remote worker travel policy

I proposed this exact scenario at my last job, a nonprofit. If the manager says you no longer need to come into the office 4 times a year she could still come in 4 times a year if she wants to. CEO freaked out when a new hire quit, brilliant employee is horribly inappropriate, and more, updates: stopping a nickname, taking over a deceased coworkers office, and more, update: our new admin crashed the company car and lied about it, my coworker keeps asking me for personal favors. This *is* very much a natural time for remote-job parameters to be re-examined in most businesses that do not already have accepted norms for this type of work. Bad that both the boss and I know that were always close to a million dollars in the black each year in terms of our operating budget: we could EASILY afford to cover flight and hotel. This is industry specific but might help. I dont get what the issue is. Are the four quarterly retreats something that would be sufficient for most remote-work position possibilities, and/or would even those seem like overkill to pay for bring more people in if half the time is spent eating hors doeuvres and making small talk? I look at this a bit like that. But I also cant say its a great crime that theyre not choosing that. The guidelines a d norms in one state are different from another, so Im not much more hireable than someone brand new to the field. how can I ask to keep working from home long-term? Unethical? If you would consider letting me work remotely, I would come back to the office as often as you deemed necessary, and it wouldnt cost the company an extra penny. The boss probably then threw out the four times a year thing, she said that was fine, and the deal was struck. Well, she could move to be nearer to the office? I dont see this as a commute; its more of a business trip. The company chartered planes that departed from two specific home airports (near large urban centres) that flew into/out of camp on certain rotation days. If the employee has an issue with this arrangement then they can discuss it with the OP and have an alternative deal put on the table as part of the next annual review (ironically, probably in person!). It seems unfair and as a local employee I would be resentful that someone remote was getting their commuting costs paid for when I dont. Theres a high-risk person whos probably just never coming on-site again, and frankly, the rest of them could get away with that too were in a hot field, hiring is difficult, nobodys really inclined to go full Guacamole Bob on this one. Its worth it. I think whats being suggested is to cut the salary by the cost of the travel which will save everybody some money, although maybe not enough to be worth the trouble. They might say yes, they might say no, but you wont know if your only action is writing to Alison. He wasnt permitted to live more than 100 miles from his base airport. I know the OP stated the remote employee made the arrangement pre-pandemic and the company can afford to cover it. All other points aside, I would recommend a salary reduction arrangement. But it sounds like this company is not one that has interest in being staffed with remote workers. After about three months in my boss asked me what my plans were and I very tentatively said, what if I worked from home? Full time remote employees are generally assigned as work from home. When that employee is in a different state without a local office, thats even more apparent, because taxes are being paid based on where their work is done (their home) and not the location of the corporate office. A. I think its unwise to assume that there is no reason for her to have to report in four times a year. Its no different than a business trip. I was glad to do it for the ability to keep my job and I would never have asked them to pay for my travel. Suppose someone live a hour away and had to pay tolls to get there would they pay those costs? Its not saving her money, and shes giving up control of her travel. Yeah, any fees to be registered to do business in the state, state income tax (for the business, not the employee) and collecting sales tax are way more complicated and expensive than filing payroll tax reports in an additional state. Theyre also very individual. The circumstances are different now than they were when the agreement was first struck and she has a stronger case now for arguing that her travel costs should be covered or, alternately, that the number of trips be cut down and/or some of them replaced with virtual attendance. Friday, April 14, 2023. WebOnce they set up shop in Ecuador, they both accepted fully remote positions in marketing and consulting so they could covertly travel. That estimate is ignoring the tax implications from the state level. I realize all industries are different, but the not paying part is very outside of norms to me. The people directly impacted by this seem fine with the arrangement. All of this was on their own dime. If I had a job that supported it, I could move to a lower cost of living area, travel here 4 times a year, and still come out ahead financially. If she were willing to walk over this, would your boss be willing to lose her over it? But outside of that, I would heavily judge a company making someone pay for required travel to any office. As summer-vacation season kicks off, employees may be working remotely from far-off destinations. (Exceptions to being able to claim deductions for work travel as an employee are mostly due to the travel not being related to employment income, here). Ill preface this by saying Im in the UK so legal details might be different. If not, Id look into having the company pay for her travel expenses