101 Tips for Telecommuters—Successfully Manage Your Work, Team, Technology and Family

74. Get It In Writing

Your efforts to negotiate favorable terms, establish rewards or penalties, and provide for contingencies may be in vain if the agreements are limited to a discussion and verbal assent. Beyond that, a handshake is a nice touch but may not be terribly useful when you're trying to enforce terms of your agreement later on. As a telecommuter, you're not likely to negotiate service contracts that are highly complex, critical, or involve significant amounts of money. If you do, however, be sure to secure the support of your corporate legal office or a local attorney who specializes in contract law (not necessarily the same attorney that handled your will, your divorce, or a contested accident claim).

While our society has become ...