During times of crisis - a natural disaster, terrorist act or even a transportation strike - having attorneys or other firm employees working from home or other offsite locations can be a tremendous benefit.  If they have Internet connectivity, a computer and power, these "teleworkers" ensure some level of business continuity with each other and also with the clients who depend on them.  Add the right communications technology, with information sharing capabilities and encryption strong enough to handle privileged communications, and it might almost be "business as usual."  Just think of how much money and time could be saved - and headaches prevented - if employees were prepared to work even when they couldn't get to the office!

If you don't already have an official firmwide telework program in place, it's going to require some groundwork now, especially from the IT staff, to make it run smoothly before the next big business interruption occurs.  While attorneys have long stayed connected to the office and to clients from the road, other traditionally office-bound staff - including those responsible for paying the bills - should practice teleworking whenever possible.   Having an official program with the right technology and a responsible leader ready to both prepare and react immediately to any disaster will make the transition much easier.

Since it is critical to both the law firm and its clients that business resume as quickly as possible (or never stop at all), including clients in the planning process and asking them to implement the same communications technologies will help them feel secure that the firm will be ready to work in any situation.

Setting Up the Telework Program
Identify a Telework Coordinator and/or Committee.  One responsible employee - a managing partner, an HR manager or even the IT manager - should be put in charge of managing teleworker schedules, arranging proper equipment for each teleworker, tracking program progress and promoting the benefits of telework among employees.  They could also create a telework planning committee to help establish program goals, objectives, written policies and procedures and develop an implementation plan and schedule with milestones.  The telework committee should be responsible for determining the three most important elements of your company's program:  policy, training and evaluation.

Integrate a Telework Policy into Your Business Continuity Plan.  Good communication is the essential element of a successful telework program, and all employees should know the program's guidelines and expectations, including the need to check in with colleagues, managing partners and/or the telework coordinator at the "virtual meeting place" as soon as possible during an emergency or disaster.  The telework policy might include:

• General policy statement with program definitions
• Program goals and objectives (and priorities for emergency communications)
• Explanation of the process for program participation
• Review of program benefits
• Identification of positions or aspects of positions appropriate or not appropriate for a telework arrangement
• Review of time, pay and attendance issues
• Sample agreement to be completed by the employee and supervisor
• Checklist of technology and equipment needs

Train Attorneys, Staff and Managing Partners.  Since telework typically involves a cultural change within the organization, each employee and managing partner should receive training on the telework policy, procedures and techniques for managing remote workers.  Discuss work schedules, communication methods, required technology, success strategies and proper organization to ensure all employees are fully aware of what is expected of them when working remotely.  We all know how difficult it can be to get attorneys to agree to training, so it might require separate sessions for attorneys and staff.  Include handouts for future reference.

Choose the Right Telework Tools.  Before launching a telework program, the IT staff or committee should determine a teleworker's technology needs in order to be just as efficient working remotely as they would be in the main office.  At a minimum, the teleworker (and all others critical to the business continuity of the firm) will need a computer, Internet connectivity, e-mail program, telephone and fax machine.  To be even more successful, during an emergency or not, they'll also need online collaboration software.

By equipping each teleworker and non-teleworker with high-speed Internet, a Web camera, headset and collaboration software, partners and clients can get in touch with teleworkers at nearly any time - and in return, teleworkers can contact partners, staff and clients.  A collaboration program should include such features as real-time video, telephone-quality audio, presence detection indicators, instant messaging and secure file sharing/storing to allow better interaction between the main office and teleworkers or among teleworkers themselves.  This allows teleworkers to:

• Instantaneously check-in with the main office and clients
• Replicate the feel of in-person meetings
• See and hear each other, managing partners, other staff and clients (as long as the clients are also set up on the collaboration software)
• See who is available online for a meeting or quick discussion via instant messaging with the presence detection and status indicators.  This will help alleviate the "out of sight, out of mind" concern with managing a remote workforce, as the manager will be able to determine quickly which workers are online, offline, in meetings, away from their computer or do not wish to be disturbed
• Store confidential data in file cabinets for sharing, rather than the teleworker's computer or the main office
• View, discuss and edit documents simultaneously

What do you do if only a few (or none) of your prepared teleworkers have Internet connectivity or even electricity?  During Hurricane Katrina, text messaging from cell phones became one of the only ways to communicate near the disaster zone.  Ensure that all key personnel know how to text message on their cell phones.  In the worst-case scenario, it might be the only way to communicate.

Selecting a Collaboration Tool
The most interactive and secure method for communications with teleworkers, especially during times of emergency, is a collaboration software program that is designed specifically for your industry and firm structure.  Ask vendors the following questions to help select a collaboration tool that best meets your firm's teleworking and business continuity needs:

• Does the collaboration solution offer everything a teleworker needs to work effectively from home during emergencies as well as everyday situations, such as real-time document editing, audio, video and instant messaging?
• Are all the necessary services integrated into one package, or would the firm need to consider other alternatives (and expenses) such as conference calls for the audio?
• Will the solution maintain total privacy and confidentiality of video, audio and data?
• Does the system use a high level of encryption methods, such as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)?
• How does the provider protect the data, and where is it stored?  (Offsite is better for immediate business continuity in case the office is destroyed.)
• Does the system operate through firewalls?  This is critical when it is important to communicate with external audiences.
• Is security included in the overall price of the solution, or is it an add-on cost?
• Is education and training about how and when to use the service readily available and/or customized for the teleworker?
• What type of support will be available to the teleworker, especially during time of emergency?  Is the support included, or must you pay for telephone calls to client services?
• What are the contractual arrangements?  Does the provider offer one price for multiple participants, sometimes called "seats?"  (To minimize technology expenses, look for a collaboration program that allows the purchase of "seats," which means your firm can purchase licenses for a group of participants rather than having to pay for each minute you are online using the program for a meeting.)

The IT department can save a lot of headache and costs during a disaster by helping to implement a successful telework program with the best communication technology before the disaster strikes.  The more you can help prepare in advance with tools and training, the better off the entire firm and its clients will be.  This is one opportunity for the IT staff to shine!

About our author . . .

Cathy Planchard is Vice President of Corporate and Marketing Communications for VIACK Corporation.  She oversees outbound marketing and communications vehicles for the company, including corporate communications, public affairs, lead generation activities, promotions and events.  Cathy can be reached at cplanchard@viack.com.