Conference moira::parenting_v3

    
    
    oops!!!
    
    please ignore my duplication of that note... as you can see, I entered
    it in a Uk conference called "working parents"... unfortunately our
    notesfile doesn't seem to generate as much interest/replies as yours!
    
    Ann.

    Ann,
    
    I think it is really up to your manager and the type of the work
    you are doing.  I am a software engineer.  After I had my son,
    I worked at home every Friday for the first 6 months.  My manager
    was very supportive and since I kept my project on schedule, there
    was no problems.
    
    I am also expecting on Sept..  This time I plan to take a 
    workstation home.  May be work part time at office and part time
    at home for the first few months.
    
    I would say if you have a supportive manager, it is definitely
    possible.
    
    Wendy

    I will be working six hours per week from home starting August 6th.  I
    have also done this in the past when my children were babies.  Since
    it was only 6 hrs. per week I would usually log in during the evening
    hours or weekends when network traffic was low.  I use TSN, now called
    WATN, a terminal packet switching network.  I can call a local number
    and connect into my system without incurring phone charges.  If this
    is not reliable this time around I may try FX lines.
    
    I'd recommend contacting your local Telecom group for their
    recommendations.  I'm not familiar with what is available in
    Europe.
    
    The bottom line is if you have support from your manager you're all
    set.  The technical issues can be worked out.  Corporations must
    promote more part-time,flex-time,job-sharing, etc to make it in
    the 1990's...  I think Digital has recognized this and will be more
    and more supportive of creative work schedules.
    
    Good luck....
    

    From what I gathered, you implied that you can probably work from home,
    but I think the questions therefore is not CAN you work from home, but
    can YOU work from home ?   It seems to take a lot of additional effort
    to work from home on a regular reliable basis ... there are just too
    many distractions.  I have a real hard time when I take work home,
    as does my wife, when she worked many years ago.  On the other hand,
    many people I know are well organised and can do it easily.
    
    One of the important things is having a place you can work where
    you don't have to clear everything away to make a meal (like the
    dining room table!) and that you can leave books and so on around
    and yet at the same time be convenient for the telephone line.
    
    A colleague has just had her first baby and she thought she would
    be dialing in far more to check on happenings ... as it happens
    she has found herself too busy with baby and home since she is
    in it most of the time.
    
    Stuart

Ann:

	I'm located here in the US, so I don't know what the procedures are in
Europe but here's what I did. During the latter part of my pregnancy, I worked 
1 day/week from home.  I returned to work in March, part-time, 20 hours/week,
4 of those hours from home.

	This situation has worked out really well for me.  Both times, I've 
had a workstation at home which minimizes any phone expenses.  Also, any time
I have to dial in, I try to do that during off-hours using FX.

	As to Stuart's points in -.1, I agree.  You need to have a workspace
dedicated to you.  Also, I've found that it's best to have a definite time(s)
dedicated to working.  During those hours, my husband is responsible for the
baby, house, phone, etc.  Basically, he makes sure nothing disturbs me while
I'm working.

	

	Hope this helps,

- Terry

    I work from home on occasion...  I am today (Sunday) but I decided to
    take a break and read some notes :-)  I've found that I'm much more
    productive when I work at home as there's actually *less* distractions
    here, if you can believe .  I have all my stuff set up in an office
    which is away from the "living" part of my house.  I have a separate
    phone (which only my manager knows the number) and I can really get
    into my work.  It also helps that my manager is flexible, but it also
    helps that when I arrive at the office I always have a pile of stuff
    that I've produced.  I don't have set days that I stay home and work.
    For example, I have a fairly large project due in two weeks and on
    Thursday I told her I wouldn't be in on Friday as I needed to get more
    done than I could at the office.  I worked on Friday, Saturday and
    Sunday while my daughter slept (during the day and the evening) and
    right now she's out with her Dad so I'm getting even more done today.
    I'm planning on quitting in about an hour because we've got dinner
    guests arriving in two hours...
    
    For me, this has been ideal and not because it allows me time with my
    child, but because it allows me to get more done.  Being with my
    daughter more is just one of the benefits.  I really do agree that you
    definately need a space in your home that's "just for work", however.
    I think I'd give up working at home if I didn't have this office that
    I'm in right now.
    
    - Kathryn
    

It would NEVER have worked for me with my daughter.  She only napped
20 minutes at a time, and spent the rest of her time crying.  This
lasted about 3-4 months.  Since I do customer support it wouldn't have
been feisable.  Quite frankly, going BACK to the office was my Godsend.

It will certainly depend on you, your manager, but perhaps most of
all, your particular baby.

    Ann,
    
    I live in Basingstoke, UK and am about to do a similar
    thing.  I am expecting in October, and am a Project
    Manager in EIS.
    
