(note this reply represents only my personal thoughts, and is in no way at all anything official)
On Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 11:44 AM, Richard Symonds richard.symonds@wikimedia.org.uk wrote:
*We are a global movement with global projects and global goals.*
Indeed we are! But allow me to play devil's advocate here:
- How would you run HR meetings? Is it feasible to use videoconferencing?
I don't know if HR meetings are specially problematic, but WMF has plenty of meetings using videoconferencing. Although it is a bit annoying sometimes, it mostly works.
- What are the additional costs involved with this approach? Are there
local taxes that would need administrating and paying? Would you need a HR team who can handle
Don't forget the costs for office space, supplies, equipment, utilities, support staff, and so on too. And I can't even guess whether it might increase or decrease overall travel costs.
- Does it increase the WMF's liability if they have a permanent staff
presence in another country (eg., EU data protection laws, or UK libel laws)?
Wouldn't surprise me.
- What are the insurance implications of staff remote-working from (say)
Ghana or India?
- If employees from one country are entitled to certain privileges by
law - eg paid paternity leave, or minimum break times - does that automatically get extended to others around the world? If not, will it create resentment between people who do the same job in different countries?
I imagine just having to be aware of all the different laws and requirements in all those different countries and the extra work to comply with them all would be an issue. Probably a bigger one than just deciding whether Fooians should also get a benefit that must be provided to Barrians.