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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than one-third of American workers performed some of or all their work from home. There is no question that remote work will continue to be an option for many. With that said, it is important for organizations that offer this to have a firm policy in place. If companies have learned anything from the pandemic it is that they need to be prepared for the unexpected. Employees need to be able to conduct business wherever they may be.

Hiring managers have found that job candidates are keenly interested in flexible work options. Clearly, employers that offer flexibility have a competitive edge in attracting and retaining talent. Your company will need to have a well-conceived hybrid work policy in place that addresses your organization’s expectations for employees. Here are several elements you will need to build into your own policy:

• An arrangement between the employee and the manager needs to be spelled out in terms of the structure of working remotely. First, decide whether all employees are eligible for this arrangement or whether there will be requirements. Since employees need to be accountable for getting their work done, you may only want to extend the offer to those who have proven themselves to be trustworthy and have good time management skills.
• Accountability is an important element of a successful policy. You will need to create a work schedule that your employee can adhere to. It may be difficult for managers to track their employees during the day. The answer to that is employee monitoring software to take the guesswork out of how productive employees are. These programs can track work productivity and duration by the hour, day or month. It is a helpful tool in assessing which employees are going above and beyond their scheduled hours when deciding on compensation and promotions.
• Excellent communication is also a factor in managing a remote team. Team members working from home may feel isolated from their colleagues. Decide what the best way is to communicate with your employees and vice versa. It’s one thing to walk down the hall to ask a question and another thing to not have access to a manager when needed. It is important for the manager to have regular one-on-one check-ins with their staff regardless of whether they are remote or on-site. Remote workers can feel connected to the rest of the team through video calls, shared documents, project management platforms and other collaborative tools.

Offering employees the opportunity to work remotely is a benefit that provides a competitive edge to employers. In order for this work arrangement to succeed, employers will need to invest time in creating a thoughtful policy that meets the expectations of all.

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