    I intend to hold a Project Meeting at my house once a 
    week for the team, both before the baby is born and 
    after.  Also, I will log in to read and action my mail
    hopefully every day.  I have a good line and no problems
    with it.
    
    I think, as the last reply said, you have to accept that
    you may have a baby that will not allow you reasonable
    time to do any major contructive work, so I have planned
    no more than the weekly meeting and mail.  If I find the
    baby sleeps well, then I'll do more.
    
    Also, some previous replies suggested a dedicated space.
    I have set up a room as an office, with my PC and two
    desks and all the manuals I may need plus a phone
    extension.  So hopefully this should satisfy the space
    requirement.
    
    I think it is true that having your managers support is
    the main thing, but also, be realistic about it and don't
    commit to too much until you know what sort of baby you
    have, and how you are coping.
    
    All the best,
    Sarah
    

    thanks everyone...
    
    	my manager's cetainly supportive... so hopefully that will help
    things along.
    
    	Ann

    One more opinion here -- but I have heard my opinion echoed
    by many new mothers, so I would assume it's more of a general
    viewpoint:
    
    It is more difficult to work from home with a new baby around
    than one might imagine. It doesn't necessarily depend on 
    if you have a "good sleeper" (i.e. one who naps on a regular
    basis.) For the first few months, you need to be resting
    when the baby is, since many (most?) babies get up a few times
    during the night, and many take short, unscheduled naps
    or eat at irregular times. 
    
    I had one of those "good" babies -- Sarah only woke once/night
    on average, would take good naps, was an easy-to-care-for baby.
    Still, I was worn-out, wasn't mentally ready to venture
    into the working world or really muster up energy to contact
    coworkers. I didn't want to think about money or work issues
    or other people. I wanted to think and talk baby. I wanted
    to cuddle, nurse, and stare at Sarah. After three months, I
    began to crawl out of this wonderful shell and by four months
    was just ready to return to work full time.
    
    The point is, if you are assuming you'll be emotionally ready to
    log on in, type up a few reports, send some mail, answer
    some calls for help... or whatever... well, you might not be.
    In that [what I think is a healthy] emotionally cocooned 
    state, you just might not be able to work at home.
    
    Of course, even if you are up and ready for the world...
    there's the unending effort of babycare.
    I calculated the time it takes to care for a baby on your own --
    it's a full 16 hour day. That may or may not include washing
    the breakfast dishes. Probably that doesn't include time to wash
    the kitchen floor. 
    
    I could have worked at home *if* I had a house keeper 4 days
    a week and a FULL TIME childminder who took the full responsibility
    for the baby and rarely needed me. To believe that I had time
    to do two jobs at one time would have been setting myself
    up for emotional disaster.
    
    I know there are mothers that do both, but I just don't know how.
    Sarah's now a year old,
    and I still can't imagine looking after her while trying to
    work (I do try this on the weekends sometimes, but an hour's work
    takes four hours to do.) Come to think of it, as she's gotten
    into the toddler stage, she takes even more time.
    
    In summary, to work at home, you need:
    
    -Good network access,
    -Your own work area/office (with door that can be closed tightly),
    -Earplugs,
    -A nanny,
    -A maid.
    
    
    Best of luck, Barbara
     

    I have contracted to work 8 hours at home. Since my son has never been
    one to nap and I'm too tired at night, I put my hours in the office on
    weekends. My son gets us up with the birds, so I come in on the weekends
    around 6 or 7 to get my hours in. I find I get a lot done since I have
    the office to my self. There has also been an added benefit; Dad has
    learned to fend for himself with the baby. Now, I think they enjoy my
    not being there so they can hang out together. Dad started to take a
    bigger interest in helping with the baby once I started this schedule.
    Since I get into the office so early, I can do my work and still have 
    the most of the day to enjoy the weekend. 
    
    This might work better if you aren't lucky enough to have a 'napper'.

    re.  192.10
    
    Right on the mark, in my opinion.  I can't add more other than second
    it (or third or whatever) if anyone's keeping a tally.
    
    My son was like Liz's in .? - slept 20 minutes at a time, screamed
    the rest for the first 3-4 months of his life.   Any "free" time
    was for personal rejuvenation which may or may not have including
    catching up on work.
    
    Carol

    hmmm....
    
    	I'll certainly bear all that in mind. However, one factor that
    makes attempting to work from home seem like a real plus is that when
    I move house I'm going to have a 90 mile round trip to get to work and
    back... I just feel that if I try and cope with new baby, plus work,
    plus a long journey each day then I probably will crack up!
    
    ... so the only option I have to try and reshuffle all that to make
    life simpler is to move work to home! Really, what I'd like to do is
    work 3 days in the office and 2 days at home - that way I figure I can 
    make superhuman efforts to get as much as possible done on my days in
    the office... and then I can just muddle through the days at home.
    
    I don't think it will be easy... but with my managers agreement I think
    I'll certainly have to try it!
    
