Even with the worst of the pandemic seemingly behind us, it looks like most white-collar businesses will have remote workers for the foreseeable future. Many workers who were sent home during the lockdowns of 2020 have yet to return to the office. They enjoy the convenience and time savings of a home office without a commute. Or perhaps they are still scared of the virus.
Either way, in 2022, remote and hybrid working has become the norm. And Tampa employers have to adjust.
Most companies, even smaller businesses, can handle at least some level of a remote workforce. Here are some tips to help.
- If you don’t have written company policies related to at-home workers, it’s time to develop them. Input from an attorney, HR advisor, IT provider and others can be very helpful.
- Establish which employees are eligible to work remotely.
- Make it clear that remote employees are expected to respond to emails promptly and be available for phone calls and video meetings during working hours. Set definite guidelines for availability so that there is no confusion.
- For security purposes, provide remote workers with company computers and other necessary equipment and make sure they never work on their personal computers.
- Unless you are okay with having remote workers indefinitely, set a schedule for regular evaluations. If productivity or responsiveness is dropping, this gives you the option of ending full-time work at home as an option. At least, you can identify which employees thrive working remotely and which do not.
With policies in place carefully tailored to your business, you can continue to grow whether your workers come to the office or not.
