cheredenine Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Just a quicky - we're heading towards allowing external access to our MIS for staff, so that they can access from offsite, enter assessment data ffrom the comfort of their own home, etc. The qustion has been raised of whether staff should be reimbursed for their costs in accessing from home - broadband, electricity, etc. I've never come across a school that does this, but i wonder if there are any out there. Could my fellow edugeeks advise?
gibbo_ap Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 sorry but that is just silly! in my job description i line reads 'keep upto date with current techology news and development' yet i would be laughed out of the door if i asked them to buy me a home computer and get paid for reading articles online! we also do sims updates from home too and service pack installs but we dont get paid for this too, and i wouldnt ask to be.
powdarrmonkey Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 If the school requires that staff work from home, they must make it possible for staff to do so, and if that means equipment then so be it. That's fine for hardware, but the problem comes when you start discussing electricity and connectivity and so on, because these aren't used exclusively for school business. It's the same problem as tax offsets when working at home. If you provide access at home for staff's convenience (their choice, in other words), but don't require them to undertake any work there, you're in the clear.
Jobos Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Earlier this year the NUT magazine published an article on this and said that if the school expects teachers to work from home then the school should reimburse the teacher for any costs involved.
K.C.Leblanc Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 This sounds like a great idea. This pen I'm using I actualy brought from home, what's the best way to bill my school for the ink? Oh and remember to bill staff who bring in phone chargers.
jamesb Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Earlier this year the NUT magazine published an article on this and said that if the school expects teachers to work from home then the school should reimburse the teacher for any costs involved. Is this the same NUT that wanted a 10% raise? Good to see they're getting more realistic. I don't see that it'd be reasonable for teachers to be compensated for accessing school systems at home, unless they're being forced to access those systems. Simply making remote access possible and letting people know about it is still leaving people with the choice to access. I doubt you're keeping track of who logs in to the system and what they do in order to make sure everyone meets their 'quota', so compensation shouldn't be provided. After all, you're providing it for their convenience. They can always come into school to do their work instead.
localzuk Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Earlier this year the NUT magazine published an article on this and said that if the school expects teachers to work from home then the school should reimburse the teacher for any costs involved. Expects? You sure they don't mean 'requires'? We expect our staff to enter the grades into SIMS.net for reports. They can do this during their frees, after school, before school, and because we have remote access, they can do it from home. The requirement is for them to do the work, not to connect in remotely. No school would *require* a teacher to connect remotely - that is simply their choice.
Domino Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Unless you're making it mandatory they do it from home why would you? You're giving them the OPTION of doing it from their home - if they don't wanna use their broadband, etc they can come into the school and do it
Mcshammer_dj Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 This make me laugh. I use my Car for Some local support journeys and don't both to claim for Fuel because I get parking supplied free. I then had a question raised about my free parking pass because I didn't appear to do ever use my car because I had not put in a fuel claim!!!!
powdarrmonkey Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 This make me laugh. I use my Car for Some local support journeys and don't both to claim for Fuel because I get parking supplied free. I then had a question raised about my free parking pass because I didn't appear to do ever use my car because I had not put in a fuel claim!!!! Heh, if they're so keen for you to claim I'd account for every mile (mind you, then you've got to be insured for business purposes, so it might backfire).
enjay Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 (edited) I think PowderMonkey's hit the nail right on the head - if staff can access everything within school when needed, then remote access is something which staff choose to use for their own convenience, and they should therefore not expect the school to pay for it. Edit - not just PowderMonkey. His was the only reply when I started typing this, but I see others have since said the same thing. I agree with you all :-) Edited June 4, 2009 by enjay
elsiegee40 Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Agreed, as long as the access from home is being provided as a convenience, there is no requirement to reimburse expenses. This is a convenience measure allowing staff to work wherever is easiest (i.e. from home while cooking tea/keeping an eye on the kids/whatever rather than them having to stay late to get it done)
enjay Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 This sounds like a great idea. This pen I'm using I actualy brought from home, what's the best way to bill my school for the ink? I'm sure the school would say that they would provide you with a cheap'n'nasty 8p pen if you asked them to, but you choose to use a nicer one, and you should therefore pay for it yourself. Perhaps you could ask for an 8p contribution towards it, though?! Oh and remember to bill staff who bring in phone chargers. Not to mention asking us to pay for the kettles, fridges, etc which the school provides in the kitchen for us...