    .. if I survive I'll let you all know :-)
    
    Ann

    
    
    I worked from home for approximately 18 months and really enjoyed
    it!!!!!  I started when my 3rd daughter was born.  In the beginning
    it was really easy because she an easy going baby and slept a great
    deal.   As she got older I gave her a spare key board so she could
    work like mom.   
    
    I got alot more done at home then I have ever gotten done at the
    office.  
    
    Perhaps the most difficult thing I had to deal with was when management
    changes, attitudes about 'creative' work enviorment can change with
    it. 
    
    Had I been able to continue my work at home arrangement I was going
    to hire a 'grandmotherly' (or fatherly) type who wanted to play
    with my kids while I worked.  It seemed to me that there are an
    awfull lot of elderly who would enjoy spending time with children
    without the full responciblitiy of care.  Since I would have been
    home it would be the best of both worlds for all of us.
    
    
    Susan

    I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 months old and I've been working at
    home for about 2 months.  It hasn't been easy for me.  I think it's
    the anxiety of knowing you have to put x amount of time in and
    wondering if it will be at all possible (depending on the babies mood). 
    I think it also depends on the kind of work you will be doing.
    If you really love your work than maybe it can work in a positive way. 
    Sort of like a break from the daily routine.
    
    
    
    

    First of all CONGRATULATIONS, Ann
    
    I first read this note last week but didn't have time to reply.  Now
    I've got time to reply and I see that Barbara (.10) has replied with
    almost exactly what I was going to say.  When my daughter was newborn I
    might have had the time to work from home but I didn't have the energy
    or inclination.  Now Alison is 14 months old, I wouldn't even have the
    time  (I'm talking about trying to work 37.5 hours a week from home, not
    the odd couple of hours here and there).  Come to think of it, even
    when Alison was newborn and sleeping a lot I would have been pushed to
    get enough time - when she was asleep I was either sleeping myself or
    doing some baby related task, or making a half hearted attempt to make the
    house look half way clean and tidy before the Health Visitor came to
    visit.
    
    I think that if you are going to work from home for more than a few
    hours each week you will need some form of childcare, just as if you
    were going out to work.  I think that if I were to try to work full
    time from home without some form of childcare, it would be unfair on my 
    daughter to expect her to play on her own while I worked, and unfair on 
    me and my husband to try to fit 37.5 hours of work into her sleeping hours.
    
    If you employ someone to look after your baby in the same house that 
    you are working in, the situation requires careful handling.  What do 
    you do if you are working away in the study and you hear your baby 
    screaming hyterically.  Do you trust the nanny to cope, or do you 
    immediately break off work and spent half an hour trying to calm your 
    baby.   What do you do with an older child who knows you're in the house 
    and bangs on your door because s/he wants to play with Mummy?  
    You would have to make sure that the nanny isn't constantly interrupting 
    you with questions etc.  Mind, you I don't think that any of these 
    things are insurmountable problems, they just need some careful 
    consideration.
    
    I think that splitting your time between working in the office and
    working at home is a good idea.  I think if I worked from home all the
    time I would miss the "office life", (chats with colleagues round
    the coffee machine, as well as impromptu work related discussions). 
    However the travelling will be tiring, and will add extra hours on to
    whatever childcare arrangement you find.
     
    Oh dear, I don't mean to sound too negative about this.  It's really 
    encouraging to hear that (some?) managers are being supportive about 
    working from home, flexible hours and part-time work, and it's good to 
    hear replies from people who have been able to work successfully from 
    home.
    
    Good luck, and I hope everything works out OK for you.
    
    _ Janet 
    
                                    

    It's certainly possible to work from home....I've been doing
    it since 1980.  I do come in once a week or so for group
    meetings....but I can rarely get anything done in the office.
    Working from home is VERY productive.

    But I'm not trying to take care of kids, etc. while i'm working.
    That would be pretty hard.  My wife is home too with our 4 kids,
    and the kids all know that Daddy's upstairs at Digital when
    I'm working....of course they do burst in with hurts or triumphs
    they want to share....and I'm here while kids are napping or the
    oldest is playing so Judy can get out.

    You may want to arrange for a local teenager to come over
    for some of your work time.  Once your child gets some sort
    of schedule, you will know how to schedule care around naps.
    Its simple to work while kids nap.....but VERY hard to
    try to work while your caring for them.

    I'm really amazed that our society doesn't more strongly support this
    yet.  In 1980 everyone believed it was right around the corner.
    Yet we're as far from it as ever.  I'ld miss my kids terribly if
    I had to leave them everyday.
    bob

    I whole-heartedly agree with Barbara (.10??) but the funny thing is
    that I had everything on her list and still could not do it simply for
    the reason that Janet mentioned (.16) - hearing what is going on and
    having the disciplne not to run downstairs and join in the fun and
    comfort a crabby child. 
    
