Top tips for implementing work from home

A survey that I ran of financial planning practices at the beginning of April achieved similar results; 100 per cent of respondents had put some form of working from home arrangement in place in response to COVID-19.

So, if you are going to allow some or all your workforce to start working from home, what do you need to be mindful of? How do you ensure that you don’t create a headache for your business while trying to comply with government guidelines?

Here are my top tips:

1. Help employees create an ergonomic home office

Your responsibility for the health and safety of your employees extends to any remote work arrangements that you put in place. It’s important that you minimise the risk of injury by ensuring your employees have the right equipment and their home office is as ergonomic as possible. Aside from implementing a working from home policy and checklist, consider allowing staff to borrow work equipment, such as their desk chair, keyboard, mouse and monitors, and creating a short video on what a good ergonomic set up looks like.

2. HR policies

I’m not a fan of thick HR manuals that cover off every possible scenario that could ever arise. However, there are what I consider a couple of ‘essential’ policies, either because they are required by law or they clarify core expectations of the employee-employer relationship. The latter is particularly important when you can’t physically observe an employee and address any concerns that you may have regarding their conduct when they arise.

Consequently, in addition to a working from home policy I recommend that you that you have the following in place:

- EEO;

- OHS;

- IT, social media and computer usage;

- Drugs and alcohol; and

- Leave.

3. Review employee KPIs

It is important to review each employees’ goals/KPIs to ensure that they are still relevant when working from home. For example, perhaps the proposal to get involved in the caravan and camping show is no longer viable and there is now a new online opportunity for identifying prospective clients. Whatever the case, ask each employee to review their goals and identify any objectives they think they will struggle to meet in the current environment.

4. Establish performance plans for under-performers

When it comes to under-performing employees, it’s critical that you take the time to review their KPIs before they commence working from home or as early as possible in the revised environment. Typically, an employer would not allow an underperforming employee to work remotely until they felt they were performing to the required standard. Unfortunately, you don’t have that choice. Consequently, it’s essential that you work with any under-performer to ensure that they:

- understand what is expected of them while working from home;
- know how they will be measured against the nominated KPIs ; and
- what support you will provide to them.

5. Create a communication plan

I’m not talking about how and when you facilitate status updates. I’m referring to the check-ins dedicated to talking about how an employee is coping with working remotely.

In 2019, $500 million was paid out in psychological injuries. We know that by requiring employees to stay within the confines of their house and work remotely they are at increased risk of isolation, loneliness and, potentially, domestic violence.

Irrespective of your obligations under law, as leaders your most important role in all of this is to show your employees that you care. The best way to do that is to simply reach out and frequently ask, ‘Are you OK?’. You need to create a virtual ‘open door’ and consciously touch base with each direct report to ensure they are taking care of themselves physically and mentally.

Additionally, you might consider signing up to an employee assistance program (EAP), which employees can confidentially access.

The opportunity

While the unprecedented circumstances we all find ourselves in are challenging, they present an incredible opportunity for businesses to demonstrate the values that they stand for and illustrate the importance they place on their people. I encourage you to leverage this opportunity.

Christine Bau, HR consultant, People Focused