if shes required to come in 4 times a year. Not to be mean, but I dont like the idea of being resentful that someone gets a perk you dont. My impression was that this was something my boss negotiated for me on my hire. And whether they have to pay for more space depends on how full their office is. If shes paying all of the travel expenses herself, though, she can go into the office as often as she wants. WebRemote work arrangements raise various policy issues, including reassignment of official worksite, pay, and reimbursement for travel. My office has a limited travel budget. Perhaps the OPs colleague did similar math and decided it was worth it to get the benefit of living where they want? I believe arrangements like the former travelling great distances to reach your in-person work arent unheard of for pilots. update: if I quit my job when everyone else is quitting, the organization will fall apart, rude instructor comments on our food choices, husband wont wear noise-canceling headphones at home, and more, coworker is always late because she stops for coffee, my boss told me to change my ringtone, and more, updates: unhappy with changes at work, asking to unblock a website, and more. My point is that it doesnt matter if there are reasons that the employee likes to travel to the office. She agreed to that as part of going remote which dollar for dollar is beneficial to her its crappy to now complain about it and want it changed. I was a very special case and they didnt have to do that. In that case, I would start asking about this policy and figuring out if I had any leverage to change it. This specific employee might find that she benefits from being able to see her coworkers in person a few times a year, especially since it sounds like shes the only remote employee. Shes not commuting to a work location, she is traveling. In addition, if the travel allowance (meals, accommodation, incidentals) is the Australian Tax Office published reasonable rate, everyone treats it like the employee got reimbursed for the entirety of the allowance, because its not worth the tax offices time to audit that. But I did ask if I would be responsible for the cost of the 4x a year trips to the office. how can I avoid talking shop outside of work? Yeah I wouldnt suggest taking the travel component out unless the employee asks for it there are benefits to seeing people in person even if its a little awkward for her space wise. I think the distance matters at least as much as the number of days. Since the company requires it (when and where and how long), then its reasonable to make it a corporate expense, much like sending a sales team to a client location. I think if the employee is officially classified as remote or living in a different state, and its required to be there in-person, then it should count as business travel and be at least partially reimbursed. Generally, you only have to compensate for travel time during an employee's regular work hours, unless they have to work during the trip. When I drove to work I paid about $50 in gas every two weeks or so, or $120 a month for a bus pass if I was taking transit. What if it is the other way around 1 day in office and 4 days home? For me the expense was worth it, it wouldnt work for everyone but for some it does. If the arrangement is worth it to her as a trade-off for being able to work remotely, and if indeed the employer wouldnt agree to remote work otherwise, then Im hard-pressed to argue she shouldnt be able to strike that bargain. I suspect that after five years, she has established a new work groove and some elements of the pact she negotiated dont feel as cozy. Once in two weeks? We see these in the form of commuter benefits, cafeteria plans, and stock buy-ins. In our case, there is PLENTY of money for this. If she isnt happy with the arrangement now, she can certainly be an advocate for herself and try to renegotiate. However, if its expected that more employees will request/desire/be considered for permanently remote work from here on out, any rules or decisions regarding accommodations handled right now for this employee are especially important. How has your companys attitude around remote work changed overall? The employee wanted to live closer to family and I presume did not go in to the boss saying, I want to move far away and still work for you and not have to come into the office like all the other employees. It could increase the number of non-EU workers in Germany by 60,000 per year. My cars going to last me forever because I only use it twice a week. I dont have to buy many work clothes (some nice tops/scarves work very well with sweatpants). Does the company pay for other employees to commute to work? Shes already responsible for providing her own office space, and probably various supplies. Itll save us $500!, I mean, it would probably stop the dicusssion about who pays for travel, because shed find another job. Agreed. I work in an industry where commuting is very popular. Teleworkers and their managers should I agree that you need to take the ethics of the deal in the context it was made. Salary reduction plans are a useful tool for keeping total compensation the same, but reducing the tax burden. The company may not be interested in making remote work commonplace. Maybe it varies by type of company or organization? My company is notoriously cheap on some things (like not providing free coffee in the breakrooms) so it came as no surprise to me at all when they told me a condition of continuing to work remotely would be covering my own travel expenses for times I do need to come to the office. If someone has the ability to perform all of their tasks from anywhere with a computer and