    I brought home equipment to keep a-breast of office happenings. In my
    job I had finished the contract I was on and there was no need to be
    involved in real work. Plus, it is my STD and I have no intention of
    spending hours of time "working" with no "payback". I tried dialing in
    a few times and the equipment was so cumberson that I started using my
    husband's with a built in modem - easier but still not me cup of tea.
    
    When I did return to work I often had to monitor a monthly process that
    was taking place  throughout the weekends. It was expected of the job.
    It was very difficult with a child clawing at the door trying to see
    what mommy was doing and needed my undivided attention so allowing him
    to play in the room at the same time was a major distraction. 
    
    Personally, I cannot do it. I have a mind-set that seperates home and
    work - work stays at work and home is dedicated to my family. My
    husband does quite a bit of work in the evenings and on weekends and I
    have always been heavily involved in his job. Maybe I do do work at
    home but it's not my own so I am more relaxed about it and don't have
    to account for hours.
    
    I'm glad to see the DEC is going the way of more flex-time, part-time, 
    etc, especially with the current statistic of 85% of all employees
    being able to perform their job from home full-time. 
    
    I'd like to know what managers think about having people working from
    home(full time) and having the children still accessible. It must be
    pretty hard to work 40 hours a week while children are sleeping, still
    spend time with your SO and have the energy to take care of the
    children.
    
    Andrea 

    Working from home can work -- I do it once or twice a month -- but
    when I do, I send James to day care.  I have to pay anyway, so I
    may as well, right?
    
    What helps me is to start right in as soon as I come back from
    dropping James off.  That would be about 7:45 a.m.  Then I take
    a 15 minute break in the morning, a 40-45 minute lunch (OK, sometimes
    it's an hour!), and a 15-20 minute break in the afternoon.  I do not
    read notes (:-)), clean out files, or anything like that.  The most
    housework I'll do is throw a load of laundry in, or stir what's in
    the crock pot.  I wrap it up between 4 and 4:30.  If I still need
    to work, I do so after James goes to bed at about 8 p.m.
    
    I guess the thing that drives me the craziest is that when you have a
    modem at home, you can only work (at least on our system) at 1200
    baud, which is damnably slow, and it drives me BERSERK.  Other than
    that, it really isn't bad....
    
    The other thing I do is ask our secretary to tell callers to send mail.
    This way, I'm not spending the entire day on the phone, either.  Plus,
    I don't have a zillion phone calls to return when I get to the office
    the next day, either!
    
    Something that has worked well for me in the past, especially when
    the weather is bad, is to log in from home and work till 9 or 9:30,
    then drive in after traffic has cleared.  I feel better because I'm
    being productive, instead of just twiddling my thumbs in traffic.
    That's an alternative you can discuss with your manager.
    
    I would say, don't expect to get a lot done if the little one is
    underfoot.  It's different when they're babies, but once they get
    to be James' age, it's real hard to get anything done on the terminal
    unless they are sleeping or out of the house altogether.  Not intended
    as a criticism, just a fact of life, at least in my house.
    
    

>    I guess the thing that drives me the craziest is that when you have a
>    modem at home, you can only work (at least on our system) at 1200
>    baud, which is damnably slow, and it drives me BERSERK.  Other than
>    that, it really isn't bad....
 
Why is this?  We sell 9600 baud modems, and they are pretty reasonably priced.
If you work ver often from home, it would DEFINITELY be worth the investment
to purchase two (one for your home and one to answer).

>    The other thing I do is ask our secretary to tell callers to send mail.
>    This way, I'm not spending the entire day on the phone, either.  Plus,
>    I don't have a zillion phone calls to return when I get to the office
>    the next day, either!

Definitely a must.  Don't even let them know you are near a phone.  Just have
the secretary say "S/he is unavailable today, but is reading mail."  That way
there is no temptation for them to call you at home!!!!

Kristen

	This is going down a rathole but what the heck....

	Most sites DON'T have 9600 baud dial up lines.  It's not enough to 
have a 9600 modem at home.  The site you are dialing into must be able to
receive at that rate as well.  At my site, I can only dial up at 1200 or 2400.
(Heck, we're just now retiring out VT100's)

	(I believe Kristen is at an ATC which would explain why she knows about 
9600 and doesn't understand why you don't have it.  ATC's get the latest and 
greatest so they can show it off to customers.)

Tracey 
(A system manager who struggles with OLD equipment.) 

    further down the rathole...
    
    yes, many sites have dialup at 1200/2400 only.  however, there is
    a world of difference between 1200 and 2400 baud (i don't know why
    but it seems more than twice as fast..).   the scholar modem is
    good to 2400 and i'd recommend trying it if you have the dial-in
    capability.
    

