Remote working took over almost overnight, leaving businesses to instantaneously amend working practices, and despite the otherwise return to normality, many of us find ourselves embracing (or enduring) the remote working landscape.This post will explore some of the key considerations in a bid to generate awareness of employer responsibilities and how to remain compliant while managing a remote workforce.
Employment Contracts and Policies
Do your current contracts allow for work from home (WFH) in their wording? If not, you may need to revise and issue an amendment, with the agreement of your employees of course!Your policies and procedures will likely need a revamp too, with consideration given to remote performance management protocols, policies regarding working hours, communication and productivity tracking procedures, travel and sustenance practices and policies for in-person events.
Employment Law and Regional Variations
A key benefit of remote working is that your pool of potential employees has expanded to worldwide! However, there are many factors to keep in mind when taking advantage of this new benefit. Employment laws vary across the globe and additional regional obligations must be adhered to, such as those relating to minimum wage, parental leave, overtime regulations and many more. Which leads to the quandary, if the law provides more for one, is it fair to withhold it from the many?
The practical implications of remote working will require clear policies and procedures to ensure an exceptional employee experience and don’t forget the differing taxation and payroll laws!
Data Privacy and Security
Remote working intensifies the risk of data breaches, without the infrastructure security provided by the office, your team may be extra vulnerable to a wider array of security threats. Safeguarding employee, customer and client data is still a key consideration in accordance with GDPR and now you might be finding it harder to ensure your team are complying with your policies (if you have them…if not, call me).It could be as simple as this….do you allow your team to work from a coffee shop? Or would you know if they did? Do you have a policy in place on what to do when they pop to the loo?
Remote Engagement and Performance Management
Setting clear performance expectations is more important than ever with your remote workers. Balancing the trust and autonomy to manage their own workload with clearly defined goals to measure success against will reassure both you and them that they are contributing to the business success.Clear communication and support steps when they slip are paramount to ensuring employee engagement and supporting with performance management.Train your team leads to spot burnout before it happens and clearly define escalation trigger points so they know when to ask for help!Employee performance management must remain fair and compliant. How do you manage your employee’s performance? How do you manage company events fairly?
Health and Safety Compliance for Remote Workers
Event hough many of your team will be working from their own home, you, as their employer, are still responsible for ensuring their health and safety during working hours.Did you know that DSE assessments are still an employers responsibility? Did you know that any company provided electrical equipment needs to be adequately maintained by the employer in order to prevent danger?In all likelihood, your H&S requirements have increased since becoming remote, not decreased!
If any of these key considerations have raised an eyebrow, pop us a message and we can talk through whether your business needs to make any changes and how Boutique HR could be of assistance.
Danielle Jackson Assoc. CIPD
As the owner or Boutique HR and a CIPD Lvl 5 accredited human person, I am here to support you in refining your HR practices, ensuring you avoid costly errors and generate the best chance of success for your business. Don't underestimate the importance of the employee experience in your business success!
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