What is a remote work policy?

A remote work policy is a set of rules and regulations at your company governing who is able to work remotely at your company, when and how they are allowed to work remotely, why they would or wouldn’t be able to work remotely, and what they are allowed and not allowed to do when working remotely. It usually contains information around remote work compliance as well as any relevant HR or IT rules and clearly spells out the consequences of non-compliance.

About remote work

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way people live and work, even years later. One of the most pronounced changes, persisting long after the pandemic, is remote work. While it used to be much more common at the height of the pandemic, many industries still allow their workers to work at least part of their working week remotely. Remote work is considered one of the most highly sought-after perks by jobseekers, along with higher pay, access to training and education and career advancement opportunities. Companies allowing remote work usually boast less turnover, higher employee satisfaction, better work/life balance, reduced burnout and improved morale.

Remote work isn’t without its issues, though. Employers have raised concerns about their employees slacking off during working hours or doing work from public places that put information security at risk. Many companies have extensive real estate footprints and lease expensive office space in prime locations; remote work turns these spaces into sunk costs. There have also been reports of employees sometimes working multiple jobs at once, using company time and resources for personal gain.

Fully remote vs. hybrid vs. in-person work policies

Fully remote workplaces are much harder to come by than before the pandemic, but they still exist. They are more common in certain industries where employees can perform the central functions of their job from home, with a computer and phone. Fully remote work policies typically define the working hours during which an employee is expected to be online and reachable. Your IT department will likely have its own policies in place regarding whether or not employees are allowed to connect to public/shared Wi-Fi, whether they need to connect to a VPN, acceptable use policies around computer and/or phone use and more.

People leaders may be required to come into the office for at least part of the week or for the purposes of holding events where remote employees gather. Many companies that allow their workers to work fully remote hold biweekly, monthly or even annual get-togethers with their employees to ensure corporate culture doesn’t suffer and people are able to meet their colleagues. One of the greatest advantages of fully remote work is that you can hire talent from across Canada, but one of the greatest drawbacks is that colleagues might never get the chance to meet and mingle with their colleagues and build camaraderie—this becomes more of an issue during stretches of tight timelines and busy projects.

The vast majority of workplaces in Canada that allow workers to work remotely at least part of the time operate on a hybrid schedule. This involves a combination of workers working both in-office and remotely. The days employees need to come to an office might be the same across the entire company or determined by employees and their teams on an individual basis. Hybrid work policies feature much of the same rules and regulations as fully remote policies but mixed with in-office rules and regulations around dress code, hours of operation, drugs and alcohol and any other workplace policies your company already has in place.

Hybrid policies have the advantage of giving your employees a bit of flexibility as far as work/life balance is concerned, while also allowing them to collaborate and build relationships in-office. You also won’t spend money on expensive office space that isn’t being used by your employees. The issue with hybrid work arrangements is whether you allow your employees to choose the days they come to the office, or whether you make this a centralized decision that applies to all employees, regardless of their circumstances. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for which days are convenient for employees or teams, so if you choose to implement a hybrid work policy, consider letting your employees choose the days they work remotely.

Finally, some companies (and, indeed, entire industries) have never had a remote work policy. There are some jobs that simply cannot be performed remotely, such as healthcare, hospitality and the trades. There are also some companies that oblige their workers to work in person when they could work remotely and even did so at the height of the pandemic. Companies like this tend to use team building, company culture and collaboration as their reasons for refusing remote work, and, indeed, some companies may have seen reductions in these metrics while allowing remote work.

If remote work is compromising company performance, entirely in-office work becomes necessary. Be mindful though, companies operating entirely in the office in industries that allow remote or even hybrid work tend to have lower employee morale, higher turnover and burnout, and experience issues with attracting and hiring top talent. This isn’t a universal issue across the board—indeed, some workers prefer entirely in-office work and find remote work to be isolating and rife with distraction. It is important to listen to your employees and use data-driven decision-making before removing the ability to work remotely.  

How to implement a remote work policy

If you’re thinking of allowing your employees to work from home some or all of the time, you’ll need a good policy in place that is easy to follow and prevents issues with remote work compliance.

Consult employees

First, see what your employees think of their current working arrangement and assess whether or not remote work would make sense. If people don’t want it, or it would cause a massive disruption to your operations, it might not be worth considering. If these issues aren’t present, be sure to heavily involve your IT and HR teams in the drafting and implementation of your remote work policy. It also doesn’t hurt to have an employment lawyer review your policy to make sure it is compliant with labour laws.

Do a pilot project

It can help to “soft launch” a remote work policy before making it permanent. This way, there is no expectation that the policy is permanent if it causes any friction. Putting your policy in place for a month or two gives you enough time to see what works and what needs tweaking before going ahead.

Monitor and measure results

While the policy is in place, you will need to monitor and measure a variety of metrics: Are employees happy? Are your clients affected in any way? Has your bottom line been affected? The only way to properly tailor the policy to your specific company and its needs is to constantly measure along the way and make adjustments as needed. Once you’re confident with the data you’ve collected and the decisions you’ve made, it’s time to formalize the policy by making it part of your company’s rules and regulations. Of course, circumstances can change at any time, and you may find yourself needing to make changes to your remote work policy. As long as you follow these steps, you shouldn’t have problems.

The decision to allow employees to work remotely at your company comes down to your circumstances and whether or not your operations would be significantly impacted by it. If operations would be marginally impacted or even improved by giving employees the flexibility to work remotely some or all of the time, it is definitely a policy worth considering. As long as you implement a solid remote work policy, you shouldn’t have too many issues making the switch—and may even reap the benefits that come with it, like happier, more productive employees and increased interest among jobseekers to work at your company.