A blow for public sector telecommuting
The head of Boston’s Department of Public Works was suspended for three weeks for having allowed a data analyst to work remotely. In this case, the analyst was working very remotely — from Venezuela.
The Boston Globe coverage of the story omits any mention of a rather salient point: was the employee adequately performing her job? It sounds like this suspension has a lot more to do with political struggles and department-wide shenanigans than with the effectiveness of telecommuting. That’s a shame.
The Globe story missed one other crucial detail: telecommuting like this apparently isn’t allowed by union rules. See Talking Politics blog over at the Boston Phoenix:
http://thephoenix.com/TalkingPolitics/2008/05/28/RoyerTrouble.aspx
Why a union would agree to such a rule is beyond me.