This is an increasingly common question - but it's a challenge because of the built-in contradiction. When a company takes away employees' individual space, it's not always easy to then make those same employees "feel welcome and part of the team." The first thing you can do is to look at the full range of options for making your mobile workers feel welcome; some of this is based on the physical setting, but you should also consider more mundane (but still important) factors such as making sure they get their mail, are invited to department/company meetings and social functions, and continue to be treated the same as employees who remain in the office full-time.

The space the telecommuters use for their "drop-in" time should be inviting - that is, it should look comfortable and pleasant, and not like a nondescript public place that is cold and impersonal. Make sure there's storage room available for coats, briefcases, and so on, as well as access to amenities such as refreshments, photocopiers, office supplies, fax machines, etc. Try to provide a variety of seating areas - some for more private individual work, some for groups of two or three people to converse, and some conferencing area for small groups.

Last, consider all the things you can do to help keep these mobile workers feeling part of the team. Be sure they are kept informed about company announcements, given a chance to participate in training classes or special projects, and invited to sit on committees or task forces. Just because they are out of the office doesn't mean they have to be out of touch.