As telecommuting becomes a part of the routine practice of law in many law firms, the availability of this option to some lawyers may have an adverse effect on others. The conventional wisdom has been that telecommuters are “out of sight, out of mind” and risk getting less favorable work assignments and opportunities for partnership. Surprisingly, a recent study by the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute seems to show that increased telecommuting may lead to increased disgruntlement by non-telecommuters. 

Some of this potential disgruntlement may be old fashion jealousy akin to sibling rivalry. The telecommuter is seen as getting away with something. But to a larger degree, there appears to be some truth in non-telecommuting lawyers’ concerns. Associates working in the office tend to get tagged for more last minute “grunt work” projects, whereas telecommuters’ assignments tend to be better thought out and more organized. Lawyers working in the office perceive that they must handle more simultaneous matters than telecommuters and have more billable hour sapping interruptions. They are prone to believe that they have less flexibility and must sustain a higher work load. Further, they feel that the burden of coordinating matters and communicating falls on them. As one associate told us, “When you call a person on another floor and they don’t answer, you assume they are in the library or a partner’s office. When you call a telecommuter, you assume they are out shopping.”

Not surprisingly the solution seems to be greater communication. One of the primary actions involves establishing a very clear set of rules and expectations for telecommuters including processes that may be more restrictive than those required of lawyers working in the office. 

For a copy of our white paper on implementing a telecommuting policy, click here or go to our website (www.LRGLLC.com).