elsiegee40 Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Not to mention asking us to pay for the kettles, fridges, etc which the school provides in the kitchen for us... Oooh...errrr... hadn't thought of that. That would be a taxable benefit unless we paid, wouldn't it?!
enjay Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 That would be a taxable benefit unless we paid, wouldn't it?! Yes, it probably is! Does that also mean that the free coffee and biscuits each day, and lunches on Inset days are also tax assets?! We also get a free lunch on days we have duty, which are also taxable benefits I would have thought.
elsiegee40 Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Yes, it probably is! Does that also mean that the free coffee and biscuits each day, and lunches on Inset days are also tax assets?! We also get a free lunch on days we have duty, which are also taxable benefits I would have thought. Free lunch on duty days is not a taxable benefit as you are working during the lunch period. Sort of payment in kind, I suppose. Free coffee and biccies may be (especially the biccies!) Lunch on inset days is a grey area, the school could argue that it's a working lunch... being provided as you work through the lunch period. Free school lunches, unless you are on duty, are a taxable benefit.
dhicks Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 The qustion has been raised of whether staff should be reimbursed for their costs in accessing from home - broadband, electricity, etc. Hand them a netbook with a built-in mobile broadband connection. Now they don't pay for hardware or network access and they can even recharge the netbook at school. You get complete control over the environment they use to connect to the school's network, too - no more messing around figuring out people's different home networking problems. It would solve so many problems, save time and save money on support if more software was distributed like this - simply installed ready-to-go on a cheap netbook. Anyone know of any netbooks without USB ports so you can avoid the use of USB memory devices, making sure your data doesn't go wandering off somewhere? -- David Hicks
OutToLunch Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Earlier this year the NUT magazine published an article on this and said that if the school expects teachers to work from home then the school should reimburse the teacher for any costs involved. I managed to read this as NUTS magazine and the whole debate seemed a lot funnier
powdarrmonkey Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Hand them a netbook with a built-in mobile broadband connection. Now they don't pay for hardware or network access and they can even recharge the netbook at school. You get complete control over the environment they use to connect to the school's network, too - no more messing around figuring out people's different home networking problems. It would solve so many problems, save time and save money on support if more software was distributed like this - simply installed ready-to-go on a cheap netbook. That's fine if you've got the money, but for the rest of us........
K.C.Leblanc Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 (edited) I'm sure the school would say that they would provide you with a cheap'n'nasty 8p pen if you asked them to, but you choose to use a nicer one, and you should therefore pay for it yourself. Perhaps you could ask for an 8p contribution towards it, though?! Department policy requires all stationary is harvested from trade shows, hapless teachers and junior technicians. Edited June 4, 2009 by K.C.Leblanc
mpe Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 If the school requires that staff work from home, they must make it possible for staff to do so, and if that means equipment then so be it. That's fine for hardware, but the problem comes when you start discussing electricity and connectivity and so on, because these aren't used exclusively for school business. It's the same problem as tax offsets when working at home. Would they try to claim for carpets, chairs, tables, light bulbs as well as utility bills if they did their marking at home?
LeMarchand Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Would they try to claim for carpets, chairs, tables, light bulbs as well as utility bills if they did their marking at home? Only if you make the mistake of suggesting it to them!
maniac Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Heh, if they're so keen for you to claim I'd account for every mile (mind you, then you've got to be insured for business purposes, so it might backfire). If I use my car for an authorised journey in connection with work, then I'm covered on the schools insurance policy for the duration of that journey, so if I had an accident, my own insurance would be un-affected - I'm pretty sure most schools have a simelar policy, but some probably chose to keep quiet about it! Mike.
cheredenine Posted June 4, 2009 Author Posted June 4, 2009 Thanks for the replies, everyone! Looks like we're all of the same mind....
CAM Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 On one had, using up power etc at home. On the other hand, not having to pay for travelcards or petrol to get into work. Balances it out nicely! Unless they walk to work, in which case you tell them they don't need a gym membership as it is free exercise.
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