Telecommuting Can Work! © 2015 by Nick B. Nicholaou, all rights reserved

President, Ministry Business Services, Inc. Reprinted from Houston CO+OP

Some members of our (MBS’) team have been telecommuting since the 1990s. I’m often asked how I know whether it’s working for us. The unspoken question is, “How do you know you’re getting a full day of work in exchange for a full day of pay?” That is an excellent question, and one every employer wrestles with— whether their staff works in the office, on the road, or from home! And the answer is the same regardless of where employees work:

Does the amount of employee output meet or exceed the expectations of the employer? The Challenge Let’s face it: even employees who work in offices can under-produce. They can waste time doing things their employer hasn’t asked them to do, and their output suffers accordingly. That can also be true for employees who work on the road or from home. Studies show that employees spend a high percentage of time on websites that are not related to their job, emailing friends and family, and texting friends and family while at work. Doing so on a break— which is personal time— is acceptable; but is doing so while on “company” time okay? Probably not. So, I recommend two things to help in this area: •   Employers, give your team members clear guidance on what

you believe they should be able to accomplish in the time they are at work. If they exceed your expectations, reward them for their diligence and capability! If they under-produce, let them find employment elsewhere that is better suited for their skill-set and motivation.

•   Employees— especially those who are Christians— the Bible encourages you to do your work as though working for the Lord himself! Writing to those who were enslaved to their employers (a far worse condition of employment than most of us experience today), Paul said in Colossians 3:22-25: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.” (NIV)

And telecommuting has some significant advantages! Studies show that it increases employee morale and job enjoyment. And it reduces employer cost because of the reduction in office space that must be maintained. Some employers also find that employees who work from home are willing to do so for less salary too.

The Technology Mobile devices are the obvious answer to many who think of working from off-site. Notebook computers, tablets, and smartphones are good for this; but they are only part of the answer. And technically, even desktops can be easily set up for remote access. But what about connecting to the data on your network vs locally stored files? It is surprising how often I talk with church managers who don’t know they already have the tools necessary to enable telecommuting. I don’t think our firm has engineered a network that didn’t have this free tool configured in a very long time! Since before the turn of the Century the technology has been freely available in Windows networks to connect remotely, and to do so securely. Originally called Terminal Services, remote desktop access is fairly easy to set up. All that is required is a modern version of Windows Server, and Client Access Licenses (CALs) for those who will connect remotely. And the CALs, which can be installed for concurrent access, only cost about $19 each (charity license pricing). Cross Platform Capable! I work on a Mac. I access our Windows-only database and accounting system via Remote Desktop. The applications to do so are free (Microsoft Remote Desktop), and they consume very few resources on the Mac. For those on Macs who run a lot of Windows applications, we recommend doing so via a virtual Windows computer in VMware Fusion. My favorite app for running a remote desktop on an iPad is also Microsoft Remote Desktop. It’s free, and it works well. Yes, telecommuting can work! It takes diligence and trust on the part of the employer, and needs to be matched by diligence and integrity on the part of the employee. But that’s really true of any employer/ employee relationship, regardless of whether the location is an office, on the road, or at home.

Nick Nicholaou is president of MBS, an IT consulting firm specializing in church and ministry computer networks, VoIP, and private cloud hosted services. You can reach Nick at nick@mbsinc.com, and may want to check out his firm’s website (www.mbsinc.com) and his blog at http://ministry-it.blogspot.com.

Should Churches Continue to Reimburse Cell Phone Fees? © 2017 by Nick B. Nicholaou, all rights reserved

