3 Requirements for an Effective Telecommuting Policy

Telecommuting has changed the workplace with well-designed “work-from-home” programs that build more trusting relationships with employees and give them the flexibility to both live and work how they want to.

Allowing employees to escape the confines of the traditional office has proven beneficial to many employers. The technology that makes remote work possible is one of the main reasons why this policy has become so advantageous. It makes it necessary for employers and their staff members to understand certain applications and services better, strengthening their grips on various sorts of contemporary technology, Inc. explained.

The rise of advances such as the cloud has been more or less concurrent with that of sustainability in the workplace. Employers, customers and job-seekers are placing more importance on whether a company is green, and telecommuting contributes significantly to a sustainable office. Less commuting means less pollution, and that is a big positive.

In addition, telecommuting can expand the job candidate pool for employers by globalizing it. Companies that don’t allow their employees to work remotely are limited to hiring individuals who can conceivably commute to the office every day. Employers with telecommuting policies, though, can hire across state lines or even international borders. This ensures that these businesses have access to the best talent available.

Setting up a telecommuting program should be a careful process, though, to ensure continued or even improved productivity. Entrepreneur listed several components of model telecommuting policies. They are:

Don’t make telecommuting an all or nothing affair

Employees value flexibility, it is one of the more attractive benefits of telecommuting programs. So if you don’t offer them the ability to manipulate their schedules a bit, what is the point? This will ensure your telecommuting policy delivers the sort of flexibility employees want. Even the right human capital management solution can show that you value your employees by giving them access to important employee information on the go, at any time. 

Design the policy as a top-down effort

Telecommuting policies should be worked into the business strategy from the top down to ensure they’re are effective. It shows that management trusts staff members, and respects them enough to make their own decisions about how and where they work.

“Support starts with Dell’s executive leadership team members, who work flexibly themselves,” Mohammed Chahdi, a human resources director with Dell, told the news source. “We must continually show team members that we trust them to organize their work in a way that meets both their personal and professional priorities.”

Set up goals and track performance

As much as you trust your employees, you probably will need to set up some sort of performance tracking system to make sure everyone is getting their work done. UnitedHealth Group, a company with a number of remote employees, tracks satisfaction, retention and work quality. Measuring these things will provide management with a view of how telecommuting policies are working for the company and the employees.