Away Game: Law Firms Need Policies for Remote Workers

Working from home ain’t the same as working in the office.  I mean, you can’t do your laundry at the office – unless you have a really nice office setup.  Now, the thing that’s interesting is that most law firms – most employers, I would go so far as to say – treat in-office and virtual employees the same way.  That’s a combination of inertia, and a failure of imagination.  But, that’s not the only problem.  Remote employees also require law firms to adopt additional policies. 

The most obvious, bedrock policy in that regard is the remote work policy.  But, it also makes sense to build a data security policy (also known as a written information security program (WISP)), which does not have to be a huge document (1-2 pages suffice), and which may be required by state law.  That would cover your data protection guidelines, inside of and outside of the office.  If your outsourced staff are contractors, you should also have an independent contractor agreement, with each of them, while making sure these folks are actually independent contractors, and not employees. 

 

When the nature of work changes, the collection of your office policies needs to be updated. 

 

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If you’re looking to better manage your remote staff, let’s have a virtual meeting! 

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