Maybe you've heard the saying, "What gets measured, gets done." This statement emphasizes the importance of measuring work in an organization. What needs to be measured will vary for each organization, depending on the questions its leaders want to answer. Whether it's implementation, usage, or effectiveness, best practices for using data apply. You want credible data that help leaders make decisions or take some action. If the data are not used or aren't believable, don't waste your time. You can expect that the younger an organization is in its use of remote work, the younger the measurement system may be. Although you may need to start simple, the measurement system can improve and mature over time. What you measure may change, too, as the goals for remote work change.

Michelle Artibee currently serves as program manager for Career/Life and Communication Strategies in the Department of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity at Cornell University. She is responsible for promoting and implementing flexible work business practices, helping leaders leverage these practices to support their organizational needs, particularly those related to financial alignment, diversity, engagement, and sustainability.

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She also works collaboratively with a variety of campus partners to provide career-life and family-care support services and programming to the Cornell community, such as a lactation support program and a lecture series. Ms. Artibee earned an MBA from Baker College (Flint, Michigan) and a bachelor of science degree in digital communications from Franklin University (Columbus, Ohio). She is a recipient of the LaRonda E. Brown Recognition Award for Student Parent Advocacy and a founding member of the Higher Education Alliance for Advocates of Students with Children. She is a current member of the Work and Family Researchers Network and has previously served on the communications committee of the College and Universities Work and Family Association. She has nearly fifteen years of experience in the career-life field and finds the constantly evolving field challenging and fulfilling.

Dr. Pat French is a program manager in the Boeing Company. She has over 25 years' experience in the aerospace industry, having worked in the defense, commercial, civil, and intelligence fields. She completed her doctoral dissertation with a study of Boeing virtual organizations and is now responsible for defining the policies, procedures, and guidance in virtual organizations and virtual work throughout the Boeing Company.

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Dr. French is an industry expert on the key tenets of effective virtual organizations and virtual workers. She has held the technical positions of program manager, program integration lead, systems engineering director, test manager, business manager, and new business development lead, and has played many additional roles in the aerospace industry. Dr. French’s perspective comes from the practitioner side of virtual organizations—how can programs best leverage virtual work? She has been with Boeing since 2000 and was with Northrop Grumman prior to that. Dr. French has held key roles in the Air Force, Army, NASA, and in intelligence, and commercial programs. In addition, she has performed roles in functional disciplines, where she was responsible for the people, processes, and tools used throughout the enterprise.

Dr. French holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati, an MBA from Bradley University, and a doctorate in leadership from Argosy University.

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Bob Rogers is a senior-level human resources professional with considerable success in the design and implementation of human capital plans that drive business success. His expertise includes organizational design and development, change management, talent acquisition, the design and administration of metrics and rewards, and successful telework and virtual programs.

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He has had progressive experience with Prudential and Aetna, each of which selected him for relocation to different parts of the U.S., where he succeeded in increasingly challenging assignments.

While at Aetna, Bob played a key role in initially implementing the company's telework program and its application in customer service operations. The program is designed and administered to ensure an alignment with business strategy while providing flexible work options for employees. Currently, close to 50% of Aetna's work force is formally identified as telework; about 40% work from home full-time.

After leading initiatives to help ensure alignment of telework to company goals in 2010, Bob assumed overall responsibility for the program in 2011. He left Aetna in late 2012 and consults in HR best practices. He is a certified senior professional in human resources.

As a remote work expert, he has collaborated with the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies at Cornell University as part of their "working groups." Bob also serves on the board of directors for the First Coast Diversity Council in Jacksonville, Florida.

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How does Cornell University measure and track the success of its flexible work program?

Michelle Artibee
Program manager for Career/Life and Communication Strategies
Department of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity, Cornell University

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Does Boeing collect data on telecommuting? What do the data tell you?

Dr. Pat French
Program Manager
Boeing Company

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Do the measures you use for evaluating remote work change depending upon where your initiative is in its life cycle?

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Bob Rogers
Senior-level Human Resources Professional