Comments on: Managing Telecommuters

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:33:23 +0000

I like this discussion at a few levels. I have a business that manages the telecommute so I get excited to see relevant dialogue. We handle the 15 (or so) pieces of the telework puzzle for businesses and government agencies. Starting with Policy and finishing with Support we handle every piece in the middle from Voice and Data, to collaboration and Productivity management. Have you discussed, on your blog, the issue of Tax incentives and or Penalty's (maybe associated with the Cap and Trade GHG legislations….)iPeople in favor or against? It seems you focus only on home office lawyers, not large practices or even the legal services that may be related to serving the employers or employees of larger enterprises and gov agencies. You probably know this but 50 Million will be working from home in 08.
Anyhow, the reason this is a solid discussion (in my humble opinion) is because the issue of independent contractor vs. employee is something that is going to happen more and more as a result of the "flat world". More interesting to me, though, is the issue of "results based work" vs time based measurement. We call it productivity management. Gartner points it out as "management's inability to manage by objective rather than time" . At the core, the issue is really, "what are the employees doing when they work from home?". This is the #1 inhibitor for middle management when it comes to allowing a two day a week telework program. If businesses managed by objective more this would be a non issue, in theory.
Do you have any recommendations for the best resource for OSHA, State Regulations etc as it relates to Telecommuting. Also, legislation around tax incentives/ credits. Or Precedent for HIPPA and Home based workers, Precedent for Utility reimbursement, Non Exempt Workers, etc…..
We have some good stuff on our site (research related) but we are in the middle of an overhaul on the research, whitepapers, ROI calculator etc and a blog…. Should be a week or so away. I'm always looking for more information out there…. Thanks for reading.

By: Tina Hilton

Tina Hilton — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:19:52 +0000

As a virtual assistant offering Real Estate Law/Title Assistance, it was wonderful to stumble upon your blog and see that there are professionals out there who see the value in teaming up with a virtual assistant. It was like getting my own personal pep rally. Thanks!

By: Vikki Watanabe

Vikki Watanabe — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:52:37 +0000

Recently, I came across this website. The first article I read was about Virtual Assistant's.
I am a Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant. VBA's work specifically for Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys preparing bankruptcy petitions. As such, there are many of us out there preparing petitions under the direct supervision of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.
It is my hope that more attorneys will come to realize the value and benefits of contracting a Virtual Assistant and/or a Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant.
It was a great to read your post as an attorney who utilizes the services of a VA.
Thank you for sharing.
V. Watanabe
Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant

By: Michael Haaren

Michael Haaren — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:16:31 +0000

Enjoyed your post — In our own VA trainings, we often mention the variety of attorneys who could benefit from having a VA, and it's wonderful to hear how well it's working out in your own practice. Thanks for sharing!

By: Althea Tan

Althea Tan — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:39:54 +0000

I work with VAs myself by providing them services for their clients. I agree that VAs are independent contractors and not employees because they are paid per project in general