IBM To Teleworkers: Pay For Your Own Broadband > Not Too Far Fetched

reply to jmn1207

Re: Not Too Far Fetched

said by jmn1207:

said by pnh102:

People pay for their own gas to drive to work too.

As long as they are entitled to receive tax breaks for the money they spend on their internet connection, it makes sense. If I used my car for work (not to get to work), as many people in sales tend to do, I would be eligible for tax deductions on fuel purchased and mileage driven. It seems like work from home employees should have the same home office deductions that self-employed, small business owners enjoy.

Now IBM is free to lay off most of their IT support team now that they can hand off the service calls to each employees' own internet service provider.

I don't have to take my car to work. It just happens to be the most practical for most people. If my job required me to drive a great number of miles, you can bet that I would expect to be compensated by my employer. Likewise, if my job requires that I have an internet connection and a computer, I expect my employer to compensate me. I get paid for travel expenses when I drive someplace for a work-related function.

Do you have a computer in your office? Did you have to bring your own? I have lots of computer parts in my basement, perhaps I should build a work computer and bring it into my office?

At the very least, it seems like a company such as IBM could look into getting group rates for business class service for the work at home employees. If you are specifically hired to work at home and the rules are specifically outlined before you are hired, I have no problem with that at all. However, if you have been working at home for several years, it does not seem fair to force their employers to cover these expenses. Without any white collar unions, there are no real alternative other than capitulating or quitting.