remote worker travel policy

But if shes an employee (as opposed to a self-employed contractor), its not a business expense for her. If an employer asks an employee they know is based in LA to work in their San Francisco office 5 days a week, the employer needs to take care of those travel expenses. So as a worker, you had a choice: you could live in the urban centre, and only pay for a taxi to get to the chartered plane, or you could live somewhere else and pay for flights (and usually a hotel room for a night charter flight left too early to fly in on a redeye). HR - Policies - Telecommuting and Remote Work Policy 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. If you want to be like my boss and figure out a way for her to get her travel reimbursed, that would be lovely and probably appreciated. If you have remote workers who live far away and are reporting for infrequent meetings, then you might come up against another travel time rule. The company may not be interested in making remote work commonplace. My employer pays for all my travel. This is pretty much my arrangement. Webcontinue our examination of telework and remote work policies over the coming years as agency operations evolve, and as the Federal Government further defines a broad vision for This comes up rarely, as in most cases, employee shuttle buses are an option, not mandatory. If the local employees are required to commute to the office every day, the remote employee should have to pay to travel to office just as they do, assuming, however, that the remote employees pay was not adjusted in some way to account for lack of commuting expenses. Oh, and were going to cut your pay! If it is truly advantageous to the company to have her there, they could pay for it. If the employees legal home office is the main office then the expenses for travel are commuting expenses. Trust me when I say that covering plane travel for remote employees when they are required to visit the home office is standard. It might be easier to pitch her coming out once or twice a year and/or attending remotely instead. I probably am in the minority opinion on this one, but I think its perfectly fair for the employee to pay her own expenses for a quarterly trip to the office, in exchange for being allowed to work remotely. In general, I dont like employers making their employees open their wallets to keep their job. OPM will issue a "Remote Work Guide" to "further explain the implications, considerations, and strategies for the appropriate use of remote work," according to the Employeed who were hired right off the bat as remote workers, or who were hired specifically for a designated location outside of the main office, DO get their travel reimbursed when called into the office, so I see it as sort of depending on how, why, and who initiated the remote work agreement. 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. However, there may be limits. It is pretty silly for me to drive over for the day for the quarterly meetings since about a third of our department is spread across various satellite offices and has always attended the meetings virtually, but even if their reasoning is a bit ridiculous, it is totally worth the tradeoff of an occasional long day of driving in order to live where I want, be able to see my significant other every day, not deal with city traffic daily, etc. What an incredibly effective way to make in-person employees feel completely mistreated and disregarded. It should really be covered. A PEO can help you keep all of these rules straight and avoid liability for mistakes. How adaptable and sustainable is our current arrangement if applied to others? When we have to drive into the office, nobody compensates us for gas etc. Ive never heard of a company not covering mandatory travel to offices for remote folks (Ive worked fully remote for almost a decade, at 4 companies). e.g. Essentially, when do you have to pay a worker who normally commutes for coming into the office? Perhaps the OPs colleague did similar math and decided it was worth it to get the benefit of living where they want? This is not a commute. plus, it has implications for how we deal with others who travel: the norm is that we pay for our own travel to offsite locations, which I think is messed up. Clocking in and out from outside the office. He did the math and it worked out that it was better financially to pay his own way for travel. Would we have cheaper overhead if we transitioned more positions to remote? It just sucks having to tell employee that she has to come because of tradition, and we could easily afford to cover these costs, but were just not going to. Having worked remote far more than Ive ever worked in an office, the negotiations implicit and explicit for that are a little touchy. So far in the comments I havent seen my perspective yet, so Ill add my two-cents. This policy applies to all our employees. Some of that stuff does cost less. However, they made it clear that they factored in the expense of my visits when considering my salary. I went to the office at least once a year just to touch base with everybody because I liked to do it but the company never required it. More crucially, if the company is able to recognize when the next appropriate time would be for tangibly recognizing this employees merit, and offers it up instead or (or alongside) a pay raise or bonus without the employee having requested it specifically, it might resonate as more benevolent than if the employee eventually requests either fewer visits or that the trips be fundedwhich, surely, the employee would someday do if they stayed put at this company in an increasingly-digital future. Business travel is changing before our eyes as employees flock to remote work. For that matter, how possible is it that it already has created silent issues or envy? How official *IS* our policy at present? You can, however, pay your employee less than their normal hourly rate. Employees sacrifice is having to pay 4 times a year to come to the office. 