There are many benefits to remote working for your business, but it can only be a success if you have a firm policy!
Your policy will need to lay out the expectations regarding employees and employers and all the processes and procedures employees must undergo. Here are some ideas of areas you to need cover in your policy!
Outline which roles within your organisation are eligible for remote work. Take into consideration client-facing responsibilities, software limitations and cybersecurity risks.
Specify all role restrictions to prevent frustration and avoid unnecessary requests.
You could opt for a selective acceptance process based on individual suitability. For example, you might want to describe the type of employee eligible to work from home: reliable, disciplined, highly organised, etc.
You will need to provide a breakdown of the procedure employees must go through to request work from home.
In this section, map out the entire process: Is there paperwork that needs to be completed? Or should employees have a conversation with their manager first?
Explain who will approve WFH requests and what each request will be evaluated. For example, will requests be reviewed by individual managers, or will HR oversee the process?
The expectations set for employees likely are the same whether they are in or outside the office. However, these must be detailed in the remote working policy.
Set particular guidelines for communication. Doing so holds remote workers accountable and sets expectations for office-based employees. For example, are WFH employees expected to complete a work plan/timesheet? Or when they are expected to be online.
This section will be one of the essential parts of the remote working policy. If remote staff use company IT equipment, use this section to outline the restrictions on its use and include advice for staff accessing confidential information in public places, like in your local cafe.
You should also remind employees of the overall IT equipment and systems policy for general guidelines on IT usage.
There are plenty more things to outline in your remote working policy, and you should always seek legal help when putting together a document of this magnitude. But if you’d like to see more suggested best practices and policy considerations, view our resource page.
We can get your staff working remotely today! Forget the hassle of moving everything; work from home using any home computer with our free, handy tool. Get in touch.