Forbes Magazine round up of articles on telework, part 3:

Working At Home, Safely [Forbes, July 17 2003] reports on the home safety of teleworkers and related responsibilities of their employers. (This article was also carried as Telecommuting Trouble [ABC News, July 18, 2003].)

"Precisely how to monitor telecommuter safety is a delicate matter. "Everyone is struggling with the issue of privacy and the role of the employer with regards to the home worker," says Liberty Mutual's Jacobson. "Most employers are not willing to visit the employee at their home to do an assessment because they respect the employee's privacy. They will only go if invited."

"Rather than visit the home, some employers require their home-based workers to do self-inspections and send in regular written reports to their supervisor or human resources department."

10:27:48 AM    

Forbes Magazine round up of articles on telework, part 2:

Telecommuting's Legal Black Hole [Forbes, July 17, 2003] keys off of the recent legal decision related to the Florida teleworker employed by Reuters in New York. says "Legal experts say companies must guard against the potential pitfalls of telecommuting now." Recommendations include establishing a formal telework policy to guard against discrimination when employees requests to telework are denied. Policies should be created that cover both full-time teleworkers and occasional teleworkers, since the legal risks are the same. Cross-jurisdictional issues like those in the Reuters case are especially complex. 

"Bertrand B. Pogrebin, a labor lawyer at Rains and Pogrebin, based in New York, urged U.S. and state labor departments to set guidelines for employers. "The law has not caught up to modern-day practices," he warns."

10:23:39 AM    

Forbes Magazine round up of articles on telework, part 1:

The Dark Side of Telecommuting [Forbes, July 14, 2003] reports that the trend toward teleworking is growing, 'Last year 32 million people were telecommuters in the U.S., and it is estimated that 50 million employees--one-third of the U.S. workforce--will be telecommuting by 2006.' Tim Kane, president of ITAC, says telework benefits employees by enabling them to balance work/life issues, while businesses can save on real estate and technology costs.

Sounds great, right? So what's the downside?

"There are plenty of horror stories out there," says ITAC's Kane. "Most of the people it didn't work out for are those who were involved in a program that was not put together well by their employer."

10:22:13 AM