What Is Remote Work Policy and Why Should You Have One?

So, everyone in your team is on board with the company rules, right? Surely there is no need to add or readapt company policies for staff who are working remotely?  

Wrong! With more companies expanding globally, remote working has opened the door to a fresh take on the work system, dismantling age-old HR structures faster than you can say ''globalisation''. 

Hybrid and remote work is hot right now and will continue to warm the ambitions of talent worldwide for the foreseeable future.

As a result, companies have been challenged to reshape policies and adopt new technologies to empower HR leaders and the talent they hire.

What Is a Remote Working Policy?

Simply put, a remote working policy is a set of rules and guidelines made specifically for your remote employees.

Read more about: How to Hire Remote Employees In Other Countries

Why Is Remote Working Policy Important? 

Establishing guidelines and expectations pave the way to a healthy, thriving relationship between companies and their staff. 

Remote work policy is critical to your onboarding process, ensuring all employees are on board with the same game plan and is a key part of your onboarding process. 

Playing by the rules when employing remote talent helps in the long run to avoid legal hassles, confusion and feelings of unfairness which can easily lead to a disconnect and contribute to the "Great Resignation" trend.

Having A Remote Policy In Place Also Helps To:

Mitigate compliance risk

Reduce other risk factors like payroll withholding, changing tax judications, permanent establishment, and immigration issues. 

Make remote work scalable

What Are the Perks of Writing a Remote Work Policy?

Remote working is relatively new and having a policy and program in place will help you start on the right foot. Without a policy, organisations may need to do a lot of work to find, track, and possibly rein in remote talent.

Offering remote work policy clarity

Policies should be specific to what is not allowed and how to pay, and benefits will be impacted. Processes should be made clear, and everyone should be on the same page. We can vouch for using videos and live training to help you educate employees and managers about these policies.

Appeal to a global talent pool

The opportunity to work remotely will attract talent across the globe while making it much easier to retain staff who are moving abroad. In addition, the policy-writing process is a chance to specify what you hope to gain from offering a remote culture. 

Summed up, what are the benefits of a remote policy for companies and talent?

•  Workflow and quality remain consistent regardless of where staff are working from in the world
  
• The rules protect the ideals of remote working for the employee, such as work-life balance, personal well-being, and health
  
•  A solid remote working policy will protect your company from liability should a workplace mishap throw a spanner into the daily operation.

It's Not About Policing Employees

With new buzzwords like flexibility and remote culture making their way into HR dictionaries, practitioners have been thrown into a whirlwind of rapid transformation. However, unlike setting up a foreign entity, drafting a solid remote work policy does not need to be complicated, so try not to fret the process. 

 Here are a few questions that should guide your remote work policy

• What positions are eligible for remote work?
• How should work be done (Hours of work, communication, daily hourly requirements)?
• How should work and productivity be monitored?
• What are your protocols for IT, tech and managerial support?
• What are your remote equipment policies?
• How about home-office expenses (telecommunications, internet, software licenses etc.)?
• And cybersecurity?
• What of legal considerations, working hours, and overtime?
  

Wrapping Up: Remote Working Policy Should Empower, Not Control Remote Employees

Navigating the road of remote work requirements may seem daunting but having policies in place puts your company in the right direction towards offering suitable guidance for all remote employees, even if you are on the other end of the ocean.

Remote working rules are not another old trick in the outdated book of business to monitor and restrict your remote talent. Instead, it is a means to empower them with the guidance they need to work in a way that best suits them and the business needs.

Build Remote Work Culture with Playroll We can’t help you write your remote work policy. Though we can provide some of the tools and Employer of Record Partnership that help to scale remote work culture and opportunities to offer global candidates.

Once your new, remote recruits have gotten their head around remote work policy, they’ll want to know they’re going to be paid consistently, correctly and compliantly—that’s where we come in.

Via your free Playroll dashboard, you can send pre-compliant work contracts to talent across the world in a few clicks. Once hired, we’ll act as their legal employer, paying them everything they’re owed when they’re owed it.

You’ll be legally covered because the buck will stop with us. Meanwhile, your remote, global teams can help you grow and expand into new countries and regions.