In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, businesses are concerned about employees reporting to work, working from home, or closing their doors altogether. A common solution to avoid lost production and keep the business running is to offer employees the opportunity to work from home. But, unless your business already offers remote work, you may be wondering how to implement this change while ensuring your employees remain on track and complete their assignments. Today on the blog, Bryant Consultants wants to share an employer’s guide to shifting employees to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if your team is already working from home, these tips could help you ensure that everything runs smoothly.
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Identify the tasks to be completed remotely
Identify areas where essential functions are required to ensure ongoing business operations and decide which areas can be performed off-site.
Below are a few examples where normal “in-office” work can be performed remotely:
- Accounts payable and receivable
- Phone support or customer service
- Use video conferencing in place of in-person meetings
- Complete projects
- Website improvements
- Update forms or literature
- Develop marketing plans or research
- Work on product or process development
- Clean up your (CRM) customer or patient management system
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Use company-provided devices
Your expenses may increase for new equipment so employees can work remotely, but the initial costs could outweigh a potential lawsuit from a lack of security when it comes to privacy concerns. With a company-provided computer, you could easily secure proprietary information, private business communication, and other vital records. Increased security could reduce company risk from hackers or critical information leaking to the general public. Also, monitoring employee’s activity to ensure appropriate productivity during working hours could be easier.
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Pay employees for time spent working
When employees are engaged in work activities, they must be paid if it is outside normal business hours. With remote workers, tracking time worked is more complicated, so have employees clock-in and clock-out when working. Under no circumstance should the employee’s reported time be altered to prevent payment. If you feel an employee is intentionally misrepresenting their work time, implement corrective action to address the situation.
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Monitor your employee’s performance
Monitoring employee performance will help ensure productivity for the time you pay your workers. Using a proactive approach, establish criteria that must be met and use corrective action if needed to address under performing employees.
Below are some ways to monitor your remote workers:
- Provide a required employee schedule while working from home and clarify necessary communication methods they must use, such as phone, email, or video communication.
- Schedule daily check-ins with managers or a check-in meeting via video communication for all employees.
- Supply daily or weekly goals that must be reached for projects.
- Remind employees they are required to abide by company policies for daily attendance and required work meetings.
- Ensure employees know their responsibility for internet service, phone access, and printer capabilities.
- Reiterate performance requirements for remote workers and company procedures if those requirements are not met, such as corrective action.
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Make sure your employees have a designated, safe work space
Accidents and injuries cannot be eliminated even while working from home, but implementing precautions could help reduce the risk of injuries. Some work space requirements could include providing a photo of the work space, permission for a company inspection of the work area with reasonable notice, and inform their supervisor of workplace injuries complying with directed managerial needs to file the appropriate paperwork. Worker’s compensation only applies to injuries incurred during employee work hours while performing work-related tasks.
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Use the help of professionals
Companies are under constant risk of cyber attacks and human error, increasing the potential of violating confidentiality laws, especially if HIPAA laws must be followed. Employing clear policies and an IT professional could reduce your risk of sharing trade secrets or personal information with others. Therefore, create a strategy for password protection, two-step verification practices, and a virtual private network to protect your company. Once your technology is secure, have clear HR rules about company equipment and remote work.
Small Business Coach
As a business owner or manager, it is critical to protect your company and ensure the productivity of employees continues even when working from home during COVID-19. If you need more guidance, resources, or have questions about remote work possibilities for your company, feel free to contact Bryant Consultants by calling (877) 768-4799 or visit us online.
