We considered the general benefits of telework for information technology, creative, and marketing professionals in Telework: Working Out the Bugs, Part 1. We also asked you to “Check Your Teleworkability.” If you’ve done that and you’re ready for telework, here are two more points to ponder:
2. Understand What It Is
You, you manager, and the company need to understand what each other means by telework. First, understand upfront what the company will supply and pay for in the way of equipment and network connections. Will that include iPhones? What about office supplies like everything from paperclips to coffee filters?
Should your employer pay for part of your home phone and office expenses? How might the company ensure access to equipment and information that stays at the office?
What about the time you spend at Starbucks? Will they pay for your wireless time there or will you have to go to Panera or someplace that offers free wireless?
How will you the teleworker and your office stay in touch? Sure you have a cell phone, maybe a fax machine, and IM on your laptop. But at the office, when you don’t answer any of them, they can knock on your door or pop into your cubicle. Consider a rule that says you have to answer your phone or respond to messages by a certain amount of time.
Think about forwarding your office phone to your cell phone. What files or other documents will you need to take with you when you leave your regular workplace?
Once you’ve agreed on these policies, you and your manger should periodically evaluate the arrangement and make changes as necessary. If your company adopts telework on a large scale, you might want to hire what the government calls a Telework Coordinator. Someone always on hand to answer questions, to clarify policy, and to assist with needs at both ends.
3. Make Sure You Are Secure
I’m talking principally about information backup. Data backup may be more difficult if teleworkers keep vital docs and resources at home. Make sure your data and the data you share with your employer are as secure and redundant as it is at the office.
Establish policy regarding the security of any relevant materials, including files, correspondence, and equipment. Depending on the sensitivity of the information being handled, your home office may need to practice security measures such as locking a room or file cabinets, shredding and disposing of shredded documents, and so on.
What kind of privacy must you ensure when you talk on your phone at home? And when you’re not at the office, is it safe to work and talk on your cell phone in Starbucks?
In your discussions with your employer, you’ll ask and answer many more questions, but these should get you headed in the right telework direction.
[...] for all this? If so, we’ll consider defining telework and ensuring security Wednesday in Telework: Working out the Bugs, Part 2. Share and [...]