As our world changes, the workforce is continually changing with new legislation/laws, employment practices, and ways of doing business. As these changes occur, organizations must evolve and adapt to stay compliant and relevant to continue engaging, attracting, and retaining employees. At times, these changes must be documented and become a standard of how the organization operates. As a human resource professional, you may be required to write policies, enforce them, and provide clarity to employees.
In this module, you responded to managers and non-managers regarding a request to work remotely. This conflict has created a need for clear and accurate communication regarding remote work, in the form of a written work-from-home (WFH) policy. In this assignment, you will draft a WFH policy describing the organization’s point of view and process on remote work. This policy is for all employees. As you begin this assignment, spend some time thinking about how organizations have responded to remote work and what policies were needed to address this change. For example, you may consider policies related to work hours, such as registering or showing as present when working remotely, as well as remote work expectations.
Directions
To complete this assignment, write a remote work policy. As you develop your policy, consider the following questions. You will need to research existing policies to find criteria for these questions.
Why is the company developing a new policy?
How is remote work defined for the company? (You might define this as fully remote, hybrid, flexible, and more.)
When will the policy go into effect? Is there an end date?
Consider the employee and organizational expectations for your policy.
What are the expectations of employees? Consider pay, hours worked, work schedules, benefits, job status (full/part time), and job performance.
How does an employee request to work remotely?
What are the responsibilities of management?
How do you apply the policy fairly?
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
Purpose: Explain the purpose of the work-from-home policy change in a way that clearly illustrates the rationale for employees.
Expectations: Describe specific expectations, benefits, requests, and responsibilities of the policy.
Consequences: Explain what the consequences are if the policy’s expectations are not met.
Flexible Work: A temporary or situational arrangement where an employee works remotely on an ad-hoc basis with a manager's approval (e.g., for a doctor's appointment or a short-term personal need).
This policy will go into effect on the date listed above and will remain active until updated or rescinded by the company.
3. Employee Expectations and Responsibilities
Compensation and Benefits: Employee compensation, job status (full-time/part-time), and benefits will not change as a result of a remote work arrangement.
Work Hours and Schedule: Remote employees are expected to work their standard assigned hours and be available and responsive during core business hours. Employees must be accessible through company communication channels (e.g., email, instant messaging, video calls).
Job Performance: Performance expectations remain the same for remote employees as for their in-office counterparts. Performance will be measured by results and productivity, not by physical presence.
Remote Work Environment: Employees are responsible for maintaining a safe and productive remote workspace. The company will provide necessary equipment, such as a laptop and phone, but employees are responsible for their internet connection and suitable work environment.
Requesting Remote Work: Employees must submit a formal request for a remote work arrangement to their direct manager. This request must be submitted at least 30 days in advance of the desired start date. The request should outline the proposed schedule and a justification for how the employee’s productivity and team collaboration will be maintained.
4. Management Responsibilities and Fair Application
Evaluating Requests: Managers are responsible for evaluating remote work requests based on objective criteria, including business needs, job function suitability, and the employee's past performance.
Approval Process: All remote work requests require a manager's approval and review by Human Resources to ensure consistency and fair application of the policy. Managers must provide a clear and documented rationale for both approved and denied requests.
Ensuring Fairness: This policy will be applied fairly to all employees. The company commits to ensuring that decisions are based on objective business needs and job requirements, not on personal bias or the employee's status (union or nonunion).
5. Consequences of Non-Compliance
Failure to adhere to this Work-from-Home policy will result in corrective action. Non-compliance includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Failure to be available during scheduled work hours.
Decline in job performance or productivity.
Breaches of company data security or confidentiality protocols while working remotely.
Unauthorized changes to the approved remote work schedule.
Sample Answer
Company Work-from-Home Policy
Policy Number: HR-001-WFH Effective Date: [Date, e.g., November 15, 2023] Applies To: All full-time and part-time employees Supersedes: Any prior informal work-from-home arrangements
1. Purpose
The purpose of this Work-from-Home (WFH) policy is to establish a clear and consistent framework for remote work within the company. This policy is being developed to provide clear guidance and ensure fair treatment for all employees following an increase in requests for remote work. The goal is to support employee work-life balance and productivity while maintaining business continuity, security, and team collaboration. This policy is not an entitlement, but a flexible arrangement based on business needs and job requirements.
2. Definitions and Scope
This policy defines the following remote work arrangements:
Hybrid Work: Employees split their time between the office and a remote location on a regular, pre-approved schedule (e.g., three days in the office, two days remote).
Fully Remote Work: Employees work 100% of their scheduled hours from a pre-approved remote location. This arrangement is typically reserved for specific roles that do not require an in-person presence.