The Telecommuter Manifesto

When most of us hear the term data security, we naturally think about our computer.  While that is certainly an important part of data security, there are some other aspects of particular importance to telecommuters.

The first is the fact that you are probably generating physical data in the form of printouts, hand written notes, or whiteboard drawings.  While these items remain relatively safe in the office, they pose a greater risk at home.  If you were to inadvertently leave a proprietary document in the office, there would be limited damage potential.

From a corporate espionage perspective, a telecommuter’s home is a much softer target than a corporate office.  Not only does physical security tend to be much lighter, a thwarted theft attempt at a home doesn’t necessarily cast suspicion on business competitors, where a corporate break in certainly does.

Telecommuters may be more lax about discarding proprietary data, but they really should be more diligent.  I recommend that everyone invest in a high capacity, and high quality shredder to destroy all company information before recycling or placing in the trash.  You should have a shredder for personal use to help prevent identity theft anyway, so you can just add company docs to your shred pile.  Some companies will even provide shredders to telecommuting employees to inspire them to practice strict data security habits.

Your home network is another area where data security goes beyond your computer.  If you have a work issued computer and connect to the corporate network directly through a VPN, then security isn’t much worse off than in the office, though there are more places where a breach could occur.  In reality, many telecommuters work in a much more compromised way.  They may either commingle work and personal files on a home computer, use a home computer for work purposes, or have a more complicated home network that includes weakly protected access points.  Few companies have unsecured wireless access to their corporate networks, but far too many home networks have unsecured wireless access.  If a company computer, or home computer with company files is weakly protected the possibility of proprietary data being compromised is considerably higher.

Companies can help their telecommuters by providing shredders and physical data security training as well as IT support for configuring a secure network environment.  A site-survey by IT (or a discussion with the telecommuter to ascertain their data security aptitude) is certainly appropriate.  Without proper precautions, the many corporate benefits of allowing telecommuting could quickly be eclipsed by the damage caused by a breach in data security at a telecommuter’s home.

photo credit: IRRI Images

Despite all the progress telecommuters have made in becoming an accepted form of employee, some coworkers still don’t get it.  Whether by jealousy or ignorance, they just don’t seem to give you the respect you deserve.  You can call and email to your heart’s content and still not get the desired response from people of this persuasion.  A useful tactic in this situation is to employ an on-site goon.

That’s the term I use to describe someone physically located at the work site who can be used to do your bidding.  I don’t intend this as a disparaging remark and hold my on-site goons in the highest regard.  These people can be subordinates or colleagues of equal status, though the former is the more likely case.  It is important that your on-site goon has some standing though, or else they will not be taken seriously.

An on-site goon is used as your proxy in situations where a physical presence can help a problem to be resolved most efficiently.  If I am dealing with someone who is notoriously bad at responding to email and voice mail, I’ll send my on-site goon to meet them face to face.  This also works well when action is required on the factory floor, in a distant lab, etc where phone or email communication is lacking.  I even send my goons to meetings that I will attend (through teleconference) to read faces and non-verbal reactions for me.  This is the type of valuable information that cannot be assessed from afar.

For whatever reason, some people respond best when action is taken in person.  To reduce the frequency of trips to the office, I leverage my on-site goons whenever possible.  By delegating this one aspect of my job that cannot be done remotely, I retain much of the authority and power that I have in the office, without actually having to be there.

This post was chosen as one of the 50 Must-Reads for Job Hunters, Telecommuters and Freelancers at FoundValue.

We all have reasons to be out of the office during the work day: doctor’s appointments, banking business, and even an extended lunch are a few that come to mind.  When you work in an office, you probably shoot your boss an email about your absence.  As a telecommuter, it may seem strange to follow that same practice, since your boss probably wouldn’t even notice your absence.

It can be tempting to leave your telecommuting work without telling your boss, and they may in fact not even notice, but doing so hardly seems worth the risk.  Telecommuters tend to be scrutinized more than office workers so a small indiscretion like forgetting to tell your boss that you’ll be out could escalate into a major offense.  It’s harder to build, and especially regain, trust from a remote location.  Telecommuting is a pretty sweet deal, so you should be extra careful not to jeopardize you ability to work remotely.

Also, few of us use all of our personal time in a given year.  As a telecommuter, the same thought process that makes you work when you’re sick, may inspire you to skimp on personal time.  Skipping out on work without telling your boss is bad enough to begin with.  Not using personal time (which you’ll probably end up forfeiting at the end of the year anyway) is just plain stupid.  The best way to ensure that you can continue telecommuting for a long time is to handle situations at least as cautiously as you would in the office.  Using personal time and informing your boss of any brief absenses are both the right thing to do.  You might be able to get away without doing either, but the consequences of getting caught hardly seem worth it.