The progress of technology in the communications arena continues to advance the “work from anywhere” notion.

For many cash-tight start-up companies, this flexibility perk can be put to good use in attracting talent for whom flexibility is important. For many entrepreneurial managers, however, this relatively new paradigm for work can also be a veritable minefield when dealing with the challenges of motivation and productivity for remote workers.

We all intuitively know that not everyone is “wired” to work in a remote function. In fact, I suggest that a majority of people are not.

People are social beings and our work tends to be the largest time demand on our lives. Social interactions at the workplace are normal, for many desirable, and for some required.

Companies try to foster social atmospheres at workplaces because they know that such interactions lead to higher productivity and higher retention.

The specter of going to work everyday down the hall from one’s bedroom and attired in a wardrobe best described as bedroom formal holds a certain appeal for many. Yet this appeal may have nothing to do with the reality of individual capability.

Recognizing personality limitations, the ever-increasing competitive marketplace is forcing organizations to put programs in place to better screen those who can or cannot operate remotely.

This screening is not just for the benefit of the management. Based upon the management imperative of putting people into positions to succeed, it also benefits employees who may not recognize some of the personality requirements much less understand whether they possess them.

Testing and screening notwithstanding, some companies are coming to the conclusion that everyone needs a little face time.

According to the Feb. 18 Business Week, “Researchers at IBM learned that if teams went more than three days without gathering, their happiness and productivity suffered.” In response, IBM managers now initiate a gathering, physically or virtually, at least once every three days and the purpose of this gathering has nothing to do with the work assignment.

They are attempting to provide a substitute or even institutionalize an alternative for the traditional water cooler, coffee break, lunch room exchanges. The article concluded with the statement that the most important ingredient in the effectiveness of these types of arrangements is one simple word: trust.

I strongly suggest that every entrepreneurial manager take note of an admonition by President Ronald Reagan to the Soviets and consciously add the words, “but verify.” Security notwithstanding, it is incumbent upon any manager to implement measurables in his or her program to gauge the degree of success.

This is a different world for many managers. How do you implement remote measurables without positioning yourself as Big Brother? In an office setting, face time can allow for discussions where apprehensions and misguided notions can be addressed and managers can see how the message is being received and take a different approach if needed.

But how do you gauge the receptivity, read the emotion of an employee a thousand miles away, much less one on a different continent for whom English is a second language?

Companies that figure this out will have a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace for talent. While this opportunity continues to unfold, every entrepreneurial manager committed to personal success needs to stay abreast of these potential career-making managerial developments.

John F. Riddell Jr., director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth-Hamilton County, writes each Tuesday about entrepreneurs and their impact on companies and the marketplace. Submit comments to his attention by writing to Business Editor John Vass Jr., Chattanooga Times Free Press, P.O. Box 1447, Chattanooga, TN 37401-1447, or by e-mailing him at business@timesfreepress.com