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. But this is not a HR decision, its the bosss decision. Lots of people are now working remote if only in the same general area. Apologies if you answered this elsewhere, but is she the only employee in this situation? A remote work policy is a set of rules, legal requirements, expectations, and guidelines for employees who work from a location other than your offices. Is this employee someone who has trouble advocating for herself? If not, Id look into having the company pay for her travel expenses if shes required to come in 4 times a year. Of course, because of covid I havent been to an office since my last visit in spring of 2019. with gas so expensive. There are lots of ways for employment arrangements to come to, there is not a single right way for things to happen. But would you want there to be a point to her trips to the office? That right there is why a lot of companies will say no to requests like that. Would the arrangement still seem fair and agreeable, or would certain things suddenly seem disparate among the two work styles? I happen to be in the same city as headquarters. For example, you may want to clarify whether the remote worker policy is in effect only If they intended me to pay for that, I would have considered that an even further pay cut. And I was grateful! I am paid travel and per diem for site visits to locations other than the home office. Myself and a person who has a mobility issue are the only two fully remote employees in this job title. using martial arts at work, I saw my job posted online, and more, I wrote a Glassdoor review and the employer is losing their minds, updates: we had to share our shadow sides and be more vulnerable at a meeting, and more, lets discuss terrible workplace ice-breakers, how do I stop looking bored during meetings, should I say Im leaving because of my horrible coworker, and more, my bosss boss forced us to do a grievance circle targeting our manager. Remote Work. Purpose and scope Start by explaining why you created the policy and who it applies to. If she has moved to a lower COLA area, and kept her salary, then I think this is fair. WebOnly payments for certain types of transportation and travel expenses are tax free to the employee. How to Create a Remote Work Policy (With Template) I also have never heard anyone complain about this policy. I know people who fly in, stay a couple of nights, and fly out weekly or they did pre-Covid. You are not required to pay your employees for the time they spend commuting. Informal telecommuting or remote work arrangements, such working on the road during business travel, do not require the completion of USFs Telecommuting and I realise the person mentioned in the original post has a much greater commute than that, but all the same, Id never expect the company to pick up the tab. 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. My office has a limited travel budget. Would the cost of replacing that employee with an onsite employee and the ongoing expenses of physical space & equipment as well as training be less than moving the travel expenses from the employee? However, California requires employers to compensate for time spent driving, as a passenger on another mode of transportation, or obtaining tickets/checking baggage. 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. I have been full-time remote since 2017. I got my ass chewed when I gave her permission NOT to get on a plane mid-pandemic, so I wont do that again. I work for a large company. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement, sure, but my job isnt so specialized that Im not replaceable. WebA remote designation formally defines the positions work location as outside of UW work sites in Washington State. My cars going to last me forever because I only use it twice a week. I love WFH ad could see myself making a similar arrangement if I really wanted to keep my job. Remote Workers We see these in the form of commuter benefits, cafeteria plans, and stock buy-ins. -> The legal landscape in California is notoriously treacherous for small and mid-market companies. It was worth it to her to be able to live in a more rural area. Well see if the tide turns. May I ask what industry this is? Its possible that the manager is assessing some things that require her presence, and that employees themselves arent likely to be aware of. Im neither an attorney nor an HR professional, but my very large and very well known California-based employer has this policy in place as well. If the other local employees are allowed to work from home as they want to reduce their personal commuting costs, the remote employee should not have to pay for her travel expenses to the office. When the approval came from above for me to work from home 800 miles away it came with the stipulation that I would come down to Florida 4 times a year at my own cost I excitedly agreeed. But this is a trip to an office where she does not work, so its a business trip. (It saves the company money, but not the employee.). Total: ~$740 saved by reducing wages and paying the amount out as an expense instead. Same work, same deadlines I just like having you around where I work for a week. This company also covers the cost of public transit for local employees. Its her own choice that her commute is so long. 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. 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 suspect that selling a remote scenario to a company that didnt have remote workers wouldnt have been a win had she said, I want you to make this exception for me, plus each year youll need to pay for four round-trip flights, car rentals, and twenty hotel nights.. Have a communication plan for off-site employees. In this policy, we refer to travel meaning a business trip to a different city than the one youre in. Given the choice, shed come in zero times/year she has demonstrated, even pre-pandemic, that shes great at doing her job remotely. I can remember only twice when they specifically asked me to come in, and they paid those expenses. Most of others in my same job at this company are able to work from home occasionally, but it is generally expected that this position is on-site 85% of the time. Is it just a casual agreement, or formalized enough already to protect all parties involved in the case of a labor dispute? If someone is working 1 day a week at home and 4 days in office, is that still commute or already travel costs? Hey, guess what! If the salary is reduced by $2000/yr and the company starts paying for the travel thats $2000 a year less of income subject to income tax, SS tax etc. It has been my experience to treat remote workers coming to the office as a business trip not a regular commute. New Travel Policy for Remote Workforce All of this was on their own dime. And whether they have to pay for more space depends on how full their office is. I think they are assuming that the employees salary includes the cost of travel? Im surprised you are able hire and keep staff. But in this market, given the competitiveness of an employees skillset, I would hate to loose someone over $5k a year in travel costs. Maybe Im missing something, but I guess I dont see why the company should pay for her travel. Unless the company covers daily commuting costs for the local employees. The employees remote work location is their official duty People who do live in the area and work in the office on a hybrid schedule do get commuter benefits, FWIW. I think the employee really should not have expressed that she finds it *annoying* that she pays for her own travel expenses. But on the plus side, she needs to be only in office once in a three months. While at that office we worked three days from home and two in the office, full time remote just wasnt a thing. 