Remote work can be beneficial for your business and employees. It improves productivity, lowers overhead costs, and gives employees a better work-life balance. However, remote work isn’t for all companies: before you take a dive, you’ve to meet remote work eligibility criteria.
You have to understand which roles and employees are eligible for remote work. This guide will show you how to assess your eligibility requirements and pinpoint positions and people that can successfully transition to a remote model.
Positions That Are Conducive For Remote Work
Although 98% of your employees would appreciate working from home, you can’t accord the opportunity to everyone. You have to assess which roles or positions can be performed remotely. Examine the position’s requirements and whether working from home will impair an employee’s ability to accomplish their obligations.
Consider letting employees work entirely from home if their roles:
- Are 100% online
- Entail reaching out to customers, prospects or teammates in different countries or cities.
- Focus on digital communications
- Involve inputting data on a computer
However, with the evolution of hybrid remote work, businesses are giving employees the freedom to discharge some duties from home and accomplish others in the office. Some of the roles suitable for remote work (full or hybrid) include:
- Translators
- Editors
- Digital marketing professionals
- Travel agents
- Freelance writers
- Registered nurses in telehealth roles
- Tutors
- Accountants
- Consultants
- Digital analysts
- Financial advisors
- Software engineers
- Administrative assistants
- Transcribers
- Graphic designers
Generally, a role is eligible for remote work if letting the employee work from home doesn’t affect their ability to accomplish their responsibilities. Other factors to consider when deciding which positions can transition to a remote workplace include:
- The role’s responsibilities and whether working from home might hinder an employee’s ability to perform their tasks
- The amount of interaction required with coworkers, customers, or clients.
- The requirement for face-to-face interaction
- The nature of the work that the employee must complete (e.g., creative vs. analytical)
- The required level of independence and self-motivation
- The ability to complete the job efficiently while working from home.
Staff Eligibility For Remote Work
Not every employee is cut out for remote work. When transitioning to a remote workplace, it’s critical to examine if your employees have the necessary talents and attributes to succeed in a remote environment.
Some of the qualities required for remote employment include:
- The ability to stay organized and manage time effectively. When assessing an employee’s time management skills, consider the following:
- Their ability to stay on task and avoid distractions while working from home.
- Their ability to manage their time efficiently.
- Their willingness to ask for help when needed.
- The ability to communicate and collaborate effectively. When assessing an employee’s ability to communicate remotely, consider the following:
- The clarity of their written communication.
- Their ability to stay in touch and provide updates on their work.
- Their willingness to ask questions and seek clarification when needed.
- The ability to be self-motivated and take the initiative. When assessing an employee’s self-motivation, consider the following:
- Their ability to stay focused and avoid distractions while working from home.
- Their ability to work independently.
- Their willingness to take the initiative and solve problems.
- The ability to focus and avoid distractions
- The ability to adapt to change
- The ability to work with minimal or no supervision
However, not every employee will have all these qualities: some will develop the required skills with time. For example, don’t deny an employee the opportunity to work from home if they cannot work with minimal supervision. The employee will develop the right skills if they have the proper time management and project management tools.
If you’re unsure whether your staff has the skills required for remote work, consider having a trial period. Allow employees who want to work remotely to do so for a specific time, such as two weeks.
This will allow you to determine whether they can succeed in a remote situation. The success of each employee should be the top factor when determining remote work eligibility.
Remote Workspace Eligibility
Remote work eligibility criteria would not be complete without taking into account the workspace. Remember: each remote employee will be working from a different location and environment. In other words, their workplace and the infrastructure (internet connection, office furniture, devices, etc.) will be different.
Take into consideration how well-suited the home setup remote employees will be working in. Suppose an employee’s home is not conducive to productive work (e.g., there are young children constantly running around or the internet connection is unreliable). In that case, it’s likely that working from home would not be a successful arrangement.