    You all are grievous spoiled.  My first several years of computing were
    via remotely submitted punched card batch jobs with 24 hour turnaround. 
    Effective bandwith could probably be measured in microbaud, especially
    when the output was only a compiler error message.  A few years later
    we broke through to remote time-sharing, via literal Teletype machines,
    whose output was about the speed of a mediocre typist (and incredibly
    much noisier).
    
    We knew we had reached Nirvana when we upgraded to LA36s and then even
    CRTs emulating VT52s, all operating over phone lines at the incredible
    pace of 300 baud!  Wow!  You could actually hope to get a complete
    printout of an 8 or 10 page report while you were out to lunch,
    providing the unattended LA36 didn't jamb.
    
    And all this was from offices!  You people want to complain about 2400
    baud from home???
    
    Actually, it doesn't depend solely on equipment at the two endpoints,
    but on the intermediate medium as well.  For example, to access my MLO
    host via TSN using a Maynard phone number, I can operate at 2400 baud. 
    However, if connect to TSN through a local (for me) number in Waltham,
    I am restricted to 300 or 1200 baud.  Actually, for Email, Notes, and
    the like, I find 1200 baud pretty tolerable.
    
    		- Bruce

Tracey,

You are right, I do work for an ACT.  And I realize we have many newer products
while other offices might be mistaken for museums!

But I believe I mentioned in my earlier reply that the 9600-baud modems were
inexpensive - I did not mean to assume anyone else already had them.  If I
remember right they are about $600 internal cost.  And if you get two of them
(which I also pointed out, as you have to have one on each end) the cost is
about $1200.  Most people can put together a cost-benefit justification for
the company to spend $1200 on them, and the ROI is much greater.  I have given
them to all of my staff, and then to others in our dept. who dial up most
often.  I really don't think it would be difficult to cost-justify, but maybe
I've been in an ACT too long!

Kristen

	Bruce,

	That's nothing!  When my Dad first started programming, he actually had 
to switch boards to program the bugger.

	Karen,

	You've been at an ACT too long! :-) 

Tracey 
(who as an moderator should probably stop this rathole, but as a conehead (local 
term for computer nerd) can't resist taking us furthur down it...:-) ) 

    Kristen, 
    
    Yes, you've been in ACT too long :) :)  Many of us couldn't
    justify $1200 for the whole group, let alone for one person.
    
    Besides, the telephone lines in our neighborhood aren't good
    enough to handle high-speed data transmission.  If I use the
    1200-baud setting, everything's fine, but if I try 2400 baud, I
    usually wind up with garbled garbage in my notes and frequently
    lose the line.
    
    I would recommend that anyone thinking of working at home check
    into the hardware aspects pretty thoroughly, though.  Find out how
    and where you dial in, what kinds of modems you can get, what
    kinds of dialups your facility has.  I'm only a local call from
    work, so it's pretty simple.  Dialing in through TSN or other
    long-distance time-sharing lines can be . . . interesting.
    
    --bonnie

A couple of questions.

Any software specialists out there working for a delivery unit in the field 
with actual work-at-home experience (be specific and detailed)?  You know
how they love to send us out on residencies at the customer site.

Is asking to work only 10 hours a week at home in combination with monthly 
office visits (for unit meetings) too little to ask an employer to go along
with?  I'd like to start out small and work up to more hours if that feels
comfortable.  But I'm not sure if he'll laugh in my face.  Right now I'm on
unpaid personal leave until Jan. 2 and was thinking of starting back part
time then if I could work out a work-at-home deal (otherwise I may not go
back at all).

It would be really nice to have an extra phone line.  But who should pay for
it?

Kyra

    Do any of you work at home either part-time or full-time and have
    children at home with you?  I am sure that you would need a daycare
    person there to take care of the children, but was wanting input on
    pros and cons on this one.
    
    Notes 192 and 1092 had some input on doing this on a temporary basis,
    but I am interested in hearing from those of you who do it permanently. 
    
    *ANY* input would be greatly appreciated!
    
    What is Digital's policy on this?
    
    Thanks!
    
    Jolene

    I would love to work from home part/full-time or even just find a job
    within the company part-time/job share.  I just came back from a 7
    month leave due the the birth of my wonderful son.  I miss him like
    mad.
    
    I am looking for a part-time job as we speak, but having not much luck. 
    I may have to come back full-time, which will be very hard due to the
    fact I work 2 nights a week also.
    
    I'll be anxious to see if anyone does work from home, or if anyone is
    interested in job sharing...please contact me.(Admin)
    
    Donna
    

    I have been trying for 1 year to be approved to work part-time or from
    home.  No luck....Hopefully your area will allow it...Good Luck..those
    little ones need it!

    For anyone interested....
    
    In Merrimack, NH the TCC (Technical Consulting Center) is hiring part
    timers for the hours of 11-3 M-F in permanent positions.
    
