4 min
Faced with an exceptional situation such as the one we are currently experiencing due to the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting health crisis, more and more organizations offer employees the option of teleworking.
For teleworking to be successfully implemented in a company, it is necessary to develop a plan that takes into account all the departments of the company. Today, thanks to the advancement in technology, working remotely is much easier to manage due to the numerous tools that allow employees to carry out their usual tasks outside the office, from any location and with an Internet connection.
But we must not forget that, for a teleworking plan to be successful, there must be a certain structure, productivity expectations and good communication both internally and with clients.
7 Tips To Implement A Successful Teleworking Plan
1) Make Sure That Each Employee Performs The Work That Corresponds To Him
Not all jobs are used to working remotely. And for it to work, there must be a high level of trust between the organization and the employee.
It is important to create criteria for tasks that can be accomplished by teleworking. This involves defining which jobs allow employees to work independently and have the flexibility to work in a remote location.
2) Create Policies And Guidelines For Teleworking
One mistake that many organizations make is not to write a policy the first time someone asks to work from home, although sometimes, in situations like the current one, it can catch companies off guard, since many employees have been forced to work hard remotely overnight.
With this in mind, writing policies and procedures should always be the first step in changing or adding a practice to the organization.
The advantage of having these types of policies is that they help companies to have a guide for the equitable treatment of employees.
In the case of telework, this means defining which jobs meet the criteria for working remotely, employee productivity expectations, job communication prospects, and approval processes for telework applications.
This policy should also include things like determining the minimum length of time an employee must have in the company, before working remotely, the responsibility they should have for the care of office equipment supplied by the organization, safeguarding confidential information, work habits that support a positive teleworking agreement, etc.
3) Develop A Remote Worker Agreement
In the health crisis caused by the coronavirus, which most companies have caught unexpectedly, having already written a previous teleworking agreement has not been possible.
Having already experienced this situation and focusing on the future, that is, having a teleworking plan, organizations must determine that the employee meets the established criteria, the employee and the organization must sign a teleworking agreement.
This must specifically establish a trial period and the requirement for an evaluation to guarantee employee performance. The agreement must have a time limitation and clearly establish that the organization can cancel it at any time.
4) Evaluate A Trial Period
After employees have been telecommuting for a period of time (as can be described in the agreement), there should be a process to evaluate their performance during that time.
The manager should sit down with the employee and discuss their goals, job responsibilities, and how remote work improves or hinders their ability to do their tasks. Thus, after evaluation, changes can be established to optimize remote work.
5) Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Good communication is the key to the success of any process, so there should be clear expectations about how often the employee is expected to communicate with the office, what types of communications are expected, and project status reports. .
This includes the supervisor who manages the workflow process to ensure that the goals of the employees and the organization are met.
Teleworkers also need feedback from their supervisor. Whether they are doing a good job or not, employees feel isolated when they work from home and want to know if their job is satisfying and meets company expectations.
6) Ensure The Support Of The IT Team
The employee must have adequate technical support for their computer equipment, as well as access to company files.
This type of technical support is important because if the employee’s equipment stops working and their productivity stops, they must be able to resolve the problem quickly.
Today, most organizations have the right tools so that their employees can work remotely, make videoconferences, offer quality customer service, be connected to other colleagues in their department, etc.
7) Make It Social
Training events or teamwork sessions need to be planned to allow all employees the benefit of spending “virtual” time with their colleagues.
Most employees would love the opportunity to work from home. However, not everyone has the work responsibilities, discipline, and work ethic to successfully telecommute.
But writing policies, creating a structured process, and having good communication systems is a great way to make teleworking easier for employees, through a plan that supports both worker productivity and a healthy work-life balance.
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