Telecommuting and Vacations
When does a vacation begin if your telecommuting office is mobile? Fred telecommutes. Mostly Fred works from his home. But with all the gadgets he has, he could be home or pretty much anywhere else that has cell service, and no one would know. Fred hasn't taken any vacation time in two years. So what's the problem?
The problem is that Fred's company doesn't have a clear telecommuting policy. So as long as Fred's doing his work, he doesn't have to take his vacation time. So again, what's the problem?
From Fred's standpoint, nothing, unless he's in a state that allows a "use it or lose it" vacation time system where if you don't use your vacation in the year or two when it was granted, you lose it. And he loses the ability to really get away and clear his mind, re-connect with his family, nature, adrenaline or whatever else he might want to connect with. And although he may not care now, in the long run this is not healthy for Fred.
From Fred's company's standpoint it's a big problem. In many states (including California) vacation time is considered "earned" and can not be lost if it's not used. When Fred leaves the company they will have to pay him for all that unused vacation, so they have to accrue that vacation time as a liability.
I don't believe in a "one size fits all" telecommuting plan that will work for all companies. Sometimes it's as simple as designating the "telecommuting office" location. In that case the employee's home (usually) is considered a remote location and if the employee is not home, he or she is not at work.
For a client who needed a management person to be available to his subordinates, the policy included being "at a desk where he could access his laptop, not just email, and receive incoming phone calls" during certain hours. They didn't care if he was in a hotel or at home. But he couldn't be on the ski slopes with a bluetooth and a cell phone.
