The coronavirus has changed the way we are living, working and conducting business - possibly into the future. For now, thanks to modern technology you, as well as many other companies, may have employees working from home.

It is wonderful that companies are able to keep staff employed during this challenging time, but doing so brings new security and other issues that must be addressed. It’s most important that your company has a strong remote work policy and strong security enhancements in place.

Don't have a remote work policy? Use our Remote Work Policy Template to create your own.

Remote Work Policy

A strong remote work policy should include specific guidelines for all your employees. It should explicitly state all expectations and instructions for:

• work hours and how they will be tracked
• secure technology issues
• your company’s overtime policy
• reporting personal injury and any damage to company equipment
• protection of proprietary company information

Managing Remote Workers

Managing a remote workforce can be challenging. Here are some tips:

• Check your business insurance coverage, including general liability, as well as your property and workers’ compensation and health insurance to make sure it also covers at-home or remote workers.
• Make sure that everything is documented in some written form. Include in your policy how working hours are tracked or use a program that tracks when employees are actually working online.
• Document everything that an employee is required to do. Include expected hours, productivity, reports and any other work product that you deem appropriate. This will be important in the event of an issue or even an injury while your employees are working remotely.
• Give all employees who work remotely a written copy of your policy. Have them sign that they received it. This can be done remotely if necessary. This is especially important if you are hiring new or temporary workers during this time.
• Make sure all employees who are working remotely have a secure connection. If possible, use a VPN that can encrypt all data. Also make sure they keep their computers, cell phones and other equipment to themselves and that they securely store them when they are not being used.
• Keep communications open by utilizing Zoom, Skype or other video conferencing services. This may help your employees to feel less isolated.
• Let your employees know that you value them and that you trust them in regards to their remote work schedule and productivity.

Following these tips will help you keep your business running smoothly and help you to avoid potential problems when workers are scattered and working from home.