Remote work comes with many benefits but also has its complexities. The pandemic forced many hands in offering remote work setups which triggered temporary policies – both officially and unofficially. With three years of widespread remote work under our belts, now is the time for HR and global mobility leaders to finally decide on their permanent remote work policies and put them into action.

One industry agnostic issue is how companies define remote work. Is it someone that works from home a few days a week, or someone who works from anywhere a few days a week? An employee who travels on a temporary work assignment, or taking a few days ‘workcation' alongside a business trip? How about those employees who were hired into a role which was remote and are now asked to return to an office they've never been to? Most organizations now need to offer these roles and be able to report on these to meet their talent and workforce goals.

What Do Remote Work Policies Entail?

While 63 percent of companies today have remote workers, more than half still do not have an official remote work policy. Sixty percent of all workers do not even know what their company's long-term remote work vision is.

There are many aspects of remote work to consider, from defining who a remote worker is and the company support available to determining how compensation and taxes will differ when a team member is living their best #vanlife. Other components of remote work policies that should be addressed are the policy eligibility requirements, approval process, working hours and employee tracking – all of which may have legal requirements based on employee location. The policy is also an opportunity to outline support team availability, expected dress code and company culture standards to address common employee questions. These structuring aspects contribute to the productivity and efficiency of remote work and ensure employees are set up for success while working remotely.

Some additional policy areas which may be considered include corporate responsibilities such as which positions within a company will be considered remote, productivity measurements, provision of equipment for remote workers, travel expectations and security/confidentiality requirements.

Outlining Compensation Strategy

With 74 percent of companies planning to or already implementing a hybrid or remote work model, most employees have questions on how their individual remote policies will work. Remote working comes with its own complications, but compensation is likely to be top of mind under current economic conditions. As such, business leaders are going to have to develop transparent and equitable policies around how compensation is calculated for all workers, but especially those who are remote.

Different ways companies can compensate or manage their remote workforces should be considered with specialist advice, but include baselining the pay of remote employees to their permanent location, keeping pay the same for all employees based on the headquarter or proxy location of the company or moving toward a national pay scale.

Global mobility teams are now commonly asked to link with internal stakeholders to ensure the role makes sense for the business as well as the employee, especially given local tax and insurance requirements differ between states and internationally – and running cost estimates or reviewing cost scenarios can help make better business decisions. Make sure to work with internal stakeholder teams, professional advisors and legal counsel to determine requirements for each remote employee based on their permanent location.

Global Mobility 2.0

Remote work has become an integral facet of global mobility and has fundamentally changed the talent landscape. With the rise of asynchronous working hours and remote/hybrid arrangements, teams should be prepared with clear guidelines and policies. The need for digital innovation to improve how we track and evaluate remote work and global mobility has never been greater.

HR and global mobility leaders should look to establish transparent remote work policies to meet corporate and employee-driven goals. Inconsistent remote work policies or unclarified expectations may result in turnover or employee dissatisfaction - with work model confusion, varying compensation challenges and even potential confidentiality leaks. With established policies – shared transparently – internal teams, service providers and employees can understand what is expected of them during periods of remote work and how to approach these successfully.

By Tom Richardson, VP of Solutions Consulting at Equus Software.