Technological advances provide opportunities for companies to creatively engage employees, changing the landscape of how companies employ people, who they employ and where the employee works. As more companies move onto the world stage, employers engaging global telecommuters face cutting-edge legal challenges that can be successfully managed by thoughtful planning.
In an article published 28 August 2009 in the San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal, Baker & McKenzie lawyers Susan Eandi and Ute Krudewagen discuss complex corporate, tax and employment issues in telecommuting. The article touches on the numerous considerations — including tools/infrastructure that must be provided, health and safety, wage and hour compliance, data privacy, confidentiality and employee monitoring — that employers should anticipate to optimize telecommuting in their organizations.
Lawyers Douglas Darch, Jenni Field, Elizabeth Lieb, Pat Powers, as well as Ms. Krudewagen, further expounded on these concerns during a global telecommuting webinar held 1 September 2009.