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Don't Work without a Net

© Leslie Truex

You have been searching and searching and finally found work to do from home. Or perhaps you have finally negotiated a work-at-home arrangement with your boss. Now you can stay home to work, get paid, and live happily ever after, right? Maybe. While getting or negotiating a work-at-home job is a feat, your goal is far from met. Without proper agreements or contracts in place, your work-at-home job could be at risk. So before you head home, make sure that you and your job are protected. Below you will find some tips on how to protect yourself if you have found work-at-home employment or if you have negotiated a work-at-home arrangement with your boss.

Work-At-Home Employment:

If you have found a work-at-home job, don't commit any time to it until you have a written and signed contract from the company. Without a contract, you have no recourse if the company accuses you of not meeting its standards or if it decides not to pay you. Most companies that hire home workers will have a contract for you to sign. Read it carefully and have a lawyer look at it if you have questions. The contract should outline:

1) Who the contract is between.

2) What position you have been hired to do.

3) Details of the position including duties and requirements for pay.

4) Salary or compensation including disperse dates.

5) Termination information.

6) Employee status; are you an employee or contract worker?

7) Legal information about the work such as who owns your work, non-compete clauses etc.

8) Physical addresses of the company and remote worker.

9) Signatures by both parties.

If you have a question about anything in the contract, you should contact the company for clarification. There are many companies that have gotten work out of people but never paid them citing some obscure item in the contract as the reason for non-payment.

Keep in regular contact and save all correspondence between you and the company. Fraud exists and you need to protect yourself particularly if you are relying on your work to support you.

Telecommuting Agreement with Your Current Boss:

If your boss has agreed to let you work at home, don't jump into the new work arrangement without having a written agreement that is signed by you and your boss. This is vitally important to protect you and your job. Most companies with telecommuting programs will have some sort of agreement prepared already. If yours doesn't, it is up to you to create it.

The copyright of the article Don't Work without a Net in Telecommuting is owned by Leslie Truex. Permission to republish Don't Work without a Net in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.