According to research, people who are happy with their work settings are 16 percent more productive. In fact, 53 percent of employees are less productive when their workplace is excessively cold. When working in a hot environment, 71% claim they are less productive.
Here are some questions to ask when determining if an employee’s home is a good fit for remote work:
- Is the internet connection reliable and fast enough to support video chat/conferencing? This is critical for any remote worker. Without a reliable internet connection, they will not be able to do their job.
- Is the work area free from distractions (e.g. young children, pets)? This is important because they will need to be able to focus on their work. If they don’t have a separate room for work, can they create a space for work only? This might mean setting up a desk in the bedroom or living room.
- Is the work area comfortable and ergonomic? This is important because they will be spending a lot of time in this space, and we want to make sure that they are comfortable.
- Is there access to all the necessary equipment for their job? This includes things like a computer, printer, and phone.
- Is there a quiet place to take phone and video calls? Communication is a vital part of any remote job, and it is best to make sure that they have a place where they can be uninterrupted when talking to clients or colleagues.
If the answer to most of these questions is ‘no,’ then it’s likely that working remotely would not be successful for that employee. However, if the answers are mostly ‘yes,’ working remotely might be worth considering.
Of course, not everyone’s home situation is the same and some people may not have the ideal setup for remote work. But if an employee is open to making some adjustments (e.g., working in a shared space like a coffee shop or library), then it’s worth considering.
Remote Work Policy
Every functional business understands the need to have rules and policies in writing. This is especially crucial for companies with remote employees or those planning to migrate to a remote workforce. This is where a remote work policy comes in.
A remote work policy is a document that outlines the company’s expectations and requirements for employees who work remotely. It can also include guidelines on how to request and be approved for remote work and how to stay connected with the company while working remotely.
To ensure that your company is prepared for a remote workforce, a few key elements should be included in your remote work policy. Below are some of the most important:
- Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible to work remotely, employees must meet specific criteria. This can include things like being with the company for a minimum amount of time or having a certain job title or position. You will need to decide what criteria you will use to determine who is eligible to work remotely.
- Request Process: The request process should be clear and concise. Employees should know how to submit a request for remote work (day-offs, leaves, etc.) and to who they need to submit it. There should also be a timeline for when requests will be reviewed and approved.
- Approval Process: There should be a transparent process for approving or denying requests for remote work. This can be done by the employee’s direct supervisor, HR, or a designated manager.
- Communication Expectations: Employees who work remotely need to be able to stay in communication with the rest of the team. This can include attending weekly team meetings (via video conference or phone), responding to emails promptly, and being available during certain hours of the day. This can help to prevent misunderstandings and miscommunication.
- Work Hours: There should be guidelines on what is considered regular work hours and how many hours per week employees are expected to work. This can help ensure that everyone is on the same page and that work is getting done.
- Work Location: There should be guidelines on where employees are expected to work from. This can help ensure that everyone is clear on the company’s expectations and that work is getting done in a safe and productive environment.
- Performance Evaluation: Employees should still be evaluated on their performance, even if they work remotely. This can be done through regular check-ins with their manager and through performance reviews at the end of the year.
- Termination Policy: The termination policy for remote employees should be the same as for on-site employees. This means they can be terminated for poor performance, not meeting expectations, or violating company policy.
By incorporating these aspects into your remote work strategy, you can ensure that your firm is ready for a remote workforce. By putting in place a clear and explicit policy, you can help to eliminate misunderstandings and miscommunication and guarantee that everyone is on the same page.
Assess Your Eligibility Today
Overall, there are a few key factors to consider when determining whether or not your company is eligible for remote work. If you have the right positions and staff in place, remote work can be a great way to improve productivity and satisfaction. However, it can be disastrous if you don’t have the right infrastructure or support in place.
By understanding the remote work eligibility criteria, you can ensure that your transition to a remote workplace is smooth and successful. By assessing which roles and employees are eligible for remote work, you can avoid any potential problems down the road. Follow our guide for a successful transition to a remote workplace.
