5 Telecommuting Tips for Employers

5 Telecommuting Tips for Employers

As a result of the coronavirus, many businesses are transitioning to having their employees work from home. My firm is doing that as well - we are not offering in person consults at this time but are available by phone and zoom if you have any questions

I wanted to share some tips for employers to prepare their business and their employees to work from home. With things being crazy right now, we need to take a minute to make sure we are doing everything right so we can mitigate any risk down the line. Some tips are:

1) since employees are going to be using their home internet it would be a good idea to take precautions such as using a VPN and taking measure to have security and privacy protocols in place. It’s a good idea to have a policy letting employees know of your expectations regarding the protection of proprietary company and customer information

2) Take an inventory of the types of equipment your workers would need to work remotely and ensure they have access to equipment such as laptops, desktop computers, monitors, phones, printers, chargers and office supplies

3) Digitize any relevant physical materials to make remote working easier

4) Have the right cloud-based tools in place so workers can easily access applications over the Internet

5) Establish guidelines for working remotely. It is a good idea to have Telecommuting policies in place. A policy on telecommuting (also known as working remotely) minimizes legal risk by setting out expectations for the employee and explaining the employer's responsibilities, such as what equipment the employer will provide to the employee and which expenses, if any, the employer reimburses. A properly drafted telecommuting policy can serve several important functions, including: explaining employee responsibilities (for example, expectations regarding the employee's accessibility during work hours) and setting out employer responsibilities (for example, if the employer provides technical support to the employee).

Have employees who are working remotely sign a copy and remind them that they are expected to comply with all employer policies.

It is important to contact a Florida licensed business attorney if you’d like to discuss legal compliance for your business. Wheeler Legal PLLC would love to assist your Brevard County business. Please contact us by calling (321) 209-5995 to find out how we can help you.

Disclaimer: The information contained above is provided for general informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal advice, nor is it intended to create an attorney-client relationship. This firm aims to provide quality information, but we make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to this post. Nothing provided herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.