Best Tips For Remote Work Policies: 15 Tips To Implement

Generally speaking, managing a team shouldn’t be too difficult. By implementing the best tips for remote work policies, you are one step closer to addressing the challenges of remote work.

With remote work, the guidelines should be the same as when working from the office. It goes a long way when your business is set up for success.

UPDATED: MARCH 4, 2023

Guidelines for Remote Work

If you’re looking for some simple guidelines, they can make the process go more smoothly. As a part of this post, I will share fifteen tips on implementing policies on remote work practices.

1. Make Sure Workers Have The Right Equipment
2. Provide Adequate Training
3. Communicate Regularly
4. Set Basic Productivity Standards
5. Create Processes That Make Your Business More Efficient
6. Use Processes- But Focus More On Outputs
7. Understand The Differences Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Activities
8. Make The Most Of Video Calls
9. Automate Small Tasks For Project Management
10. Follow-Up With Staff Members On Their Progress
11. Recognize Workers For Their Efforts Made
12. Create A Watercooler Channel
13. Make Well-Being And Health Matter
14. Allow For Innovation
15. Trust Your Team

Make sure workers have the right equipment

All you need is a desktop/laptop and a reliable internet connection to do any remote work. But what else would you need to provide for your remote team? Depending on the job, people may need additional items to perform specific functions.

Are you going to provide workers with a secure laptop to perform work-related functions only? Many companies offer laptops as a security measure and to ensure better connectivity to the internet.

Also, you may want to get some additional features such as a good camera on the computer. In addition, if you have many virtual meetings (video calls), that is not a bad idea. You should provide them with the basics, but make sure they have the right equipment to do the job well.

Provide adequate training

Similar to in-person training, training is essential to do any remote work. Besides their job role, it’s good to review some basic things about how remote work is conducted.

Again, if video calls will play a big part in the job, teach workers how to properly communicate in a virtual meeting. We do the same things in regular meetings, but virtual meetings put a greater focus on them.

It’s a good idea to create a simulation guide for workers if you have standard operating procedures (SOPS) and workplace guidelines. Workers can go at their own pace and learn on their own.

When I facilitated new hire training, we provided simulation guides to help new hires understand SOPS. I thought it was a significant improvement compared to my reading guidelines to them in a passive tone. So that certainly would allow for any remote job.

Communicate regularly

From the first day on, you need to communicate often with your remote staff. It’s critical to establish expectations and develop long-term relationships from day one.

It helps build trust and engagement with your remote staff as well. If you can start building a dialogue early on, your team will understand how decisions are made and how processes work.

Instead of your staff thinking something like, “We do business this way and that way, so deal with it,” explain and clarify how and why processes take place in the work they do. It’s better to leave them informed and not confused early on.

Set basic productivity standards

Setting performance standards will vary depending on the job position and the organization’s objectives. If you’re going to use specific metrics to track performance, many companies will implement key performance indicators (also known as KPIs).

So what are KPIs? In essence, they help determine whether or not employees are meeting expectations. They help determine if company objectives are being met; in other words, whether a business is making a profit from its work.

Here are some examples of what type of KPIs you can implement for remote work:

GENERAL	SPECIFIC
-A customer support representative needs to resolve fundamental support issues within 24 hours -An employee working remotely must submit a daily checklist of the basic functions they performed via email.	-A knowledgeable call center representative has to handle 75 support tickets within 48 hours. -For a sales representative to close 500 cold calls/sales in one month, 500 cold calls may need to be converted into leads and sales

Depending on how you track that information, you may need to use documentation or tracker tools to ensure that KPIs are being met. These examples are specific to establish KPIs.

Create processes that make your business more efficient

It’s essential to be open to your team about how it operates. More specifically, what are some strategies you use to make your work more efficient?

How exactly does your business function? Those are some questions to keep in mind.

Transparency towards your staff is a good thing. Keep your remote team honest and treat them as you would in an office setting. However, even though you work with people at a distance, you should stay as local as possible.

Use processes- but focus more on outputs

Methods matter when new workers are learning how to work remotely. But over time, results will matter when work needs to get done.

As a manager, you want to see what results are coming in. In part about communicating with your team, ask your team what you want them to accomplish in the long term.

A specific example may be cutting back on daily meetings. Maybe holding meetings once a week or twice a month would be better to save time.

It’s back to focusing on results (that’s what counts in the long run). You want to be productive in any work situation (especially when working remotely).

Understand the differences between synchronous and asynchronous activities

If you’re not familiar with these terms, it’s good to know for conducting remote work. Here’s a basic chart to explain:

Synchronous	Asynchronous
-Happens in real-time- live interactions take place between people *Example: Use Zoom or Google Hangouts for live virtual meetings -Holding live calls and meetings may be needed but not necessary for all remote work	-Takes place with prepared resources- no need for live interactions. So recorded sessions or presentations in place of live meetings. -In these types of activities, people can go through materials on their terms. This term applies to those who work in different time zones.

Explaining the differences helps determine whether you need to have live virtual meetings. Is it a good use of people’s time?

