The growing demand for remote work has ushered in a massive digital transformation in the workplace. Remote work culture is becoming the new norm that is taking the world by storm. The latest statistics show that one of every four Americans opted for remote jobs in 2021.
Do you know that nearly 22% of workplaces in the U.S. are expected to go remote by 2024? The flexible remote work started experimentally during the pandemic but it has completely changed the dynamics of the working environment. Before this, nearly 60% of the employees expressed their displeasure over their toxic working environment leading to physiological and psychological fatigue.
Reports show 56% of employees harp on the importance of a good work culture over salary. Every remote employee hopes to work in an organized company that offers work and life balance and gives them a sense of belonging. The company should have clear guidelines for a telecommuting job or remote job.
Let us find out more about the remote work culture and policies that will thrive in the future.?
Reasons Why Remote Work Culture Matters:
- Superior Employee Engagement: The work-from-home culture helps in prioritizing employees, there are individualized staff development or training programs. These training programs focus on the holistic personal development of the employees. A monthly employee engagement survey is conducted by the company to value the feedback of the employees and cater to their needs.
- Encourages Diversity at Work: Remote work culture brings together talented and qualified professionals from diverse backgrounds, across the globe. Their creativity and diverse perceptions on handling an issue improve the overall company reputation. A diverse work population not only adds value to the company but also manifolds its productivity.?
- Flexibility and Rewarding: A strong structured work culture policy helps employees to smoothly blend their work and other life aspirations. Previously many employees resigned from work because there was no flexibility offered by the employees in normal onsite jobs. However, a remote job gives more power to employees to spend equal time at work and align it with their other needs.
Benefits of Setting Remote Work Policies:
- Better Communication between the Teammates: The remote team members regularly attend virtual videoconferences or phone meetings that help in building a supportive team. Instant messaging software like Slack, Hangout, or Messenger helps the team to remain attuned to the latest development on the project they are working on. Beyond work, they can also bond over their common area of interest and share life experiences.
- Recognize Employee Achievements: A well-set policy allows employees to get more appreciation for their hard work in their weekly meets. Every member gets an equal chance to become the star performer of the company and their work gets applauded by their fellow teammates.
- Builds Long-Term Relationships: An inclusive workplace policy allows employees to prove themselves and build a positive relationship with the organization. More transparent communication, trust, and better understanding between both parties can benefit them both in the long run.
- Greater Professional Growth: In a remote workspace, the organization knows its current and newly boarded employees more in real-time than superficially. They are aware of their employee’s potential, goals, and skill set. Hence, they invest in their employees to improve their skills and knowledge by funding certificate courses or virtual seminars for their professional growth.
- Bridges Gap between Company and Employees: Company's work policy plays an active role in creating a harmonious relationship with its remote workers. They organize several exciting team-building activities that include the entire team. This eventually enhances the company’s work culture and trust.
4 Best Remote Work Policies and Procedures:
- Employee Eligibility: Every company should establish guidelines for the new workers they intend to board. Since the company needs to deal with workers from a remote environment, they need to consider employee suitability for the given position and diverse time zones. There is a clear policy for frequent employee absenteeism at remote work.
- Vital Documentation: The legal documentation is carefully crafted in keeping with the interests of both parties. The employer and the employee should be on the same page when it comes to documents related to working hours, company policy, and work expectations.
- Strong Internet Connection and Cybersecurity: The company’s work policies address internet connection requirements, network accessibility, redundancy, or cybersecurity issues. A strong internet connection is the key to better communication and productivity.
- Employee Training Policy: For an easy transition into the digital workplace, the company has policies to train their new employees and condition their minds for the new change. They share educational slides, learning resource links, and study materials to equip their employees to use digital software tools.
A collaborative company culture has entrenched policy and procedure that is successfully put into effect from day one. However, it may require some modification or a creation of a new policy as per circumstance. Precise documentation of the remote work policies, agreements, or company expectations can leave no room for misunderstanding between the staff and the employer.
