Companies all over the globe are actively working to determine their next steps in terms of office staff. While some companies have chosen to reopen, others are delaying until a future date and there are some that may never go back into a traditional office. It is certain that everyone is taking a hard look at the traditional office setting to determine what will work best for their organization. As we begin to pivot from reacting to the pandemic to being proactive, some employees may be switching from temporary home workers to permanent home workers. This often means that a different set of regulations will come into play. It’s not a simple switch of sending the employee home with a laptop. To start here are a few steps to consider to stay compliant, reduce liabilities, and set up your employee and organization for success.
- Correctly classify your workers and set up a remote work agreement or policy
- Accommodate any regulations locally or within specific industries for home workers
- Set up safe work environments, this includes considerations like ergonomics, equipment and IT security for remote work
- Consider fair employment and ethics in looking at salary and career development plans for home workers
