9 Telecommuting Procedures

One of the new opportunities available to job seekers is telecommuting. While it certainly has its advantage for potential employees, it can be a challenge for employers.

Programs such as Skype have allowed remote employees to better interact with their co-workers, but it can still be hard when someone is not physically in the office. If your nonprofit decides to allow telecommuting, there must be strict policies put in place to make sure things run as smoothly as possible.

Jeff Tenenbaum, chair of the Nonprofit Organizations Practice Group at Venable LLP, suggested several components that organizations need to include when creating telecommuting policies. These include:

• A clear definition of “telecommuting” for purposes of the telecommuting policy and any agreements between the employer and the employee;
• Easy-to-understand eligibility requirements;
• The steps of the telecommuting-approval procedure;
• Clarity that participation in the telecommuting program is a privilege and not a right, subject to revocation at any time for any lawful reason;
• Notice that abuse of telecommuting can result in disciplinary action, including termination;
• Understanding of the employer’s right to inspect the home-based work environment;
• A non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement;
• Statement of the employer’s right to change the terms of its telecommuting policy; and,
• Clear language that the telecommuting employee is expected to meet the same performance standards as on-site employees.