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. I wanted to leave Big City to move closer to family, but all my friends still live in Big City, so it seemed like a no-brainer to save the nonprofit money I could crash on someones couch on the few occasions per year that Id need to fly back, and I figured Id build my trips so I could spend the weekend directly before or after the work commitment in Big City too. Remote work was a very different beast five, or even three, years ago, and this was probably seen as a huge concession. Oops I didnt notice this has been covered further down the thread my bad. But apparently part of the off-the-books deal she made with the boss in order to get permission to work remotely, was that shed pay for her own flight and hotel when she comes on-site four times/year. It was granted with caveats. Suppose someone live a hour away and had to pay tolls to get there would they pay those costs? Its a moot point that has nothing to do with the letter. I know in some areas, like DC, employers covering transportation and parking costs is the norm, but it isnt in the area I moved from. heat, lights, power, office equipment doesnt cost less depending on how many people are using them. My guess is that on the front end, she presented the idea as , This wont cost the company a penny, and she was probably pleased when they said yes. It kind of sounds like youre more annoyed about it than your employee is. Its no different than a business trip. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(7896004, '5a892927-4c1b-4e58-b128-fd6cdf84c717', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); 5655 Silver Creek Valley Road, #237 San Jose, CA 95138 800-398-7823Execustaff HR 2023 Privacy Policy. I moved out of my city to where I could afford to actually buy my own home. I dont have to buy many work clothes (some nice tops/scarves work very well with sweatpants). Thats a good point. She shouldnt have to take a salary cut. But that stuff served a dual purpose I probably spent more on than I would have for my own use but I definitely use it for personal reasons. The policy details remote work options and creates procedures and practices that can mitigate the risks and liabilities of remote work. 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. I am responsible for travel and accommodations for important meetings and trainings at the home office. Yeah, but flight, four nights of a hotel, meals, ground transport its not that she cant afford it, its that its such a pointless requirement that the company could easily cover. If she owned the business it would be. making a remote employee pay for their own travel to visit the office Check out our blog to find out more. I guess I just have a hard time justifying to my other employees that we ran out of travel funds because we had to buy plane tickets for one employee to attend 4 meetings when they all had to pay for the gas and parking to get themselves to that meeting, especially if theres not a business reason for her to be working remotely, but its for her benefit. 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. Lets say the four trips a year cost $2000 a year. In other words, if Betty is working in the office three days a week and telecommuting two, you should not pay for her commute. Plus, acceptance of remote work has greatly changed during that time. The expense of the flight and hotel paid by the organization has no taxes; but if you pay the employee and then have her cover the expenses you have both ER and EE payroll taxes, as well as income tax, that are paid out before she actually pays for the travel expense. This is business travel. I am responsible for paying my own way to get to work my job doesnt pay my commuting costs. This is such a good answer. He got a job in our home state, Virginia where he was able to live with his mother. I really believe I would have never been able to make the moves up working from home that I have with so many people in the office. Employers that erroneously exclude expenses from their employees W-2 It could increase the number of non-EU workers in Germany by 60,000 per year. The meetings we usually have online will instead be held in person this week. I proposed this exact scenario at my last job, a nonprofit. Employees cant deduct much at all anymore. I dont love arrangements like this, but they exist in other organizations and are indeed legal (with the likely exception of California, which requires employers to pay business expenses). A corporate travel policy, also called a travel and expense policy, is a set of official guidelines for work-related trips. OP, I apologize if I missed this, but at this time, is she the only remote worker? Download our eBook to learn the top 7 California labor laws you need to know. I dont think we can judge peoples choices in where they live, but I also dont think a company necessarily needs to subsidize them, absent some kind of business reason to have remote employees. I think it boils down to that the LW should talk the employee and support her in either case. Its worth it. There could be a time in the future, where things have changed and you have multiple people working remote, and from farther away than this person. (My head office is close to his official place of work so we try and combine trips and tack on some time visiting friends/family or even just not have to pay his hotel because my employers have paid for mine.). I live in the same city as my office. If you had 100 people working in the office and one person at home there is literally a non existent difference in the electric bill. Youre such a great employee that well pay for your travel 4 times a year. Why punish a great employee by docking her pay? This is not the case in all states. On one hand, thats the deal she made with the boss. I should add: in this persons case, its pretty important to be in-person regularly because the work hes doing involves testing prototypes in the lab.
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