    

    There is going to be a seminar on the topic of Alternate Workstyles on
    Wednesday, January 15, at HLO2, Hudson, MA, 9:30 AM.  It will include a
    presentation on the corporate policy and a panel discussion.  Panel
    members include people who work part-time and who work some number of
    hours/week from home.  I'm sure alot of your questions will be answered
    there.
   
    To register, send name, node, dtn, job title, and organization name to
    CRBOSS::SEMINARS.
    
    /Deb  

    I have been working part-time, mostly from home, for over three years.
    I have no extra adults around - it's just me and my two kids.  It's been
    a perfect situation for me, but it's not for everybody!  I don't have time
    to compose a long reply right now, but I'd be happy to discuss it
    further via mail.

		cheryl

    Re:  .32
    
    Deb:  Are you attending the event?  I am in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and
    for obvious reasons, will not be there.  
    
    Anyone else attending the meeting, I would appreciate a synopsis of
    what was covered!
    
    Re:  .33
    
    Cheryl:
    
    Please write me when you have a chance:  Jolene Laetz @KZO with more
    details.
    
    Are there any corporate philosophies on working at home, or
    guidelines??
    
    Thank you for all of your replies, PLEASE keep them coming.  
    
    Jolene

 [forwards deleted]

From:	NAME: Grace Boynton                 
	FUNC:                                 
	TEL:                                  <BOYNTON.GRACE AT A1 AT EMASA2 AT 
MLO>
Date:	31-Oct-1991
Posted-date: 31-Oct-1991
Precedence: 1
Subject: REVISED HOME EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT
To:	See Below
CC:	See Below



Sara,

Attached is the most recent revision of the HOME Pilot Employee 
Agreement which includes on page 4 the approved Tax and Security 
sections, as promised, as well as a note on the first page of the 
HOME Employee Job Plan on page 6, noting that existing job planning 
formats and content may substitute for the first section defining 
key responsibilities, deliverables, milestones, and dates.

I would like to thank Joyce Fukami and Jim Ware of the Corporate
Tax office for their help in creating the Tax material, and thanks
also to Jesse Williams of the Western States Region for providing
the Security information.

Best regards,

Grace




    
    
    
    GMB                             10/30/91
    
    
    
    
                      DIGITAL PILOT "HOME" EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT
    
    
    	                       EXPLANATION OF HOME
    
    
    Home Office Management Effectiveness (HOME) is a specific methodology 
    which substitutes a home office for dedicated individual Company workspace 
    while fully maintaining employee teamwork and accountability.  HOME is a 
    management tool to be utilized only in support of specific Company busi-
    ness objectives.  It is not an employee benefit, entitlement, or blanket 
    permission to work at home, but the opportunity for an employee to perform 
    specific job activities in an appropriate home office environment on a 
    schedule approved by Digital management per completion of the attached 
    HOME Employee Job Plan.
    
    Generally, the HOME employee will perform thinking tasks and electronic
    tasks in the home office while continuing to perform interactive tasks
    at company, customer, and other designated work sites.  The time actual-
    ly spent in the home office can vary widely; for example, HOME can be
    more cost-effective than a dedicated cubicle for employees who spend most 
    of their time in meetings or with customers.
    
    HOME is subject at all times to management discretion regarding how, when, 
    where, and by whom the Company's work will be performed.  Manage-
    ment decides if an employee is eligible for HOME and the employee decides 
    whether or not to participate.  
    
    HOME is a voluntary arrangement which may be terminated at any time by
    either employee or management.  On-site workspace for HOME employees re-
    turning to a Company office will be handled via normal mechanisms for 
    accommodating shifts in building tenant population.
    
    Other than the obligations contained in this agreement, the duties and
    conditions of the HOME employee's employment with Digital remain unchang-
    ed.  Employee compensation, work status, and participation in Company-
    sponsored benefits, pension, and insurance plans are unchanged by HOME. 
    This document is not a contract or guarantee of any particular kind 
    of treatment or management process.  However, HOME Employees and man-
    agers are expected to implement HOME within the context of the following
    guidelines and to seek appropriate guidance in their application.  Other
    Digital Personnel Policies and Procedures, such as the following, should 
    be consulted where relevant:
    
    -	 Business Expense Policy
    -	 Corrective Action and Discipline
    -	 Digital Equipment Corporation Policy
    -	 Equal Employment/Affirmative Action Statement
    -	 Proper Use of Digital Computers, Systems, and Networks
    -	 Security Philosphy Statement and Principles




    
    
    
    DIGITAL PILOT "HOME" EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT  			      10/30/91
    GMB               							page 2
    
    
    
                         HOME MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
    
    
    ELIGIBILITY
    
    Digital employees will be eligible for participation in HOME on the basis 
    of selection criteria established by management in support of specific 
    business objectives.  Such criteria may include:
    
    -	 Employee agreement to participate
    -	 Satisfactory performance record
    -	 Mastery of present job duties
    -	 Work activities appropriate to HOME
    -	 Appropriate work space within the home
    -	 Satisfactory cost/benefit analysis
    
    
    EEO/AA/VALUING DIFFERENCES
    
    The criteria used to select HOME employees must be exclusively job-
    related and free from gender/racial bias or adverse impact on protected 
    groups.  HOME is not a substitute for dependent care.  However, the pre-
    sence of other family members in the home, such as young children, is not 
    a business-related HOME selection factor.   It is the employee's respon-
    sibility to ensure that the home office environment is conducive to exe-
    cution of the HOME Employee Job Plan. 
    