President, Ministry Business Services, Inc. Reprinted from MinistryTech

Churches reimburse some staff members for their cell phone and internet costs. In the early days of those technologies, doing so made sense. Has the way we communicate changed so much that it’s time to reconsider? What are the issues? Historical Perspective I got my first cell phone in 1987, and was one of only 1 million in the U.S. who had one. But it was worth the cost (often $750+ monthly for one line!) to be available to our clients as I travelled across the USA. Five years later that number had grown to 11 million, and in 2000 passed 100 million! By 2010 there were more cellphones (and smartphones) in use than there were people in the U.S., and by 2015 half of all U.S. households no longer had a landline connecting their home to the telephone system network (we removed our landlines in 2007).1 Why does that matter? In the earlier years of cellular phones they were very costly to buy and use, and were perceived as additional phone lines. As great tools enabling a burgeoning mobile workforce, churches wanted their staff to have cellphones to facilitate better communications between themselves, their teams, and their congregations. Because they were an added phone to the home phone, many church team members couldn’t afford to have one. The same is true for internet connections at team members’ homes. In the 1990s and early 2000s they were considered optional. Reimbursing staff for the expense of being connected made sense for many team roles. So churches developed a number of ways to underwrite the cost for these services for their staff via reimbursements, allowances, and more. The IRS finally helped by simplifying the tax treatment of cellphones provided to employees in 2011 following the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.2 Should Reimbursements & Allowances Continue? There may be circumstances where those are appropriate, but for most the answer going forward should be no. Those communications services are no longer considered additional methods in the U.S., but are now integral to our communication fabric. At a gathering of megachurch church business administrators and managers (CBAs) I recently attended, one of the CBAs asked, “When staff leave the church, they don’t want to turn in their cellphone or terminate their service! If they will pay for it themselves after they leave our staff, why do we pay for their service and phones while they are on staff?” Good question!

1 These statistics are from CTIA.org, an association representing all sectors of the U.S. wireless communications industry.

Today nearly all working adults in the U.S. have a cell phone (or more accurately, a smartphone), and most households have broadband internet service. So why should the church reimburse the cost of these services? It no longer needs to. Transitions are Sensitive Simply deciding to no longer reimburse for these services could be problematic. I suggest the following: • Set a policy that reimbursements for cell phones and internet

service will no longer be made to church staff. This policy would apply to all new hires.

• To ‘grandfather’ those who have been receiving assistance for these services, add the amount they have been receiving to their base pay; a sort of one-time adjustment to their pay. This allows you to eliminate assistance going forward without hurting any team members that depend on it. It also simplifies the payroll process—a win-win!

Transitioning in this way will remove the discussion for any new team members, and continue meeting the needs of existing team members. People no longer need assistance with their cellular or internet service. It’s part of the standard way we communicate today in America. It’s okay to end the practice of evaluating who to assist, how much to assist, and then account for those decisions in budgets and in the payroll process. Handled in this way, no one will get hurt in the process, and no one will suffer because of the policy.

2 See https://www.irs.gov/irb/2011-38_IRB/ar07.html for details.

Nick Nicholaou is president of MBS, an IT consulting firm specializing in church and ministry computer networks, VoIP, and private cloud hosted services. You can reach Nick at nick@mbsinc.com, and may want to check out his firm’s website (www.mbsinc.com) and his blog at http://ministry-it.blogspot.com.

“…freeing those in ministry from business distractions.”

PO Box 1567 • Huntington Beach, CA 92647-1567 714.840.5900 • info@mbsinc.com • www.mbsinc.com

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: Nick B. Nicholaou Nick Nicholaou is President of MBS, Inc., a team of IT strategists who evaluate, engineer, and support servers, Mac & Windows computers, and mobile devices. In MBS’ private cloud datacenter they host email, databases, VoIP phone systems, SPAM filtering, file servers, and more. While in executive service for the auto manufacturers, he and his wife Grace sensed God's call to found MBS. Since 1986 Nick and his team have focused on serving Christian churches and ministries nationwide. His specific areas of expertise include organizational management, crisis resolution, and strategic implementation of technology. Nick has been honored by: • The Church Network, inducting him into their Hall of Fame. • Christian Leadership Alliance for his role in assisting ministries nationwide. • Christian Leadership Alliance with their Distinguished Service Award for excellence in serving ministries. Nick has been published in print hundreds of times. • In books • Church IT – Using Information Technology for

the Mission of The Church • Church IT: Strategies & Solutions • Church Finance • Business Management in the Local Church • The Church Leader’s Answer Book • Church and Nonprofit Organization Tax &

Financial Guide (1999 - 2007 editions) • Saving Money And Buying Smart • Leadership Handbooks of Practical Theology,

Volume 3

• In journals • Quoted in ZiffDavis’ eWeek and LAN Times • MinistryTech Magazine • CT's Christianity Today, Leadership Journal,

Church Law & Tax Report, and Your Church Magazines

• The Church Network Ledger and Insight • ECFA’s Focus • CLA’s CMA Report and Outcomes • The Clergy Journal • Church Business

He has been interviewed on syndicated radio and podcasts, and is a former member of the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) Standards Committee. Nick and his team have served thousands of Christian churches and ministries nationally, and he speaks often at national and regional conferences. Nick’s Contact Info: 714.840.5900, x525 nickn@mbsinc.com Website: www.mbsinc.com