Remote Work Guidelines

This is the fifth and final article in my series about remote work. I have spoken to a number of people in various organizations and at various levels within organizations about their experience with remote work during the COVID pandemic. My goal was to glean lessons learned that can be implemented on a sustainable basis after the impact of the pandemic has subsided. As the economy reopens, I expect more employers to seriously consider expanded use of remote work. This will allow employers to optimize the cost of commercial space.  

In my first article, I discussed the importance of maintaining a team environment when staff works remotely. This starts with leaders having relationships with members of their team, and by taking steps to ensure that team members will have the opportunity to communicate, as if they were in the same location. 

In the second article, I discussed trust. For remote employment to work, there must be a measure of trust of employees. In fact, if one does not trust their team, one must ask why not, why did a leader hire an untrustworthy team? In the end there must be trust, but the trust must also be earned. 

Regardless of location, if there is a poor culture or organization in the office, remote work will be difficult if not impossible. The first steps are to implement a good culture throughout the organization. 

In the third article, I discussed how company policies should be maintained, regardless of work location. Corporate policies must be maintained regardless of work location.

In the fourth article I discussed some technological issues related to remote work.   

In preparing for ongoing use of remote work, there is one issue left to address. This relates to liability and insurance. In Alberta it appears that remote workers may be eligible for WCB coverage under specific circumstances. In summary, if the employee has a work-related injury while sitting at a separate workstation, they may be covered by the WCB, but injuries away from the specified work location may not be covered. Also, there should be clear guidelines and expectations about ergonomics for employees working at home. I was provided with a WCB guide to remote work that I would share with any that request it. 

I would suggest that employers contemplating allowing remote work on a sustained basis confirm that any insurance coverage is still valid for remote work, and seek legal advice about any liability issues related to remote work. It is better to know if there are issues prior to problems arising to trying to recover later. 

I wrote these articles to assist those contemplating implementing remote work on a sustained basis. I have provided the result of conversation with others that have experienced remote work during the pandemic. My goal was not to provide all the answers, nor a cookie cutter approach, but to focus on issues and questions that should be addressed. Each organization is different and must implement remote work in a way that fits its organization, its culture and its people. I hope I have given food for thought to allow any organization to work through a framework as to how it will implement remote work to best suit its environment, its staff, and maintain quality service to its customers.

I would like to thank all who have shared their thoughts and input in creating this series of articles.