When a telecommuter accomplishes his tasks and meets his deadlines, that’s what you get.

His work. The results.

Jason Fried, co-founder of Chicago-based software firm 37signals, is a champion for remote work. He and David Heinemeier Hansson co-wrote Rework, a guide to running a busniess in the 21st century.

In Rework, Fried writes that a telework program allows managers to focus on what’s truly important … the work, not the employee. An excerpt, reposted by Fried on his Inc.com blog, demonstrates that managers and supervisors can find clarity in their purpose with a team of dedicated telecommuters:

When you can’t see someone all day long, the only thing you have to evaluate is the work. A lot of the petty evaluation stats just melt away. Criteria like “Was she here at 9?” or “Did she take too many breaks today?” or “Man, every time I walk by his desk he’s got Facebook up” aren’t even possible to tally.

It’s a blessing in disguise, Fried writes, because it becomes transparent who is pulling their weight and who isn’t.

What you’re left with is “what did this person actually do today?” Not “when did they get in?” or “how late did they stay?” Instead it’s all about the work produced. So instead of asking a remote worker “what did you do today?” you can now just say, “Show me what you did today.” As a manager, you can directly evaluate the work–the thing you’re paying this person for–and ignore all the stuff that doesn’t actually matter.

Combine that quality of work with the improved productivity, and the trend toward remote work makes even more sense. With technology allowing us to work from anywhere, the work-from-home movement is taking Australia by storm as companies start to realize home workers are more engaged and enjoy their work more.

A new survey out of the University of Melbourne shows a positive relationship between the ability to telework and well-being, which contriutes to more productive workers. More than 1,800 employees and almost 100 human-resources and senior managers across New Zealand and Australia were surveyed.

Managers said their telecommuting employees delivered better work outcomes and suffered less from absenteeism.

“Our study confirms that flexible work is a way for managers to invest in the well-being of their workers, increasing productivity, job satisfaction and retaining talented workers,” writes researcher Dr. Rachelle Bosua.

It all means managers can take a step back and allow themselves to trust their employees to work from home, as long as they hire the right people.

Good work doesn’t come from having butts in chairs for a prescribed eight hours a day.