Most businesses have found that remote work works well during pandemics. However, some workers might be exploiting the ability to work from home. Effective communication, policy, and technologies can assist prevent abuse.
It is more crucial than ever for companies to get in touch and follow up with their employees throughout this phase when working remotely.
Maintaining cohesiveness in the workplace and employee morale depends on regular communication. Regular conversations can also assist an employer in recognizing a worker who is having trouble adjusting to the new remote work environment or in spotting indicators of abuse of the remote work environment.
Warning Signs of Work From Home Abuse
Among these signs is one of an employee:
Not returning calls or emails during regular business hours for extended periods.
Being unavailable for meetings or calls via videoconference.
Here are 3 ways to ensure no employees abuse the work from home policy
The ideal way to manage remote teams is to use performance metrics set as benchmarks and enable performance measures. It will be simple to identify someone who is falling short of those expectations. Meeting deadlines and project production are two examples of these standards.
1. Establish Strong WFH Regulations
Employers ought to establish standards outlining the kinds of behavior that are unacceptable in a remote work environment.
The more specific the policies are, the better, since it will help staff grasp what is and isn’t allowed. Policies regarding working from home should cover the following:
What is the anticipated clock-in time for nonexempt employees?
When it is expected that exempt workers will be accessible.
Where an employee can work if access to private information is necessary for their job performance.
These stated policies are only helpful if implemented, considering the difficulties many encounter when working from home. Many workers have limited options for where they may work, juggle childcare obligations, and lack a distraction-free home workspace. Seek staff members’ input to understand their issues and concerns better.
An employer should speak with an employee who does not adhere to the work-from-home policy. An employer might discover that an impartial policy with good intentions can unintentionally and unfairly disfavor a working parent over a non-parent employee. As a result, the employer may choose to modify the policy. However, if the employer discovers that the worker has no legitimate reason for breaking it, corrective action can be required.
Revocation of the ability to operate remotely is possible in any case where abuse is suspected.
Employees misusing work-from-home privileges should be informed that should their performance not improve, termination of employment will be the next step if returning to work is not viable.
2. Make Use of Monitoring Instruments
Employers can utilize various strategies to ascertain whether workers misuse their ability to perform remotely.
Employers may track when employees log in and out of their computers and use their devices, assuming that employees are using company-provided laptops and smartphones and that monitoring these devices is permitted by corporate policy.
Companies should consider whether a policy that tracks workers’ activities fosters a culture aligned with the organization’s ideals.
Many workers think that greater productivity and general job happiness correlate with feeling trusted by their company. Employee trust may be compromised if computers and cell phones used for remote work are being watched to ensure rules are followed.
To prevent discrimination claims, an employer who monitors staff must also make sure it is doing so consistently.
Furthermore, many workers utilize their work email for personal purposes despite rules to the contrary. Suppose an employer chooses to routinely read through workers’ emails. In that case, it may discover individual information about them that it would not have otherwise desired to know, such as whether they have a health issue. Suppose a company decides to monitor employee email regularly. In that case, it should determine whether the purpose of the review is content or just keeping track of when employees log in and out.
Some firms have implemented policies requiring remote employees to track their time during the workday. Although this might be a valuable tool to ensure workers are focused and on target, it adds to their administrative workload and could make them feel untrusted at work.
3. Clear and effective communication
Remember that a worker may not be abusing the work-from-home policy.
‘Misuse’ is a better term occasionally to express the state of affairs. The worker isn’t aware of how to use new technology or procedures efficiently or believes they are following instructions correctly but has misinterpreted them.
When giving staff instruction, be specific. Stated differently, the supervisor should state, “Review this document and get back to me early on Monday with your thoughts,” instead of “Review this document and let me know your thoughts” in an email.
Ad hoc follow-up is rare in distant work. The break room or workplace hallway are hardly random places to meet. Everything needs to have a purpose. This is an area where many managers struggle, which irritates subordinates.
How to Prevent Work From Home Policy Abuse