Top 9 Rules Followed In Remote Work Policy‍

Companies all over the world are embracing remote work as a way to increase productivity and reduce costs. The problem is that there are only so many articles about how great it is to work remotely — but not enough on how to actually make it happen. 

Here's a list of 09 rules every manager or HR professional should abide by when creating a policy for their organisation employees who work from home or remotely.

What is a Remote Work Policy?

A remote work policy is a set of rules for how employees can perform their jobs remotely. It can cover everything from the hours they work, to where they are located, to what types of resources they have access to while working away from the office. 

A well-defined cell phone usage policy will prevent burnout and increase productivity by reducing distractions at home or during travel time such as meetings, calls, emails, etc.   

1) Follow company values & philosophies

You should also be aware of the values and philosophies that drive your company's workers. The best way to understand these is from the top down. A good example would be one where a company's core values are collaboration, flexibility, and openness. 

If you're asked by an employer to work remotely on a regular basis, it might be worth thinking about whether or not this will fit with your own personal values before accepting the job or signing on for an extended period of time. 

If your new employer doesn't have a mission statement, look into their marketing materials and social media accounts for clues about what they stand for as a business entity and how those beliefs impact their daily operations. You'll want all hands on deck when it comes time to share information with each other -- especially if you're working across different time zones! 

2) Communication is the key

Communication is the key to success in remote work. Make sure your team is on the same page with each other and all of their customers by having a communication policy that everyone understands.

Make sure everyone knows how and when to communicate, whether it's through Slack or email, or something else. This will prevent miscommunications and make sure work gets done efficiently.

While both parties can benefit from remote work arrangements, expectations need to be clear in order for the arrangement to work for employees, managers, and the company overall. Set clear goals related to what you'd expect from a remote employee so that everyone has a good understanding of what you expect from them. 

3) Be goal-oriented 

For example, if your goal is for employees to spend 80% of their time working remotely with 20% at the office, create guidelines around what constitutes an acceptable amount of time spent working remotely on a weekly basis. 

If an employee spends 30 hours working remotely one week and 40 hours another week but otherwise works every day at the office every other week it may be confusing for them (and their managers) as well as other team members who might have different expectations about how many hours should be spent working remotely versus being present in person at work each day or week.  

4) Work-life balance 

Work-life balance is important in general but can often be more challenging for remote workers who don't have defined lines between home life and work life. Many companies specify in their policies that they don't expect remote workers to be available 24/7 or even during typical business hours depending on their time zone and working schedules. 

5) Establish a workflow 

The first rule of remote teams is to have a clear, agreed-upon workflow established prior to hiring anyone. It's easy enough for managers and employees to just wing it, but this is a recipe for disaster when it comes down to crunch time and everyone is doing their own thing—or nothing at all.

The best way to establish a workflow is by creating an outline or diagram that shows each step in the process, with who's responsible for what tasks clearly defined. You can use this as a template when hiring new employees so they know exactly what they'll be doing when they start working remotely.

And then once you've got your team together, make sure everyone has access to this document and reviews it regularly so that everyone stays on track with their assignments throughout the year without having any surprises along the way! 

6) Have an updated computer or laptop

Before you start working remotely for your employer, make sure that you have a computer with the latest operating system (OS) installed and supported by them. Also, make sure that your computer is fully patched with the latest security updates from Microsoft or Apple. The same goes for antivirus software like McAfee and Norton, which should be up-to-date as well. 

Also, note that some employers may require your internet connection to be at least 15 Mbps download speed and 5 Mbps upload speed at all times for uninterrupted service delivery.

A good microphone and speakers are also essential for communication purposes since most remote employees will use voice chat to communicate with each other during their shift hours. 

With this requirement, it's very important to ensure that all parties involved hearing each other clearly without any background noise interference such as dogs barking in the background or loud music playing in another room while on calls or video conferences with other team members who might be located thousands of miles away from each other! 

7) Have a good internet connection 

You must have a good internet connection. It doesn't matter if you're using the slowest connection possible, but it has to be stable and reliable. You'll want to test your internet speed at least once a year, and more often if there are issues with your internet dropping out often or having low bandwidth speeds. 

The second rule is that you must have a dedicated line for your computer because some people have shared lines in their homes which can lead to problems when trying to connect online. 

Being able to connect with others at work can be difficult if there are too many devices being used at once or if someone else is downloading something large and slowing down the network for everyone else on the same network (this happens more often than you think). 

8) Have a go-to person for queries & concerns

Make sure that you have a Go-to Person for All Queries and Concerns. This should be a person who is responsible for the team, like an HR representative or manager. If you don't have that kind of person, make sure there's at least one other resource to go to if something goes wrong.

9) Keep an Eye on Productivity

Make sure you're working on the right things. You need to be productive in order to get results, so make sure that you're doing the most important things first. Commitment and focus are key to getting all the tasks done before moving on to another job or project.

Know what your responsibilities are. If there's one thing that remote workers tend not to do very well, it's managing their time! It's easy for them to spend hours answering emails or chatting with coworkers rather than actually doing work. But this can lead them astray from their goals and objectives as well as their goals at home. 

Wrapping up 

Ultimately, remote work policies can help companies to maintain a healthy relationship with their employees. Not only do they provide workers with the freedom to work from home and avoid distractions from friends and family—but they also allow individuals to be productive and stay focused on the task at hand.

However, companies should be prepared to address challenges such as communication issues, work-life balance, and the need for clear policies.