Telecommuting
 February 2, 2005

Increasingly, as we recruit senior administrative managers for law firms, the subject of telecommuting is raised at some point in the interview process. The issue came into sharp definition for us recently when the ideal candidate for a director position with a large national law firm did not want to move his family to the firm’s headquarters city. The candidate proposed that, since the job required extensive travel anyway, he telecommute. He pointed out that the two people to whom he reported (the Executive Director and the Managing Partner) were both located in firm offices other than the headquarters office and it should not make any difference where he worked.

Most law firms, however, view telecommuting as a temporary arrangement, either to accommodate a personal leave of absence or as an occasional break from commuting. But if current trends continue, telecommuting as a permanent work arrangement will become a significant HR issue for law firms in the next couple of years. It is our observation that many of the problems that occur as a result of telecommunication result from a lack of predetermined policies and standards and the absence of a formal agreement between the telecommuter and the law firm.

This is such a front burner issue for us in recruiting that we have developed a sample telecommuting policy and agreement for use by our clients. If you would like a copy, simply send us an e-mail.