What is one best practice for a work from home policy?

To help you with solidifying your work from home policy, we asked business owners and HR leaders this question for their best insights. From establishing a goal-based working system to scheduling a daily wellness break, there are several suggestions that may help you shape your work from home policy.

Here are eleven best practices for a work from home policy:

• Establish a Goal-Based Working System
• Have a Centralized Database of Information
• Prioritize Clear Communication
• Be Available to Answer Policy Questions
• Set Virtual Meeting Expectations
• Utilize Technology
• Maintain the Employee Bond
• Adjust to the Challenges of the Times
• Organize and Keep Track of Your Time
• Set Boundaries 
• Schedule a Daily Wellness Break

 

 

Establish a Goal-Based Working System

Working from home limits the ability to control the employees and allows them to focus on deep work. Switching to a system where the goals and outcomes are prioritized instead of time spent can help satisfy both employees and employers. After all, it is better to be assured that specific business goals will be achieved than that someone will work 40 hours per week.

Michael Sena, SENACEA

 

Have a Centralized Database of Information

Aligning scattered information and adding it to a centralized knowledge-sharing unit is crucial to the smooth functioning of the work-from-home model. All the necessary documentation can then be made accessible to all employees for collaborative learning and project managers can review and update documentation every week or when processes are updated. Furthermore, to avoid information hoarding, a bi-monthly review of gathered information can be carried out by the same project managers, followed by archiving of outdated or replaced information.

Riley Beam, Douglas R. Beam, P.A.

 

Prioritize Clear Communication

One best practice for work from home policy is to prioritize clear communication. Avoid disconnection, loneliness, and misinformation, while instead scheduling regular meetings, using chats and channels, and keeping team members informed and on the same page. Poor communication can be harmful not only for productivity and performance but for the emotional side too, such as reducing employee morale and job satisfaction.

Maciek Kubiak, PhotoAiD

 

Be Available to Answer Policy Questions

One best practice for a work from home policy is to ensure that all employees are aware of the policy and its parameters. Additionally, managers should be available to answer any questions employees may have about the policy.

Matthew Ramirez, Paraphrase

 

Set Virtual Meeting Expectations

“Can you hear me?,” Dogs barking, unsightly backgrounds, loud music, household members visible in the backgrounds, employees in pj’s -or worse! We all have had an interesting experiencing while on a virtual meeting and it is interesting to see that many work from home policies do not contain expectations or rules of etiquette or provide training on the technology on some of the basics -muting/unmuting yourself, testing sound/camera, using virtual backgrounds and if not possible, check your physical background to make sure it is appropriate…and more! This can go a long way to project your professional image, no matter the medium of communication.

Patty Hickok, NANA Regional Corporation

 

Utilize Technology

Technological advancements have altered our way of life, including how we work. However, to allow your employees to work from home efficiently, you must first acquire essential tools. Ensure that your employees have access to a reliable Internet connection at home, secure remote access to the company’s internal network and databases, and easy access to work emails or corporate messaging systems on their computers and smartphones.

Axel Hernborg, Tripplo.com

 

Maintain the Employee Bond

The best practice for a work-from-home policy is to make sure your employees stay feeling connected to their job and the company. It can get lonely working from a remote location, but  any business operations expert would tell you that it’s imperative you maintain employee engagement. To boost employee engagement from a hybrid or remote work environment, try to get your team together out of the house. Picnics, hikes, or just coffee hangs will help morale both in and out of the office.

Bradley Hall, Sonu Sleep

 

Adjust to the Challenges of the Times

A work from home policy must take into consideration the many challenges associated with the times we are living in. Therefore, a policy must offer due importance to the factor of flexibility during an emergency or in the face of unforeseen circumstances. Every employee faces a different set of challenges, and while the policy must accord uniformity when it comes to performance and accountability, it must also leave room for managers to deal with different personal challenges of employees so that they can experiment with unique solutions.

Azmaira Maker, Ph.D., Aspiring Families

 

Organize and Keep Track of Your Time

Working from home can be quite difficult when you don’t feel organized. It is important to practice your organizational skills by setting a working schedule for yourself, and by keeping track of your work done. I personally like to set timers throughout the day to keep track of how much time I have been working on a certain task, and to remind myself to pivot between different tasks that need to be done.

Hilary Kozak, LivSmooth

 

Set Boundaries

Encouraging team members to set boundaries for work-life balance. My team works asynchronously, so we use hashtags in Slack messaging to indicate whether or not a message is urgent or not urgent. While we can send messages at all hours of the day, we also adjust our expectations on when to expect a response so that team members in different time zones don’t feel as if they must respond to messages in their off time.

Jessica Miller-Merrell, Workology

 

Schedule a Daily Wellness Break

In today’s current business environment, everyone is much more invested in their work-life balance than they were even five years ago. The gig economy is on the rise, and many workers are finding new ways to value their time. One good work-from-home or remote policy is proactively scheduling blocks of focus time can also help with focus and productivity. We have a one-hour “daily wellness break” to make sure everyone has a chance to stretch, eat, go for a walk, or just enjoy a Zoom-free part of their day.

Carter Reum, M13

 

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