Conference 7.286::digital

	A few years ago, a woman wanted to do pretty much what you are 
asking.  Her request was turned down, it was said, because they didn't want 
to set a precedent.  She took her maternity leave, had her baby, and on the 
day she was to return to work, quit the company.

-joet

P.S.  For the past two years, she has been an independent contractor, 
billing DEC at about twice what her salary would have been had she been 
allowed to stay.

Re .0:

I work for a documentation group. As I mentioned in an earlier note, we have
had several people work from home on a more or less permanent basis, much
in the style you seek. I've known other groups to raise extreme resistance
to such (-1).

There are problems on both sides, as well as advantages. The problems the
employees have encountered range from ``Life at 1200 Baud'' to small children
spilling formula on a printer. The isolation, and what that does to a worker,
is widely documented and not well solved.

From the employer's perspective, be it the company or the manager, there
are certain costs, such as equipment and telephones. Conferences are sometimes
difficult to arrange. Also, a person working in isolation may not be as
adaptable to sudden changes in a product schedule. Project selection becomes
important.

The pluses, though, generally outweigh the minuses. The company is able to
retain the services of a trained employee. That employee is able to work
undistracted on a project, away from the seemingly crucial, but ultimately
trivial crises of the office.

Ask around. It's been done, successfully, often, and for a long time. Good
luck.

kh
                              -30-

ICL operate this kind of set-up in UK, usually for maintenance of
software that nobody else wants to maintain.    I think it is really
a matter for managerial discretion ie if the logistics are practical,
why not.    Such possibilities are particularly advantageous in times
of hiring freezes.
Howard

here the policy is the same as Howard said in .3 The manager chooses if the
practice is to be allowed for each of the requestors.

    i think to work from home you need the following things:

    1) a workstation, much better than a just a terminal, and you need a
       high speed modem. 
    2) need another telephone line, because one is used for the modem.
    3) need a local printer to print stuff on it.

    other than that, you are all set, one can do as much work , may be
    more from home compared with the work cube, because one at home
    can pull your legs up, and can listen to music while working and
    can make your favorite coffee too.

    i think we need to form a task force to analyze this matter official
    and make recommendations to it implemented, since there are many savings 
    to working from home social and environmental benefits as well.

    /nasser

    RE: .5 A number of studies have been done bot hin the US and elsewhere.
    The needs are known as are the costs. I think pilot projects have
    also been done. It works fine. There is just one problem. Managers
    who don't believe people are working unless they can see them at their
    desks.
    
    Check out the TELEWORK conference for more information.
    
    		Alfred

	Thereare also health and saftey issues, tax regarding using a room for 
	work, social issues - can only those who can afford extra room work from
	home, security issues, data, software and hardware..............

	Heather

    In MD, we had an official pilot called H.O.M.E. - for those desiring to
    work from home.  You needed your manager's approval, you needed to come
    in to your office once per week minimum, you got a separate phone line,
    etc.
    
    A number of people did sign up and go for it, I don't know the actual
    numbers.
    
    In this day of downsizing, I'd think out of sight, out of mind, you
    might be targeted to go.  IMHO

>    In MD, we had an official pilot called H.O.M.E. - for those desiring to
>    work from home. 

There was an announcement in late March or early April on Live Wire that this
official policy/whatever would be on VTX under Policies and Procedures by mid-
April. However, I can't find it. 

I'm interested in what the policy/support for working partly from home, partly
at work is, if there is any such.

Anybody know what happened to this?

Thanks much,
John O.