    
    EQUIPMENT
    
    At a minimum, Digital will provide HOME employees with the computing and
    communications equipment required to perform their jobs.  This equipment
    remains the property of Digital and may be reclaimed at any time.
    
    
    EXPENSES
    
    1)	 HOME-related expenses must be planned and approved in accordance
    	 with applicable Company financial policies and procedures.	      
    
    2)	 HOME managers are expected to perform a cost/benefit analysis to
    	 identify an expected positive HOME impact on overhead expense and/ 
    	 or productivity.
    
    3)	 HOME employees will be assigned to a designated Company facility 
    	 from which business travel mileage will be calculated.  HOME em-
    	 ployee will not be reimbursed by the Company for travel between 
    	 their homes and their assigned Digital facilities.  
    4)	 Digital will not pay rent for use of office space in the home. 




    
    
    
    DIGITAL PILOT "HOME" EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT  			      10/30/91
    GMB  								page 3
    
    
    
    5)   With the exception of reimbursement for telecommunications costs, 
    	 Digital will not pay for any HOME employee home improvements, 
    	 maintenance costs, operating expenses or taxes.
    
    6)	 Employees are expected to obtain office supplies and services
    	 from their designated Company site.
    
    7)	 Wherever feasible, HOME employees are expected to transport equipment
    	 to a Digital site for repair and service.
    
    
    PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
    
    HOME managers are responsible for ensuring that the attached HOME Em-
    ployee Job Plan is completed for each HOME employee, providing the basis 
    for a quarterly review of performance against goals.  The first three 
    months of HOME will constitute a trial period, after which management 
    will decide whether or not the employee may continue to participate
    in HOME.
    
    HOME managers and employees are expected to address the organizational
    and systemic impact of HOME.  Business staffs and project teams which in-
    clude HOME employees should agree upon operational norms such as: 
    
    1)	 Accessibility to management and colleagues
    2)	 Frequency/timing of visits to designated Company site
    3)	 Administrative support needs
    4)	 Messaging and handling of customer contact
    5)	 Schedule tracking
    6)	 Use, maintenance, and access to shared space
    7)	 Communication vehicles 
    8)	 Teamwork expectations
    
    Management will conduct sensing and problem-solving sessions to
    address these and other HOME operational issues.  HOME managers also are 
    responsible for ensuring that HOME employees are provided with appropriate 
    on-site facilities as well as administrative and technical support. 
    
    
    RISK MANAGEMENT
    
    HOME employees are expected to select and maintain a clean, safe home 
    office space.  Employees will not hold work-related meetings in their 
    homes and are expected to inform management immediately of any work-re-
    lated injury.   
    
    Subject to applicable legislation, HOME employees are covered by
    Workers Compensation for injury sustained in the designated home office 
    workspace while in the course of performing their job duties.




    
    
    
    DIGITAL PILOT "HOME" EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT                           10/30/91
    GMB	                                                              page 4
    
    
    
    
    SECURITY
    
    To avoid jeopardizing Digital's competitive position or causing a 
    disruption to company plans, objectives, strategies, or resources, it is
    imperative that employees maintain a constant awareness of the sensitiv-
    ity of proprietary information and resources.  Employees must carefully 
    guard against unwarranted disclosures.
    
    Employees will avoid having hard copy of proprietary Company information
    in their homes and are expected to prevent access to Company equipment
    and information by unauthorized persons in accordance with Digital's
    Proprietary Information Protection Procedures in Section 8.03 of the 
    Digital's Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.  Company-owned equip-
    ment will be used for Digital business purposes only.  Managers should 
    maintain some type of tracking system to monitor the proprietary informa-
    tion process used in the home office environment.
    
    TAX 
    
    The key tests for obtaining deductions for home office use are 1) that
    the employee (1) has to use the home office (a) exclusively and (b) regu-
    larly for the conduct of business and (2) is required to maintain the 
    office for the convenience of the employer.
    
    A strict application of these tests may preclude most employees who 
    perform work-related tasks both at the employer's workplace and at home 
    from taking any home office deductions.
    
    The employee is responsible for understanding the federal, state, and 
    local tax laws as they apply to his/her particular set of facts and 
    circumstances and should seek external tax advice at their own expense
    in preparing their individual tax returns.
    
