IMPLEMENTING AN EFFECTIVE TELEWORK POLICY FOR YOUR BUSINESS

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed working conditions for most workers. One of the changes the pandemic brought to work culture was teleworking, which permits employees to work from their homes or in other locations. While many employers, like Amazon, have called their employees back to the office, teleworking is now a permanent fixture of the workplace. To keep up with the evolving landscape of work, employers must ensure that they have an effective telework policy in place to facilitate productivity; below are some tips on how to do so.

Include the Following Provisions in Your Telework Policy:

1. Scope of the Policy: The policy should be used for employees’ job responsibilities and should not serve as a way for employees to take care of their independent personal obligations. If the policy is intermittent, detail how long an employee may work remotely.
2. Employee Eligibility: State what type of employees will be eligible for remote work. For example, full-time employees, part-time employees, or those who have worked for 1 year.
3. Request and Approval: If telework is not a standing policy, put in place a procedure through which employees can request, and supervisors can approve telework requests. It is also important to lay out the criteria for approving or rejecting such requests.
4. Work Expectations: Set forth where employees may or may not work while remote, establish work hours when employees must be available, the method of communication with other workers, and any work policies employees must abide by; this should include any measures to protect company or client data as well as other confidential information.
5. Equipment and Supplies: If the company will provide equipment and supplies for remote work, the policy should include the conditions of such use and their return.
6. Failure to Comply with Policy: The company should reserve the right to deny or revoke an employee’s telework privileges in response to the company’s needs, an employee’s failure to abide by or abuse the policy, and any further consequences. The policy should also state whether or not an employee’s participation in or removal from telework is subject to a review or appeal process.

Conclusion

While these provisions are not exhaustive of the items to include in a telework policy, they are essential in any effective policy.

The SJS Law Firm, PLLC, can help your small business draft effective telework policies. For a complimentary consultation, please contact us (202) 505-5309.