Tuesday, November 27, 2001 -- HR and Legal Issues in Telework Implementation

Sponsored by: ITAC - the International Telework Association and Council Moderated by Gil Gordon, president of Gil Gordon Associates

(Real Audio)

(Windows Media)

(PlaceWare per-slide audio)

Duration: 90 minutes

Computers, phones, modems are all important for telework success.  But the people issues are more important - if you don't pay attention to them you'll end up with employee relations headaches.  Fortunately, we know how to avoid those headaches.

Telework isn't a perk, a benefit, or entitlement.  It's just a different way of doing a job - and there are well-understood do's and don'ts for selecting and managing teleworkers and for crafting the policies and practices in a successful program.

During this PlaceWare presentation, you will learn about:

-       HR "Musts" for Telework Success - Janice Miholics

-       Measuring and Managing Teleworker Effectiveness - Joe Roitz

-       Steering Clear of Legal & Regulatory Potholes  - Frank Connolly

Janice Miholics, a Vice President within Merrill Lynch Corporate Human Resources.  As Manager of the Global Telework Strategies program, the firm’s corporate standard for telework, She is accountable for all aspects of the design, implementation and management of the program, which was initiated in 1996.  Her extensive experience within the Firm includes Human Resources as well as Client Services management.  Prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 1990, she was a Human Resources professional for Allied Department Stores. CONTACT: [email protected]

Joe Roitz is the AT&T Telework Director, leading this award-winning 35,000-teleworker program producing $150M in yearly benefit.  He managed the research and implementation which led to the reversal of the well-publicized "plateau" in participation in AT&T’s program, has appeared in many media, and produces AT&T’s telework resource site.  Immediately prior to this, he was an IT director, following assignments in communications, finance, R&D and engineering.  He has a BSME, is currently finishing his MBA with the University of Phoenix online, and has been a fully virtual manager for five years. CONTACT: [email protected]

Frank W. Connolly practices management-side labor and employment law in the labor and employment practice group of Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe LLP. He devotes considerable attention to employment issues including telecommuting/teleworking practices and policies. Mr. Connolly has written and/or spoken on numerous employment law topics, including telecommuting and teleworking, and technology and privacy issues in the workplace. He graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center, and received his baccalaureate degree from the University of Chicago.  He is admitted to practice in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and New York.  He believes that it is vital for employers to keep labor and employment laws and human resource concerns in mind when they are considering telecommuting programs or addressing issues related to telecommuting.

MODERATOR Gil Gordon heads Gil Gordon Associates and since 1982 has been consulting with employers around the world to set up successful telework programs. His Web site has become the predominant Internet resource on telework, and he is respected around the world as a true telework pioneer. He has been an ITAC board member for six years and most recently served as vice president.  His latest book is TURN IT OFF: How to Unplug from the Anytime-Anywhere Office Without Disconnecting Your Career www.turnitoff.com.