How not to manage your electronic records

A couple of articles published today dramatize the dilemma faced by anybody who has both email and money.

In one article, email users just give up on the technology entirely, as if that were some kind of answer.

Meanwhile, in another article, a Microsoft executive says the company spends an average of $20 million per case on e-discovery.

The point is: Deleting an entire inbox worth of electronic records is not a management plan. No lawyer is going to want to offer as a defense that his client never read her email.

Overcoming resistance to telecommuting

During the weekly Commissioners Court meeting today, Travis County (Texas) Commissioner Margaret Gomez alluded to the number one obstacle to telecommuting: Resistance by managers who insist that the only way to be sure employees are working is to keep them on site.

And in Viriginia, Governor Timothy M. Kaine yesterday ordered executive branch agencies to maximize the use of telecommuting. Click here to read more about Governor Kaine’s Executive Order 48.

Telecommuting and the ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers like Travis County, Texas to provide reasonable accommodation for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done that enables an individual with a disability to do a job.

The link below to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission answers some FAQ about using telecommuting to comply with the ADA:

http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/telework.html

Resistance to Telecommuting

Survey results released today suggest that governments could save money if the elected officials embraced telecommuting.

This article in Government Technology says that management resistance is the leading obstacle to telework (telecommuting) adoption. (Let me know when that link expires and I'll edit this post.)

Similar issues face local governments. Elected officials seek savings, like those that would be realized if fewer government employees needed offices, desks, parking spaces etc.

But they fear that the only way to get people to work is to have them physically present on-site so that they can be monitored.

Ironically, this stifles initiative and reduces productivity, as employees concentrate on looking busy instead of actually getting results.

Six minutes of your time would be well-spent if you clicked on the video below:




For more information:
http://www.telework.gov

The Certification

The AIIM ERMs training program is based on identified best practices from AIIM's 60,000 members in North America and Europe. The content is defined and reviewed by Education Advisory Groups that consist of information executives and professionals, representing industries, solution providers, analysts, and consultants. Examples of members are US District Courts, Gartner, and FileNet. The training programs have then been developed in partnership with Cornwell Management Consultants and The Oxford Group. The training I attended was taught by Jesse Wilkins.

Specialized and certified

Having completed their training program and passed the exam, I am certified by AIIM as a specialist in Electronic Records Management.


The AIIM Training Program

AIIM is the Electronic Records Management association which promulgates the standard for procedures for evaluating scanner quality cited in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 13, Chapter 7.