Telecommuting takes many forms, including remote workers, virtual employees, multisite employees, or those who are just considered “working from home” — all terms used to describe an employee whose primary work is conducted away from your primary worksite. No matter the form, telecommuting has many benefits for both businesses and employees.
Employees typically embrace telecommuting because of the work-life balance. It eliminates commute time, can increase an employee’s job satisfaction and the ability to work in a comfortable home setting. For businesses, it provides opportunities to recruit outside of a geographic area, makes the company more attractive in an increasingly competitive job market, increases employee morale, reduces office expenses and space, and increases operational efficiencies.
But with all of these positives, telecommuting creates unique management challenges. Launching your workers away from the home base takes thoughtful preparation, and you can take some simple steps to minimize the legal risks created by telecommuting employees.
