A remote work policy pertains to the manner and schedule in which employees carry out their job duties from a location that is not within the physical office.
Due to the increase in remote work, which ranged from 2% to 100% in recent times, it was necessary to modify remote work policies that are adapted to this mode of work.
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Summary
- Confidentiality of business information.
- Remote work agreements to guarantee service to clients.
- The adaptability of protocols.
What you need to know about a remote work policy
The most important resource of any company is the data they use to work. It is extremely valuable to establish security policies to protect them (1). Some of the things that should be established in your remote work policy: guaranteeing the confidentiality of the information, generating processes to prevent the company’s information from being leaked, preventing unauthorized modification of this information, etc.
What should we include in your remote work policy depending on the tasks to be performed by the employee?
Your remote work policy should include regulations, work rules and protocols to be followed. Depending on the objective of the company, there will be some variants, to protect confidential information (3) such as communication, adaptability, tools, and confidentiality.
They must have an internal organization. They must have a structure for how the implementation of the policies will be initiated and controlled. Assign specialized personnel to follow up and control them.
Temporary or permanent work
It has to be defined in the remote work policy specifying if it is permanent or temporary. In this way, the employee has no doubts about their contract and the tasks to be performed.
Although the policy may be similar, there will be some differences, such as the duration of the contract. This does not imply that they have fewer obligations, but it is necessary to have more control in order to achieve the planned objectives.
What rules should we include in your remote work policy?
The functions, activities, and services to be performed by the employee must be specifically used (2). The employee must keep and return it in the same condition in which it was given to them, except for natural deterioration.
The employee may not disclose information about the company, these are some examples to take into account. Depending on the tasks that are needed, the degree of demand in the remote work policies will be different.
What tools should we specify in your remote work policy?
Among all the possibilities we must select the most appropriate for each job to be performed by the employee. Not all the features offered by the different tools can meet the requirements we need.
By tools, we are not only referring to physical equipment, such as computers, but to software. For both management and monitoring of the work processes to be performed, we must consider communication platforms that are relevant for efficient work (4).
There is a wide variety of communication platforms for collaborative work. These platforms make it easier to manage tasks, and communicate with the work team, among other possibilities.
Slack
Slack
Slack is one of the most popular collaboration tools for remote workers. Because it has the possibility of creating different communication channels, each one related to the topic we need.
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Google Docs
Google Docs
Google Docs allows a fluid collaboration, allowing different users to work on the same document simultaneously. It can work with different types of files, facilitating teamwork.
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Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams allows the workgroup to stay connected and have access to shared content at all times, as well as the possibility of virtual meetings or chats between employees.
GoTo
GoTo
GoTo provides the tools to organize interactive and collaborative web conferencing. It is an online meeting software with enterprise security to provide the ability to work anywhere.
See the Best Team Communication Software
Work tools
When working remotely it is essential to have a good internet connection. It is necessary to have the right equipment to be able to work optimally, and a good selection of computers (4).
The choice of computers to work with is as important as good technical support. In order to be able to solve any software inconvenience as well as the failures that the computers may have.
How to define security measures in your remote work policy?
In your contract, in the remote work policy section you must express explicitly how you will implement your measures. They must be strict and must be complied with without exceptions.
For this task, you can also use software to increase your company’s security. This will make it easier for you to implement these security measures.
Software for data protection
There are several software to fulfill this function, such as VPN, which allows having a virtual private network. You also have other software for the protection of corporate data, below we mention some of them:
- Atico34 Platform
- Facilitates RGPD
- LOPD manager
- Global Suit
When working with business information it is valuable to have specialized software. In order to protect this information against any theft and to guarantee confidentiality to your clients.
What should you establish within your remote work policy?
As we mentioned before, it is of vital importance to establish technical support, with a specialized work team. In order to have all the necessary tools to solve the problems that arise.
The employee must be assured that they will receive all the necessary help when these problems occur. Either from a virtual connection with the employee’s computer or the repair of the same in person at the company’s facilities.
Define compensation and benefits in your remote work policy
As in all jobs, you must specify the monetary compensation for the work provided by the employee. Setting a salary according to their responsibilities and work time (4).
In many occasions, employees, besides having the benefits of a health coverage, may have other benefits for being part of the company. They may have other benefits for being part of the company, such as gym or discounts on products.
Conclusion
With all that we have analyzed above, you have now learned how to compose a remote work policy and you should be able to ask yourself questions at the moment of making your contacts.
Also to know that it is required a whole workgroup specialized in each corresponding sector. To provide technical support for the equipment as well as for the security of the information with the company.
References
1. Maricela Avilés Armijos J, Elisa Uyaguari Guartatanga M. “DESIGN OF A SECURITY POLICY FOR THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY PUNTONET IN CUENCA CITY, BASED ON THE ISO 27001 AND 27011 SECURITY STANDARDS AS BASELINES FOR GOOD PRACTICES FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING AND SECURITY” [Internet]. Universidad Politecnica Salesiana sede Cuenca; 2012 [cited 2022].
Source
2. Barragán Acosta V, Milena Gómez S. I, Daniela Guerrero O L. Telework, work at home and remote work, analysis of the Colombian legal regime within the contingency framework of covid 19 [Internet]. CES University; 2022 [cited 2022].
Source
3. Edquen Siesquen Jannette del Rosillo B. REMOTE WORK AND LABOR PERFORMANCE OF CUTERVO PROVINCIAL PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE STAFF DURING THE STATE OF EMERGENCY-COVID 19 [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2022].
Source
4. Oszlak O. Remote work: making a virtue out of necessity [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2022].
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