Managing the Benefits and Potential Pitfalls of a Remote Workplace
Remote work arrangements were accommodations before the COVID-19 pandemic but since March 2020 remote work has become a reality for most employers. Requiring or allowing employees to work remotely has its advantages ( e.g. recruitment, retention, cost containment etc.) but there are potential disadvantages too ( e.g. demands for unlimited accommodations and disparate treatment claims from others, IP theft, lack of integration, harassment, wage and hour issues etc.) . This session will review both benefits and potential legal and cultural pitfalls with remote work. This session will also assist with highlighting best practices, developing strategies for evaluating remote work and navigating legal issues to reduce the risk of claims.
Learning Objectives:
- Review the legal issues associated with remote work.
- Discuss the accommodation process involved with these decisions.
- Remind attendees of the importance of documentation with these arrangements.
- Review the benefits of remote work arrangements.
- Discuss the potential pitfalls of remote work.
- Propose strategies for addressing each such arrangement.
- Suggest ways to monitor remote work and avoid workplace claims.
In-person session offerings are on a first-come, first-served basis.
James Reidy, Esq.
Attorney James P. (“Jim”) Reidy is a management-side labor and employment lawyer. He is a partner in the New England based law firm, Sheehan Phinney Bass & Green, PA, where he is the Chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment group. His practice focuses on prevention, training and compliance but he also handles matters when claims arise.
He has more than 35 years of experience in the field and been a media resource on workplace law for media outlets including CNN, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Business Magazine, Bloomberg, NPR, The Associated Press, NPR Market Place, Buzz Feed, Law 360, Inc. Magazine, The HR Power Hour, HR Breakroom, SKI Magazine and HR Magazine as well as several local/regional publications.
In 2020 Jim was inducted as a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
Chambers USA and New England Super Lawyers have ranked Jim in the Top Tier of management-side employment lawyers for each year of the last 15 years. Best Lawyers USA named Jim the 2022 Lawyer of the Year for Labor and Employment Law (Manchester, NH) and the NH Business Review named him one of the top 200 most influential business leaders in New Hampshire.
Jim has been a presenter regularly at SHRM’s Legal and Legislative Conference in Washington, DC as well as SHRM’s annual conferences.