Is teleworking possible in your business?
It is not possible to simply assume that teleworking is possible in a workplace. Several factors come into play and it is up to management to decide whether it can be implemented or not. Points such as whether the tasks enable teleworking, whether the work is carried out efficiently, whether the working environment works, and whether teleworking actually works in relation to the business, can form the basis of the policy and whether teleworking is simply a possibility. Other points to address are:
- The economic aspect
- How the cohesion in the workplace has been before
- The impact of teleworking on short and long term development and business goals
- The impact of teleworking on information retrieval and knowledge development
It can be important to carry out a risk assessment before management decides whether teleworking is an option at all, especially if you do not already have experience of this method of working.
Develop a policy with employee views
Management is always the main authority on what to do about teleworking in a workplace, but it is of course important that employees have a say in the development of the policy and guidelines. For example, send out a survey for everyone to fill in and try to be as flexible as possible. It is also important to evaluate how things worked during the pandemic, for example, when everyone was working remotely. Then you know what worked and what didn’t, and can take that into account when writing the policy.
What does teleworking mean for your business?
Clarify what teleworking means in your workplace. Different companies see teleworking in different ways, for example, it can mean working all week from home, or spending some time remotely and the rest in the office – a so-called hybrid workplace. If you allow both options, different policies should be developed for each teleworking option.
The policy covers the whole company but can also be adapted to teams/individual employees
A telework policy should be all-inclusive for the company, but as some teams or employees have more or fewer circumstances, the policy may be adapted in some clauses. Different things that come into play are the type of business and different work tasks.
Key points that should be included in the policy
Various points can of course be included in a teleworking policy but here are some that should definitely be included:
- How and when employees should be reachable.
- Any meetings to take place in the office/physically.
- The amount of work each day.
- How much teleworking is allowed, for example 100%, 60%, etc.
- Whether teleworking is allowed outside Sweden.
Freedom with responsibility usually means that employees feel better in the workplace and actually manage to deliver a good result. However, it does mean that they have rules to abide by and if these are clearly defined, the company has everything to gain.
The importance of a good working environment
Whether employees work at home or in the office, the manager is responsible for ensuring that the working environment is as good as possible and that the employee has the necessary equipment to work well and comfortably. Be clear in informing employees about what office equipment they are entitled to take home or purchase at company expense and what stays in the office.
How to design a good template
To make it easy for you, you can download existing teleworking templates and write down your points and guidelines. Templates are available in several versions online, but you can of course make adjustments to suit your business and make it as clear as possible for all employees to read.
Studies show hybrid work works best
According to studies, hybrid working is the best method of working remotely. This means that employees work part at home and part in the office during the week. The reason why hybrid working has proven to be successful is that the social aspect, misunderstandings and isolation are not negatively affected to the same extent as when employees work 100% from home.
It has also been shown that a hybrid workplace attracts more people to apply for jobs there. If you need help with recruitment or want to further develop your leadership after a long period of pandemic and complex situations, we at Unik Resurs are here for you.