Maybe not, especially if you have remote workers set in different time zones around the world. Regardless of the activities you choose for your remote team, it would be best if you remained flexible.

Also, you want to give people the freedom to work on their own and to have uninterrupted work sessions. So those are some things to keep in mind.

Make the most of video calls

The use of video conferences is becoming more common for remote work. If you are not physically around others, seeing them behind a camera can be helpful.

While not necessary, it helps to add value when you’re not around others all the time. While it doesn’t fill the void of physical interaction, it does assist in building confidence and communication skills. If you’re doing any remote work, take advantage of video calls to maximize your communication.

Automate small tasks for project management

Automating repetitive jobs is necessary both in the office and working remotely. It helps when you’re working out project management tasks.

If you’re involved in a large company, automating tasks certainly helps keep things organized. It’s good to have a system where workers stay connected while being able to delegate tasks appropriately.

Having a system that accumulates all the information needed to find work quickly makes it much easier to find things. Also, it’s less frustrating and more efficient in the long run. When routine tasks are automated (such as filling out daily reports), there’s less work involved.

Do not worry about your team; stay on track if you expect them to get things done. Instead, focus on the outputs and results they will deliver for your business.

Eric T. Seil (Site Founder of notimekillers.com)

Follow-up with staff members on their progress

Back to the point of communication, checking in with staff regularly will keep them on the right track. So if a 1:1 video call helps now and then, then make the most of it.

Also, it doesn’t have to be too often. It can be done on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis- My preference would be at least once a month.

I would meet with my supervisors each month to discuss my work performance in previous jobs I had. It’s good to keep a dialogue and see if there can be room for improvement.

Recognize workers for their efforts made

Although it’s not quite the same as working in the office, recognition can be done remotely. They can be done in a few simple ways, including:

• Sending a quick message to a worker saying “Thanks for your hard work,” or “Fantastic job.”
• Giving shout-outs in live chats or virtual meetings

Another effective method you can do is to use surveys to get feedback and improvement on workplace guidelines. Some companies use this method to obtain accurate responses from those who want to see better things at work.

It helps people who don’t want to speak up during meetings or keep their responses anonymous. Using something such as SurveyMonkey to create surveys is an excellent way to get better feedback.

Create a watercooler channel

If possible, it’s a good idea to make a virtual space dedicated to non-work-related topics. Whether that would be family, hobbies, or anything that would create fun conversations, it’ll help make work less stressful.

It’s excellent for icebreakers to get to know their team members while not focusing on work all the time. Also, remote workers feel less isolated and cold- it helps build support and engagement in teamwork.

So whatever system you use, make a little space where it’s appropriate to discuss non-work topics. Please use the space for your team to talk about their hobbies or share photos of kids or pets.

Make well-being and health matter

Health and well-being matter to everyone. If you provide a health and wellness program, encourage your staff to utilize it at the most. Whatever incentives or rewards they get, it’s well worth taking advantage of.

It’s vital for remote work. It matters when it comes to mental and emotional health as that’s become more important these days.

Allow for innovation

As most of us know, remote work has been around for some time, so it’s not something new. Although some people might know the ins and outs, there’s still room to develop better ideas for remote work.

Remote work is changing all the time. So workers can always come up with suggestions and better ideas for improving processes and workflow coordination. That’s where innovation plays a role.

Innovation leads to growth and better opportunities in business. It can result in better and is key to long-term success for any business.

More so, innovation should be encouraged in a remote work environment. Remote work is here to stay, and it’ll continue to evolve in the years ahead.

Trust your team

You have to have a high level of trust for remote staff when you are working with them. Whether you hired them or someone else, they are performing a specific duty for specific reasons. When they are qualified to do their job, there is no need to question their abilities.

Set realistic goals and deadlines with workers once you have placed their trust. Trying to micromanage everything your staff does is one of the worst things you can do.

Do not worry about your team; stay on track if you expect them to get things done. Instead, it’s better to focus on the outputs and results they deliver for your business.

A relevant article from notimekillers.com

Read next on “10 Best Tips For Working At Home: Remote Work Basics” to learn how to work at home effectively. They can be very helpful when doing remote work.

Final Words

These days, remote work is more common, so it is important to set good guidelines for your team. Any person can set rules and expectations, but they must be designed to work for remote work for them to be effective. By following these tips, your business will be able to accommodate remote workers.

Your Turn: Which of the tips would you implement for setting remote work guidelines?

I would like to hear your thoughts and opinions. Do you manage a remote team but struggle with how to coordinate things remotely? 

Are there any tips you’re following at the moment? What are other things you’re doing to set guidelines in your remote work environment?

Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. I look forward to reading your responses, and I’ll gladly respond promptly.

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Eric is a content writer and the site owner of notimekillers.com. He takes great pride in helping people manage their time and grow their businesses. Eric is a firm believer in time freedom, as he believes in taking ownership of time. 

“Time is your most important asset. It can be your best friend or worst enemy. How you use your time can shape the future you desire to have.” In his leisure time, Eric loves to write and read whenever possible. He enjoys going for long walks outdoors while doing in-home workout videos every week. You can follow Eric on LinkedIn.