Many tech companies around the globe have employees who work from home. A healthy work life balance can be achieved through remote working.
There are a lot of questions and room for confusion when you switch to remote working. Ensuring that both the employer and the employee know what is expected and helps to avoid any potential issues is what a clear work from home policy is supposed to do.
A work from home policy is what it is.
A work from home policy is a document that outlines a company’s expectations for employees who work from home. HR leaders need to clarify some of the points with effective policies.
Is it possible to work from home?
98% of remote workers want to continue working from home for the rest of their careers, even if only a small amount of time is available. Employees who want to work from home must submit a request to their manager to find out if it is possible.
Companies likeTesla have made it clear that remote working is off the table for their employees. Your organization might be more flexible. It is possible for your policy to outline which roles are suitable for remote working and which employees are eligible to request to work from home.
How frequently can employees work from home?
Depending on the company, the amount of working from home will be different. Some employers have gone remote-first, opening up opportunities for employees to work from wherever they want without the risk of losing their job. Some companies prefer a hybrid model where employees work from home a couple of days a week and come into the office for the rest.
How often employees are allowed to work from home should be clearly stated in your policy. How many hours employees are expected to work and what type of work is allowed from home could be included in this.
How should communication be done?
Communication is one of the more difficult parts of remote work. It’s difficult to keep track of what everyone is working on when you’re not in the same place. It can lead to feelings of being alone.
Clear communication channels between remote employees and their managers are important. You should spell out when employees should be working.
If you want to make a video call, schedule it.
Send a video to a loom.
You can send a message to a coworker on slack.
If your company wants colleagues to respond to each other in real-time or switch to asynchronous communication, it’s worth mentioning.
What is the equipment requirements?
If you allow employees to work from home, they will need the right equipment. This could include a computer, printer, and internet connection.
Explain what equipment is needed for employees to do their job from home in your remote working policy. If the company will provide this equipment or if employees need to source it themselves, clarify.
Should employees take breaks?
It can be difficult to take a break when you work from home, and some employees may feel like they need to work longer hours to prove their worth. Encouraging employees to take breaks can lead to improved productivity. Ensure you have a policy on when employees should take breaks and how they can use them.
What are IT security expectations?
Concerns about cyberattacks have grown as a result of remote work. Half of employees working from home use shadow IT solutions. It’s a good idea to use your policy to clarify expectations for IT security and what employees need to do to protect company data. This could include using a proxy and avoiding public wi-fi.
How will performance monitoring work?
Managers will need to find new ways to keep track of their employees. Setting up regular check-ins, using project management software, or sending weekly updates could be included.
Employees can give feedback to their managers, but how they are monitored is up to them. HR leaders can support remote employees by creating a WFH policy.
How to create a policy for a team.
It’s quite simple to create aWFH policy. If you want to simplify the process, use templates or software solutions instead of drafting a manual policy.
1 There is a human being named Bambee HR.
The HR Autopilot feature can help you create a policy in minutes. The software makes it easy for your HR manager to create policies for your business. It also makes sure they’re current and signed by the employees. Depending on your requirements and changes to your remote working processes, you can affirm them semi-annually.
2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 The Owl Labs is a laboratory.
You can download a series of remote, flexible, and hybrid work policy templates from Owl Labs for free. The Remote Work Policy has fields that can be configured.
It is purpose.
The key terms are listed.
There are tools and support
A communication.
The meetings are happening.
Tracking + approval.
It is a remote work agreement.
You can download, edit, and print.
2. Better team.
You can download a Word doc template for the remote work policy from Better Team. You can either use it as is or change it to better reflect your company’s needs. The template has sections for
There is information on the employee.
There is a work area that is remote.
It’s equipment.
Authorization is granted.
This policy should be signed by both the employee and supervisor.
Set up a policy for your remote work.
It’s time to implement a remote work policy in your organization after you’ve learned how. It’s important to consider the needs of your employees when setting up your WFH policy.
It must be flexible enough to allow for changes in the future and comply with all relevant laws and regulations. Everyone will feel confident and productive in their remote working role if a policy is in place.