    
    WORK SCHEDULES
    
    Unless otherwise specified in writing, the HOME employee is expected to be 
    available for work during the Company's usual business hours.  The
    distribution of work time between the home office and other facilities
    is specified in the attached HOME Employee Job Plan.
    
    The work hours of non-exempt HOME employees must be accurately recorded 
    and overtime pay must receive prior written management approval.  Use and
    management notification of vacation, sick time, and holidays will conform 
    to Digital policy.




    
    
    DIGITAL PILOT "HOME" EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT			      10/30/91
    GMB	 								page 5
    
    
    ZONING
    
    HOME employees are responsible for understanding and complying with 
    applicable zoning ordinances, lease terms, and protective covenants.
    Employees should consult their local governing authorities to determine
    whether work at home is permitted.  The employee also is responsible for
    obtaining any required permits, variances, or other authorization 
    required to work at home.




    
    
    DIGITAL PILOT "HOME" EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT 			   10/30/91
    GMB	 							     page 6
    
    
                          "HOME" EMPLOYEE JOB PLAN
    
    
    EMPLOYEE:
    
    POSITION:
    
    TIMEFRAME:  		10/1/91 - 9/30/92
    
    QUARTERLY REVIEW DATES:    1/1/91   4/1/92    7/1/92
    
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                      CRITERIA FOR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
    
    
    KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
    
    
    
    
    
    
    KEY GOALS: 
    
    Deliverables        Milestones                      Dates                                
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    *** NOTE ***       Pre-existing job planning content and formats
       	               may be substituted for the above material.
    
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    TEAMWORK & KEY INTERFACES:
    
    
    Name of Group     Nature of Interface   Plan to Maintain Interface
    or Individual
    
    
    
    
    
    




    DIGITAL PILOT "HOME" EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT 			   10/15/91
    GMB	 							     page 6
    
                            HOME OFFICE WORK PLAN
    
    
    HOME OFFICE WORKSPACE:
    
    I have designated the following space to be my home office: 
    
    
    LOCATION PLAN: 
    
    I will divide my work time between my home office and other sites 
    according to the following schedule: 
    
    TYPE OF WORK                             LOCATION          % OF TIME
    
    
    Thinking Work
    
    
    
    
    Electronic Work
    
    
    
    
    Interactive Work
    
    
    
    
    EQUIPMENT
    
    I have received the following Digital equipment to use in my home 
    office:
    
    Date     Item                                     Property Pass # 
    
    ----      ----------------------------------       ----------------
    
    ----      ----------------------------------       ----------------
    *********************************************************************
    
    
    ____      _________________________________________
    Date      Employee's Signature
    
    ____      _________________________________________
    Date      Manager's Signature
    
     

To Distribution List:
  

    Yes, I will attend the Jan 15th seminar, and I will post my
    notes here.
    
    Deb

    These are some notes from the Jan. 15th seminar on Alternative
    Workstyles in Digital.
    
    First, I have a bunch of copies of the handouts from the seminar, which
    I will interoffice mail to any askers, first-come-first-serve.  The
    bulk of this info is a copy of the Personnel Policies and Procedures
    around Life Balance, Leave of Absence, and Employment Status.  It
    does include a handy chart showing how benefits are prorated based
    on part-time status.
    
    Second, the seminar was videotaped, and will be available through
    the HLO (Hudson, MA) library.  
    
    The seminar included a panel with people that worked different
    combinations of reduced hours/flex-time/home work. 
    
    There is no official policy on working from home, it is arranged on an 
    ad hoc basis between the individual and their group.  There is no
    official accounting of the nubmer of employees that work from home
    on a regular basis (BTW, there is an accounting of permanent, part-time
    employees in the US: 801 out of a total population of 59328).
    
    The panel talked about the tactics that they used to negotiate their
    alternate arrangement.  Some were lucky, and just asked and got it.
    Others could not make the arrangement with their current group and
    thus transferred to more flexible groups.  One woman negotiated long
    and hard for her current arrangement.  Some of their tips were:
    	- be a known valued employee, a good performer, someone they
          wouldn't want to loose.  Don't overlook the investment
          DEC/your group has made in you thus far.
        - do your research.  Look for precedence in your organization,
          and with individuals with similar roles in other organizations.
          The panelists spoke of research showing that workers who are
          given more flexibility are more productive, their job
    	  satisfaction goes up, and their disability claims go down.
    	  Hard data like that will help you make your case.
          Show how it makes business sense for Digital.
        - commit in writing.  Detail how you will get your job
          done.  Be specific to your situation, your group, and
          the needs of your group.  Cover concerns your manager
          might have.
        - ASK.  You will never know until you try.
    
    Good luck!  There is a growing body of people in Digital proving that
    Alternative Workstyles work both for the individual and for the
    company.
    
    /Deb