How to Address Telecommuting Security Issues

For many companies and their employees, telecommuting is a great benefit. For the employee, it provides a better work/life balance while saving transportation costs and long commutes. At the same time, companies find that telecommuting is an attractive benefit to offer to employees which increases employee job satisfaction. It sounds like a win-win for all parties, but there are certainly some telecommuting disadvantages like telecommuting security that are worth a second look.

Telecommuting security, or lack thereof, is the top disadvantage for companies who allow their employees to work from home. For this reason, some large corporations with confidentiality concerns do not allow telecommuting. This is particularly prevalent in the financial and medical industries, where privacy policies are mandated by federal standards and regulations.

The good news is that there are ways to achieve telecommuting security. First of all, your IT department should have a telecommuting policy in place. If you are a small to medium sized business without a formal IT department, it makes sense to consider IT outsourcing or consulting to help you formulate a policy.

This policy should spell out the circumstances under which an employee may telecommute. Some companies allow telecommuting as part of an employee’s weekly schedule, while others allow it only in the event of illness or inclement weather which prevents travel into the office. There are also situations in which your specific job title and responsibilities might dictate how often telecommuting is permitted, if at all.

Perhaps the most important part of your telecommuting policy should pertain directly to telecommuting security. Your policy should certainly be location specific. For example, it makes sense to allow an employee to work on their secured wireless network at home, but not to allow them to sign on to an unsecured server provided by a local library or coffee shop. If yours is an industry where telecommuting security is particularly sensitive, it makes sense to have your IT department set up each employee’s home office with all necessary security firewalls and precautions. If this is a task that is above and beyond the IT department’s time and expertise, an IT consultant can be called on a case by case basis.

As gas prices continue to fluctuate and society becomes increasingly aware of energy conservation, telecommuting will certainly continue to rise. And while telecommuting security can certainly pose risks, thanks to current technology safeguarding telecommuting security can be as easy as formulating a telecommuting policy. But remember, a policy is only effective if it is enforced, so make sure that your IT department or IT consultant trains every employee to ensure 100% compliance.