HRD shares guidelines and best practices when drafting a remote work policy. If you plan to shift to remote or hybrid work arrangements, this guide is for you
Despite return to office mandates from the US government and the private sector, remote and hybrid working are still the preference of many employees. In a 2023 survey, 98 percent of respondents preferred to work remotely, at least part of the time. This makes remote working a good recruitment and retention tool for attracting and keeping the best talent.
If your organization is planning to shift to flexible ways of working, start with a remote work policy. In this article, we’ll go over what it is, what it should contain, and what pitfalls to avoid. We also spoke with an HR expert for insights on remote work policies.
A remote work policy is a set of rules and guidelines that covers everything about a company’s remote work arrangements. This includes:
“A remote work policy outlines expectations, responsibilities, and procedures for employees working outside a traditional office environment,” says Katie Thiebeault, HR manager at Cognition+. The Canadian software company is the winner for best remote work strategy at the 2024 Canadian HR awards.
“A clear policy ensures operational efficiency and engagement among teams who are working collectively towards the company’s mission, regardless of their physical location,” Thiebeault says.
Your policy document will be the go-to for all things related to remote work, so it should be as detailed as possible. Here are some areas that your remote work policy should cover:
Set expectations on which roles fall under your remote work policy. This is especially important if your company is starting to transition certain roles from onsite to remote work.
Examples of positions that could work as remote roles include:
Customer-facing roles require onsite presence, but some customer service jobs (e.g., call handlers, 24/7 help desk teams) also work well in a remote setting.
Outlining which work locations the company allows is an important step in meeting payroll, tax, and other compliance requirements.
Some companies, for example, allow employees to telework. This means they need not work in the office, but they must be in the same state as the employer’s place of business. Here are some examples of legal and compliance issues for telework and remote work.
Some organizations allow for digital nomads who can work anywhere in the world. There are some limitations as well, as outlined in this guide on supporting digital nomads.
Important: employees must inform HR if they plan to relocate or need to work elsewhere for a certain period. This will have an impact on the company’s legal obligations as outlined above.
Will your organization require everyone to be available/online at specific times? Or would you like different time zones covered?
Some companies have remote employees who work on different shifts. Other organizations allow for flexible hours or asynchronous patterns, but this depends on the nature of the job.
Why is it important to outline work hours in a remote work policy? “While norms like work hours and communication are easily observed in an office, they can vary in remote or hybrid environments, causing uncertainty and reducing team cohesion,” Thiebeault says.
When working remotely, there’s a greater focus on output over hours worked. This requires a shift in mindsets – where working onsite was all about visibility and hours worked, remote working focuses on goals and output.
This is where project management tools can help track a team’s output against certain timelines. Part of implementing a remote work policy is making sure everyone is trained in the use of these tools.
Doing away with time trackers might not work in all instances, especially when it comes to monitoring overtime. This is an important aspect of payroll compliance.
This section of the remote work policy covers the tools and software that your remote workforce is expected to use. They will be responsible for keeping this equipment and data safe from breaches, so this section would include guidelines on that, too.
This section outlines what tools and resources are provided by the company. For example:
Having space at home that’s dedicated to work will help your employees become focused and productive. You can support them by offering financial assistance for work-from-home setups.
Provide a list of approved software and tools for teams to use while working remotely. Some common tools are:
You’ll want to include guidelines on when to use which tool – use Slack for quick updates, for example, and Zoom for team meetings.
This section should state which software and tools are allowed for work projects. Training in the use of these tools would be part of your company’s remote work arrangements.
Employees working from home need to be just as cautious as their onsite colleagues in keeping equipment and data safe. Some points to consider under this section of your policy document:
password policies and multi-factor authentication
guidelines on using work laptops for personal use – if allowed, what parameters or restrictions should employees keep in mind?
compliance with data laws such as GDPR (EU) or HIPAA (US)
To make sure employees comply with these guidelines, require them to sign standard operating procedures (SOPs). This should be done during the onboarding process and after any major updates.
