Employee Remote Work Policy Sample

Remote work, which gained prominence during the pandemic, continues to be a preferred mode for the new generation employees. Also known as the ‘work from home model’, organizations have slowly started understanding its true potential.

It offers the following benefits:

Boosting workforce morale, efficiency, and productivity.

Reducing operational costs.

Lessening the environmental impact of vehicle travel.

Accommodating the special needs of employees.

Employee remote work policy or work-from-home policy is designed to outline the basic guidelines, rules, and regulations governing an organization’s remote work. This policy helps organizations transform into fully or partially remote workspaces.

Here is an employee remote work or work-from-home policy template designed for your daily use. Feel free to download it and tailor it to your needs.

Work From Home Policy Sample

This policy reflects the work-from-home policy [Organization’s Name] used for our global teams. It is the starting point for all departments in building a connected workforce.

With this policy in place, we envision having 50% of our workforce comprised of remote workers from around the globe.

Policy Scope and Purpose

Our employee remote work policy aims to safeguard the interests of our remote employees and align the workforce with our organizational vision and mission. It serves the following purposes:

Championing our mission of employee happiness to provide a flexible work environment.

Creating a safe space for employees to unleash their productivity from the comforts of their home.

Recruiting talent from around the world, regardless of geographic location.

Reducing our carbon footprint, moving closer to a greener tomorrow.

Employees should note that while this policy is in effect, it does not disrupt the organization’s daily operations or other guidelines related to conduct, attendance, social media, or confidentiality.

Eligibility Criteria

Employees who wish to be a part of this work arrangement must meet the following criteria:

Employees must ensure their role is eligible for remote work. Certain roles, due to the nature of their job and other limitations, don’t fall under the category, like:

Any roles requiring physical availability in the workplace.

Any roles with technology constraints.

Any roles with security constraints.

Employees must get approval from their reporting managers or team heads before switching to remote work.

Employees must ensure a suitable, noise-free work environment when working remotely.

Remote Work Arrangements

We offer various types of remote work arrangements for our employees. After getting their team lead’s approval, our employees can choose the one that suits their needs.

Here are the ones we offer:

Ad Hoc remote work: For occasional needs such as family issues, illness, recovery, inclement weather, business travel, or caring for an ill family member.
Regular remote work: For employees unable to commute due to geographic location, family responsibilities, mental or physical well-being, etc.

Work Hours and Availability

Employees must work their regular schedules unless they receive approval for a flexible work schedule. If an employee is sick, they must raise a PTO request for the day and get approval from their reporting heads.
Employees must remain productive, engaged, and responsive during the scheduled work hours.
Employees will begin their working hours by logging into our official attendance tracker. As mentioned in our Overtime Policy, employee overtime should be approved prior, and employees should not work during their off hours, even if it is as minimal as responding to official mail.
Employees must adhere to their designated work schedules, and any changes must be notified and approved by the reporting manager and the departmental heads.

Work Environment and Equipment

Employees must follow these guidelines while working from a remote location, whether permanent or temporary:

Home computers or laptops should have designated software providers to safeguard sensitive information and monitor users’ daily activities during work hours.

Employees must use the following tools and applications to manage their workflow more efficiently:

Zoom for online meetings and conferences.

Slack for task management and team communication.

Dashlane for password management.

Google Calendar for scheduling meetings.

Google Drive for creating and sharing documents, spreadsheets, and slides.

All employees should follow the usual work schedules (Mention the time schedule) unless any flexible workflow is notified in advance.

Employees should share their Google calendars across their team for better visibility and to manage their work more efficiently.

Employees are requested to schedule official meetings through the Calendar and avoid a quick “do you have time” meeting.

Employees must finish their tasks as logged in by them on their daily calendars to avoid any disruptions in the team’s work.

Expense Reimbursement

Our company provides basic IT equipment (such as Laptops, Headphones, and Monitors), additionally the employees are eligible for a recurring stipend to support their remote work arrangements.

Employees will not receive any additional reimbursement other than the recurring stipend. If an employee incurs any additional business expenses, they must get it approved by their departmental heads.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is a remote work policy?

A remote work policy governs the remote workforce by underlining the rules and regulations on working hours, expectations, communication systems, performance management, and tools to ensure productivity and compliance with federal laws.

Q2. What is an example of a remote work policy?

An example of remote work policy: Employees working remotely must be available online from 9 AM to 5 PM EST, use company approved IT devices, and adhere to security protocols while handling sensitive data.

Q3. Why is a remote work policy important?

A remote work policy is essential as it helps enhance productivity, employee satisfaction, and talent retention, ensure compliance with labor laws and maintain business profitability.

Q4. What should a remote work policy include?

While there are no defined guidelines governing the contents of a remote work policy, it generally includes clear expectations, communication guidelines, office hours, data security measures, equipment provisions, and performance metrics tailored to federal laws and company requirements.