19 Mar 2020

Remote Workforce Best Practices

remote-workforce-best-practices

“Keep a team chatroom open. There is nothing more important in a group remote project than casual communication. Not just official emails and work updates, but the ability to sit back and chat.”

David Rabin, VP of Global Commercial Marketing, Lenovo

Many businesses have heeded the CDC’s advice and are allowing or requiring their employees to work from home. This setup can create new challenges for both parties. In an effort to assist you in managing this process in the best manner possible, we’ve put together a list of Remote Workforce Best Practices to maximize your company’s security and productivity and ensure safe working conditions for your employees.

Create a dedicated workspace: Employees should find a dedicated workspace where they can focus on their work with minimal distractions.

Have the proper technology: Computer, email, phone conferencing, access to internal networks are all tools that employees need, whether they work from home or a public location.

Use a secure connection: Remote workers should have a secured Wi-Fi network and work with a trusted virtual private network (VPN). The VPN serves as a buffer between the Wi-Fi connection and your mobile device or laptop. Any transmitted data is then encrypted to protect it from tampering and interception.

Beware of cybersecurity risks: Working from home can pose a cybersecurity risk. If an employee is not using a secured Wi-Fi or VPN, their computer could be open to a cyber-attack. Employees should also be aware of the physical security of their electronic devices. They should keep their laptops with themselves at all times while on and in use and securely store them when they are not in use.

Implement communications programs: Stay in touch with employees who work from home via Teams, Skype, Zoom, and other messaging services. At times, remote workers can feel isolated from the rest of the team, so it is important to keep in contact with them via phone, email, messaging, or video conference.

Set clear expectations in your work from home policy: Create a work from home policy with your specific expectations of the program. The policy would include instructions for an employee’s daily work schedule, your company’s overtime policy, description of a dedicated workspace, instructions for reporting personal injury and damage to company equipment, and protection of proprietary company information.

Trust your employees: One of the most crucial elements of a work from home policy isn’t included in the actual document. Employers need to have trust in their employees to get their jobs done when they are not working onsite.

By implementing these Remote Workforce Best Practices your employees will have higher productivity in a safe work environment and will maximize your company’s security.