As our world changes, the workforce is continually changing with new legislation/laws, employment practices, and ways of doing business. As these changes occur, organizations must evolve and adapt to stay compliant and relevant to continue engaging, attracting, and retaining employees. At times, these changes must be documented and become a standard of how the organization operates. As a human resource professional, you may be required to write policies, enforce them, and provide clarity to employees.
write a remote work policy. As you develop your policy, consider the following questions. You will need to research existing policies to find criteria for these questions.
Why is the company developing a new policy?
How is remote work defined for the company? (You might define this as fully remote, hybrid, flexible, and more.)
When will the policy go into effect? Is there an end date?
Consider the employee and organizational expectations for your policy.
What are the expectations of employees? Consider pay, hours worked, work schedules, benefits, job status (full/part time), and job performance.
How does an employee request to work remotely?
What are the responsibilities of management?
How do you apply the policy fairly?
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
Purpose: Explain the purpose of the work-from-home policy change in a way that clearly illustrates the rationale for employees.
Expectations: Describe specific expectations, benefits, requests, and responsibilities of the policy.
Consequences: Explain what the consequences are if the policy’s expectations are not met.
Definitions
Fully Remote: An employee's primary work location is a pre-approved home office. This arrangement is typically for roles that do not require an on-site presence.
Hybrid: An employee regularly splits their time between the office and a remote location on a pre-approved, consistent schedule.
Flexible/Ad-Hoc: Short-term, manager-approved remote work for specific, non-routine circumstances.
Employee Expectations
Compensation and Benefits: Employee salary, job status (full-time/part-time), and benefits will not be altered by a remote work arrangement.
Work Hours and Availability: Remote employees must adhere to their standard work schedule and be available and responsive during business hours.
Performance: Performance expectations for remote employees are the same as for their on-site colleagues. Performance will be measured by output and results, not physical presence.
Work Environment: Employees are responsible for maintaining a safe and secure remote workspace with a reliable internet connection.
Requesting Remote Work
Employees must submit a formal request to their direct manager, outlining the proposed remote work schedule and a plan for maintaining productivity and team collaboration. The request will be reviewed by the manager and Human Resources to ensure fairness and consistency across the organization.
Management Responsibilities
Managers are responsible for evaluating remote work requests based on objective criteria such as job function, business needs, and team dynamics. They must ensure the policy is applied fairly and provide the necessary tools and support for their remote team members.
Consequences
Failure to adhere to the expectations outlined in this policy will be addressed through the company's standard corrective action process. Consequences for non-compliance, such as a decline in job performance or a failure to be available during work hours, may include:
Immediate revocation of the remote work arrangement.
Sample Answer
Company Remote Work Policy
Purpose
This remote work policy is being established to provide a clear, standardized framework for work-from-home arrangements across the company. The rationale is to adapt to the evolving nature of the modern workforce, ensuring we can continue to attract, retain, and engage top talent. This policy aims to balance the needs of our employees for flexibility with our company's operational requirements, fostering a productive and supportive work environment for everyone.
Expectations
This policy defines several types of remote work, allowing for flexibility based on roles and business needs. These arrangements are effective as of November 1, 2025, with no predetermined end date, allowing the policy to evolve as our business needs change.