Setting Up Awesome Remote Work Boundaries
I recently read an email from Threadhcm, a national payroll organization, that gave great ideas on how to fix remote work bad habits. Here are my rendition of these boundaries as many ministries are still doing some sort of hybrid work:
If you will continue to have some staff work remotely, develop a remote and/or hybrid work policy and add it to your employee handbook (don’t have a handbook? ASK US to make you one!)
Define positions eligible for remote work
Describe appropriate attire/appearance for video meetings (business on top, sleepwear on the bottom)
Establish any in-person attendance expectations, such as mandatory staff meetings
Define virtual meeting behavior, when to mute, when to have video turned on
Set background rules to be consistent and professional (do they need to be in a distraction free zone or is it ok for their 7 year old to be dancing in the background)
Be clear about when they are expected to be online and available
Make sure managers have been trained on how to be intentional with check-in’s and connection with remote workers
Create or update goals so they can be tracked by progress rather than “time spent” on it
If employees understand the metrics and are not performing from home, the policy should require improvement, possibly paired with a return to the office
Give resources to your supervisors and managers confident in their ability to have these conversations (check out our COACH WELL online course)
Time management issues need to be addressed with coaching on planning, structure, and priorities
Consider a hybrid approach if you'd like to have employees in the office but they are pushing for remote work (might not work for all positions)
Be clear with candidates about your arrangements and expectations so they're on board with everything before they start
Remember that meetings work best when they're all virtual or all in-person so adjust accordingly
Have regular one-on-one contact with employees on your team to work through challenges together
Still thinking on how this would work in your organization with your staff? We know everyone is different, so give us a call so we can help customize a solution for you!