Remote working is one of the most important conversations in business right now. Whether your team is office based, hybrid or remote, your business needs a remote working policy.
The word “policy” may sound pretty complex, but it doesn’t have to be. Get it right and a clear policy can create higher employee satisfaction and lower your costs, too.
Here, we’re sharing everything you need to know, along with a free remote working policy template you can update and use for your business.
Update your remote working policy on the regular
First things first, remote working is an ever-changing thing. Every business should make a habit of auditing how employees are currently working remotely and updating their remote working policy regularly.
It pays to gather employee and manager feedback so everyone in your business feels they’ve had a say in creating your remote working policy. You can do this via employee surveys or by gathering team-by-team feedback. It’s also key to be clear and concise in your remote working policy to prevent any confusion. Clear is kind.
Ultimately, creating a remote working policy is about giving your team opportunities to work from home, in flexible workspaces near them or abroad – and exactly how they can do so.
Be sure to cover all aspects of remote work
That includes working hour expectations, data security details and any other company-specific information. If it sounds challenging, don’t fret. We’ve got you.
Here’s a list of questions every business should ask themselves when creating a remote working policy:
- Who does your remote working policy apply to – is it all staff, full-time staff only or otherwise?
- Do we want to offer core working hours or fixed working hours for every remote worker?
- Are staff able to work overseas?
- What is our definition of remote working?
- Do we want to support our employees with local, on-demand workspace passes as part of our remote working policy?
- What data security measures do we need to mention to keep sensitive information safe when working remotely?
- What technology does every remote worker need to be aware of?
- What is our remote working approval policy?
Bring together your People and Operations teams to answer these questions and you’ll be ready to create your remote working policy. You can use our free template here.
Give your team access to on-demand coworking and meeting rooms as part of your remote working policy
You’ll notice that one of the questions on our essential list asks about your company’s definition of remote working. It’s an important one because remote working takes on many different forms.
During the pandemic, remote working for many businesses was straightforward: everyone worked from home until further notice. Simple. However, now the world has opened back up, you have the opportunity to be more creative with how your team works remotely. Enter flexible workspaces, meeting rooms and venues (both in the UK and abroad).
When thinking about hybrid working, working from home and working from the office aren’t your only options. For some people, working from home doesn’t work well. Whatever the case, giving your people access to on-demand coworking and meeting rooms help teams switch up their environment and spark new ideas.
Example scenarios where you may want to give your team access to on-demand coworking and meeting rooms:
Imagine you’re a growing FinTech startup of 50 people strong. You’ve decided not to stay in a permanent office near Old Street, but you recognise that people in your team, particularly more junior staff, don’t have comfortable spaces to work from home. So, you want to offer your people flexible access to meeting rooms and coworking spaces across London and the surrounding counties.
Or, imagine you’re a large corporation looking to offer a more innovative way for people to work. To move your workforce on to the next phase of hybrid working, you want to introduce a new company perk: access to flexible venues across the world. Giving your teams access to flexible workspaces is a new way of supporting them in being able to work productively from abroad - ensuring they have wifi and a good work setup!
Whatever your situation, we’re here to help provide you with a remote working policy to achieve your goals.
Tally Market helps you find more creative ways to hybrid work
If you’re looking for a new way of approaching remote working, look no further. Tally Market’s handpicked selection of flexible coworking spaces, venues and inspiring places is made to take your team further. Make hybrid work for you, today.