Management, Legal and Contractual Perspectives of Managing Remote/Virtual and Telecommuter Workers
Dr. Susan Strauss is a national and international speaker, trainer, consultant and a recognized expert on workplace and school harassment and bullying. She conducts harassment and bullying investigations and functions as an expert witness in harassment and bullying lawsuits. Her clients are from business, education, healthcare, law, and government organizations from both the public and the private sector.
Dr. Strauss has conducted research, written over 30 books, book chapters, and journal articles on harassment, bullying, and related topics. She has been featured on 20/20, CBS Evening News and other television and radio programs as well as interviewed for newspaper and journal articles such as Harvard Education Newsletter, Lawyers Weekly and Times of London.
Susan is the recipient of the Excellence in Educational Equity Award from the Minnesota Department of Education for her work in sexual harassment in education. She has spoken about sexual harassment at international conferences in Botswana, Egypt, Thailand, and the U.S. She consulted with the Israeli Ministry of Education, as well as with educators from Israel, England, Australia, St. Maartin, Bali, and Canada. She traveled to Poland and conducted research on sex discrimination and sexual harassment in Polish workplaces with Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. She has consulted with health professionals in Beirut regarding violence in healthcare. Susan has a doctorate in organizational leadership. She is a registered nurse, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and counseling, a master’s degree in community health, and a professional certificate in training and development. She has been involved in the harassment and bullying arena since 1985.
More and more organizations are “going virtual,” whether it is an employee who telecommutes, a team of workers in another country, or simply an employee who extends her or his workday by checking e-mail or downloading a document from Dropbox that connects to their phone, iPad, or home computer. Approximately 80% of U. S. workers continue to do business remotely after normal work hours. More and more organizations are incorporating telecommuting and other forms of virtual work into their workforce with great success and a reduction in costs. Managing remote or virtual workers requires a management mindset change that differs from managing on-site workers. Examining, planning, and implementing legal and contractual issues are not always considered in the same way when managing on-site workers. Failure to address these perspectives is at the organization’s and management’s peril. For example, what technological and management strategies should you incorporate to protect your interests? What, if any, contract should be created for your remote workforce? Who pays the home office electric bill for a telecommuter? Are there additional challenges for the non-exempt worker? The virtual workplace is a reality that is expanding and influencing how organizations do their work. The new virtual work environment offers exciting opportunities as well as challenges to avoid liability. Implementing prevention strategies to minimize liability includes designing and developing “virtual” policies, and training managers and employees who will be engaged in the virtual environment.
Areas Covered
- To list 4 essentials for virtual teamwork
- To identify the best characteristics of virtual team/employee
- To discuss tools & techniques to facilitate “working together apart” in a virtual environment
- To identify the tips for effective virtual meetings
- To discuss the importance of virtual contracts
- To determine the best data security
Learning Objectives
- To identify the remote/virtual worker
- To list recommended elements of a virtual team contract
- To explore steps to avoid discrimination claims
- To describe wage and hour obligations
- To discuss ergonomics, health risks, and virtual workplace injuries
- To define essential competencies of leadership in the virtual environment
Who Should Attend
- Human Resources professionals; any manager of a telecommuter or virtual employee/team
- Any industry with virtual employees, telecommuters. Sales, home health care, trucking, post office
Why Should You Attend
Accomplishing work in the new millennium has become synonymous with Virtual Leadership. The current competitive business environment and the changing nature of work and the workforce require effective leadership that spans the boundaries of time and space to help employees to work together – apart. The leadership of virtual teams is not the same as the leadership of face-to-face, co-located teams. Leading a virtual team is more difficult; it requires a dynamic interaction between technological systems and human systems that the virtual leader has to address and balance for work to be accomplished.
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$200.00
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