a Wifi signal, then the location doesnt matter. That right there is why a lot of companies will say no to requests like that. However, this is basically the deal my husband has struck with his employer. Here is how to successfully work while traveling, according to Our company has always had some remote staff (sales reps) in the field that they reimbursed for hotel and travel expenses when they were required to come into the office. As a compromise, they cover either our monthly public transportation or a set amount toward parking each month. If she owned the business it would be. I can also imagine she has added up the cost of a daily commute and decided it all comes out in the wash. The remote work policy outlines the guidelines under which employees can work remotely as well as their responsibilities. How far is too far to expect a remote employee to travel without reimbursement? WebA remote designation formally defines the positions work location as outside of UW work sites in Washington State. Thats a different situation, because those employees would not be full time remote. The employee is choosing to work for a company located in another State. OP, you are the manager. So nothing quite so direct. He had two choices: keep current salary and come into the office once a month at his expense, or move to fully remote and take a pay cut but any expenses when he needed to travel would be covered. an acquaintance I recommended proselytized to all my clients (with singing), employee lied about his mom dying, coworker is a magpie, and more, my new employee is the parent of my childs bully, how to ask for a raise (because you need to), our remote employees were excluded from our company appreciation day, people keep asking why I wear pantyhose, career coach wants me to use someone elses job title, and more, the faked heart attack, the very smart dog, and other (amazing) stories of pettiness at work. She may prefer control over her trips, or maybe her salary was raised to accommodate or any other number of nuances OP may not know yet. If the only reason shes traveling is because the boss likes to see people in person, then its unethical to make her make that trip. It most certainly does save the employee money. That should not factor in any way into mandating that an employee travel to the office. Telecommuters -- Do You Have to Pay Them for Travel When They Come Into the Office. Yes, I think theres an expectation in my company that if you live within 50 miles of the office that you are assigned to, for most circumstances, you are responsible for your own commute time/money. Im curious, though, if she has tried proposing it. he had seen it coming and had been looking but it was the height of the recession and there was nothing to be had. I think the employee really should not have expressed that she finds it *annoying* that she pays for her own travel expenses. High Tech and High TouchOne-Stop HR/Payroll/Benefits Solution. How to Write a Travel and Accommodation Policy for Your Remote Team. WebTravel Time. It might be easier to pitch her coming out once or twice a year and/or attending remotely instead. You can, however, pay your employee less than their normal hourly rate. how can I get better at spotting talent in people different than me? I have seen this before. Heck, we could cover her for first class flights and staying at the Ritz for the week, and it would still be less than 1% of our annual unused surplus budget. While shes alone on this front, theres no disparity in covering her own travel four times a year, as the office would effectively therefore *be* covering everyones distance-travel. Her work location is her home. The main office is a 5-6 hour drive from where I live, and my employer would like me to come to the office once a quarter for reasons similar to your workplace (work retreat, catching up with people I work with in-person). I live and work in a high cost of living area. WebRemote work arrangements are currently viewed as a new benefit that employers can offer to attract and retain talent. But would you want there to be a point to her trips to the office? It kind of sounds like youre more annoyed about it than your employee is. Aside from letting me leave early on Friday for the trip home that was all they paid for my travel. Its certainly feasible for the company to decide that future compensation probably should include specific parts (or even all parts) of her travel expenses; doing so while Current Remote Worker is the only one working in this capacity is absolutely in the best interests of a tight-fisted boss (like OPs boss sounds like a bit, at least where labor capital is involved) to pass off this change as part of a one-time, paradigm-shifting bonus for this employee. And heres the background that leads to all kinds of other (potentially more relevant) questions: I manage a team that includes a remote employee. My bosss wife (different company, same industry), lives in DC suburbs and flies to LA to work. If I had to pay for remote employees to travel to the office for meetings, that would come out of the budget we use to pay for employees to travel for trainings, conferences, etc. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(7896004, '19d1769c-df54-4797-bd25-261295db1b62', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Penalties for noncompliance can include enforcement proceedings and civil liability. I stayed in Florida and worked. OPS already replied but theres plenty of big companies with nexus in almost every state that still have individual departments pearl-clutching at the thought of oh no complications for maybe not the most grounded reasons.

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