It’s easy to overlook key details when writing a remote work policy, especially if your team is doing it for the first time. Avoiding common mistakes can save you time, reduce confusion, and help your policy work better for everyone from day one.
Watch out for these pitfalls when drafting a remote work policy:
You’ll want to be as detailed as possible to guide remote teams effectively. Guidelines that are too vague lead to confusion among managers and their teams. Adapting to a new way of working is daunting enough; not having enough guidance to support employees adds to the anxiety.
Structure is important but in the context of remote work, being overly rigid can limit effectiveness and create unnecessary friction. It can hurt morale and reduce flexibility.
Drafting a remote work policy requires hitting the sweet spot between providing enough detail without being too rigid or structured.
This is related to our earlier point of being too rigid. Micro-management can breed mistrust and, to an extreme, resentment.
Trust and rapport are important ingredients in cultivating teamwork, especially among remote employees. As the CEO of a fully remote company says, “Trust by default – assume that your team members are capable adults who want to do good work.” Find out more in our article on managing remote teams.
This is an important piece – studies have shown that remote employees are less likely to get raises or promotions. Work-from-home employees should be on equal footing with their onsite colleagues.
All employees, regardless of location or work pattern, should have access to the same perks and opportunities. If there are unavoidable differences – due to compliance requirements, for example – the policy should explain why these variations exist.
If your company operates in other countries, consider cultural nuances when drafting a remote work policy. Employment laws and work cultures differ, and it’s important to respect that.
Have a core global policy with a uniform set of values and principles. Allow for variations for each country, taking local laws and work culture into account.
Consult local labor law and tax experts to make sure you’re fully compliant.
As in most workplace guidelines, treat your policy on remote working as a living document. It’s not set in stone and should continue to evolve as changes and updates happen.
There are several reasons why your remote work policy should be treated as a living document:
Labor laws, data privacy rules, and work-from-home safety obligations change all the time
As collaboration platforms, cybersecurity tools, and productivity software evolve, policies need to reflect how these are used and managed
Employee preferences around flexibility, availability, and hybrid balance keep changing
Business priorities might shift; your policy needs to adapt as these practices change
A company expanding into new markets will face new legal and cultural considerations that may need policy updates
Policies and work practices change all the time – be ready to adjust to these changes by updating your policy regularly.
It would be good to review your remote work policy at least once a year. This helps you keep up with changes to employment laws, technology, and ways of working.
You should also take another look at the policy any time something major changes, such as:
It also helps to collect feedback from employees and managers regularly. This helps you spot any issues early and make updates as needed.
It helps to include key stakeholders in the group responsible for reviewing and updating your remote work policy. Depending on your company size and structure, this might include:
Involving the right people makes it easier to spot potential issues, stay compliant, and create a policy that works well across the organization.
We asked Thiebeault about the do’s and don’ts of a policy on remote working. She covered three main points:
“If your organization has switched to hybrid or remote work since the pandemic, ensure new hires are on the same footing as those who joined when you were in-office,” she says. “Everyone should follow the same operating principles, regardless of when they joined your company.”
Just because your organization is remote-friendly doesn’t mean physical meetups are out. “In-person interactions can be beneficial for creative idea generation and social connection,” Thiebeault says. When drafting your policy, include when in-person meetings take place and what the logistics are.
Your remote work policy offers an opportunity to promote and support work-life balance. Thiebeault suggests encouraging healthy routines and breaks to create clear boundaries between work and personal life. “You may also address Zoom fatigue by promoting time-blocking to manage tasks and reduce burnout,” she says.
A clear and well-thought-out remote work policy helps everyone stay on the same page – whether they’re working from home, a coworking space, or across time zones. It sets expectations, supports fairness, and keeps your organization compliant and productive.
As ways of working continue to evolve, your remote work policy should keep up. With the right tools, input from key stakeholders, and regular reviews, you can build a policy that supports your people and your goals – no matter where work happens.
Are you ready to introduce a remote work policy in your organization? Let us know in the comments below
