Drafting a Strategic Remote Work Policy – All You Need to Know

In today’s world, there are many benefits to working from home. It allows employees to balance family life, personal interests, and/or commitments.

While many enjoy a reasonable work-life balance from the comfort of their home office, not all of them can do so. This is where the concept of “Strategic Remote Work” comes into play.

As an HR leader or CEO, when chalking out a WFH policy, ensure that it is tailored based on the individual circumstances surrounding your business; whether it’s because you’re a start-up company or have been around for 25 years, or because someone on your team has just become parents and no longer wants to travel far from home.

What Should Your Remote Work Policy Contain?

Your Remote Work Policy Should Include Information About the Following:

• Employee responsibilities, including the policies for how employees will be paid, how they will be evaluated, and how they will handle any disagreements with management.
• Employer responsibilities include who will be responsible for paying taxes and benefits, what types of equipment are required, and what kind of training will be provided.
• How to communicate between your business and employees based in different locations. You may also want to include guidelines on when and where employees can work from home if they have a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to travel to the office.
• What kind of disciplinary action will your company take against employees who are found to be violating company policies or laws?
• What recourse an employee has if they feel their rights have been violated by their employer?

Technology Resources

Technology resources are an essential part of any remote work policy. They should outline the tools and software provided to employees and the policies regarding their use. These policies must be consistent across all departments so there’s no confusion about how individuals should use technology.

The policy should also include information about the company’s expectations for employees’ internet usage, including social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Make sure you have a skilled admin team to address even the weirdest issue your employees may face using technology, such as the “Your Clock is Ahead” error in Mac when browsing. This error is because by two reasons. First, your Mac system clock is out of sync. And secondly, the webpage you are trying to visit has an “Expired Security Certificate.”

Restrictions and Exceptions

Your Policy Should Include the Following:

Restrictions – Remote work is not allowed except when the job requires it, your company provides support, or you have a good reason to believe it will be safe for your employees.

Exceptions- Your policy should include exceptions to the restrictions on remote work. For example, suppose you allow remote work only when you have no other alternative (e.g., when the employee lives far from headquarters). In that case, you must clearly define what situations fit into this exception before allowing it.

In The End

You have to get everyone on the same page, including having a clear idea of what you want to do and how you plan on doing it. Before developing a work-from-home policy, understand the company’s goals and how these can be accomplished by adding remote work. Once you’ve decided that, it’s time to outline the structure of your new policy and ensure that everyone understands what it means for them and their work relationships.