Forums
TELECOMMUTING- To Be or not to Be-that is the question
Legal Forum
TELECOMMUTING- To Be or not to Be-that is the question
Discuss employment-law issues such as family leave, overtime, disabilities law, harassment, immigration and termination.
I need the "astute" knowledge of this panel of HR authorities. We have an exempt employee who works from home at least 3 days a week. It is really frowned upon that he does this and he has been told t
0
Cat:Topic ForumsForum:ForumId54
Cat:Topic ForumsForum:ForumId54Discussion:DiscussionId35951
Forums » Topic Forums » Legal Forum » TELECOMMUTING- To Be or not to Be-that is the question
|
TELECOMMUTING- To Be or not to Be-that is the question
posted at 7/13/2009 10:39 AM EDT
|
Posts: 17
First: 2/23/2009 Last: 7/13/2009 |
I need the "astute" knowledge of this panel of HR authorities. We have an exempt employee who works from home at least 3 days a week. It is really frowned upon that he does this and he has been told that it is getting out of hand. But, if we cannot come to some sort of an agreement for him to come in more- can we ask him to put in more hours since he is at home in his PJ's doing work-no longer commuting the distance. Also since he is no longer paying for gas, mileage on the car, can we lower his pay?(I'm thinking not, since he was hired to do the same job for the pay he has now-but, I'm not that confident in my own assessments of this situation). I don't think that this telecommuting was brought up when he started here, I just think it's something that evolved from him because of the upward costs of gas etc. Thanks for your input. |
|
|
TELECOMMUTING- To Be or not to Be-that is the question
posted at 7/14/2009 3:21 AM EDT
|
|
Posts: 1771
First: 10/24/2002 Last: 9/14/2011 |
First let me say that this is really weird. I have never, ever heard of an employer increasing a telecommuter's workload simply for the completely unbusinesslike reason that the telecommuter has more time available now that he doesn't have to spend it getting dressed and driving to work.
The reason you ask someone to do more work is because you have more work to do, not because he has more personal time available! That said, it wouldn't be illegal to do this...just nuts. (Except...you say this guy's exempt, however I note that everyone is classified as exempt at your workplace...if he really isn't exempt in the legal sense of the word, you may legally increase his workload, however, you'll have to pay him for the extra hours it takes him to complete the extra work.) I've also never, ever heard of an employer reducing someone's pay because the employee's personal expenses have decreased lately. You pay someone for the job he does, not for his personal expenses. What if this guy buys himself a yacht? Would you increase his pay because of all those yachting expenses he now has? That said, it would be perfectly legal to reduce his pay because he no longer has commuting expenses...but it would also be nuts. What is your objective in doing these things? You've said that this guy's telecommuting is "getting out of hand." If that's the case, why doesn't his boss just tell him that he must come into the office to work more often, and that if he doesn't, he will be fired? |
|
|
TELECOMMUTING- To Be or not to Be-that is the question
posted at 7/14/2009 12:44 PM EDT
|
|
Posts: 464
First: 6/30/2004 Last: 11/22/2010 |
The inmates are running the asylum.
This is an employee and must be reporting to someone. Did he or she just decide one day to stay at home and work? Then did he or she just decide to do that 3 days a week? I agree that the thoughts about work load and compensation are coming from an unprofessional perspective. You pay in exchange for tasks being completed. You also dictate when, where and how the work gets done. Do so. |
Forums » Topic Forums » Legal Forum » TELECOMMUTING- To Be or not to Be-that is the question
