Work From Home Policy: Rules & Expectations
With the increasing development of digital in the business world, a thoughtful work from home policy has become a must-have in almost every company. WFH pocily provides employees with the option to perform their job duties remotely, either on a hybrid basis or a full-time job. This policy is designed to support work-life balance, support productivity, and maintain clear expectations for any business performance. Right now, SMEBrother will explain about WFH policies and what you can expect about it.
What is the Work From Home policy?
The WFH policy or work from home policy is a set of official guidelines from the company to outline how employees can perform their jobs remotely, outside the office environment. The goal of the policy is to ensure that remote work can support both employee flexibility and business efficiency, while maintaining team collaboration, accountability, and data security.
Is working from home mandatory or optional?
Working from home is typically optional, but with the advancement of technology and the demands of each company. For most organizations, remote work is offered as a flexible arrangement and not a requirement, becoming a choice for eligible employees whether they want to work in the office or work remotely. The decision to WFH is guided by operational needs and alignment with company policy.
What are the expected working hours while working from home?
Employees are generally expected to maintain the same working hours as they would in the office, unless there is a special agreement with their manager. This means employees must be available during standard business hours, including team check-ins and scheduled meetings. Some companies may offer flexible scheduling, allowing employees to adjust their hours as long as employees are always available during core collaboration hours, employees can meet deadlines and performance expectations, and can communicate schedule changes in advance.
What are the communication expectations while working from home?
Maintaining clear and consistent communication is crucial to staying aligned with a team and ensuring productivity. WFH employees are expected to be reachable during working hours via email, chat, and video calls. Every employee is expected to respond efficiently to messages and emails within the same business day. If there are scheduled meetings, remote employees must be fully prepared and on time using video conferencing when required.
Creating a Culture of Recognition in a Hybrid Work Environment
Communicate availability when employees take a lunch break or time away through status updates or shared calendars. Regularly update teams or managers on progress, completed tasks, or even road blocks. Strong communication helps preserve team collaboration and transparency. Managers should check up remote employees regularly to set additional expectations based on team needs.
How is performance measured when working remotely?
Performance while working remotely will be measured by outcomes and accountability. Employers typically assess remote work performance using several criteria:
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Quality and timeliness of work: Are the tasks completed and according to criteria? Are they on point and on time?
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Goal completion: Are employees meeting the objectives and key results or performance targets set for their role? The goal itself should always be communicated from managers to remote team members.
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Communication and collaboration: Employees must be able to demonstrate clear communication by being responsive, reliable, and effectively contributing to team efforts.
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Proactivity: Employees need to demonstrate initiative, follow through on responsibilities, and adapt to challenges. This means remote employees must have problem-solving skills that can be adapted to the team.
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Engagement: Employees must always participate in discussions and show commitment to their work.
Not only focusing on employees, but managers must also use regular check-ins, project tracking tools, or progress reports to monitor employees' performance. Consistent communication and clear expectations help ensure that accountability and productivity remain strong in a remote setting.
Work from home policy
If you are confused about how to create a WFH policy that can be adapted to your organization, SMEBrother will provide an example of a hybrid model that allows employees to split their time between in-office presence and remote work.
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Purpose
This work from home policy provides guidelines for employees who divide their work time between in-office and a remote location. The policy supports flexibility, promotes work-life balance, and ensures consistency in employees' performance, collaboration, and communication.
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Scope
This policy applies to eligible employees whose roles allow for a hybrid work arrangement. All hybrid employees define expectations for communication, scheduling, and performance in both remote and in-office environments.
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Eligibility
Hybrid work eligibility is determined by job role and responsibilities, collaboration requirements, individual performance, and manager approval. Not all roles qualify for hybrid work due to the nature of certain job functions.
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Work hours
Employees must work their standard contracted hours and must be observed for example 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Any deviation from work hours must be pre-approved by the manager.
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Hybrid work structure
Employees under the hybrid model are expected to 2-3 days in the office and work remotely the remaining days. Follow a consistent weekly schedule agreed upon with the manager, and employees always need to adjust schedules to team requirements.
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Workspace and requirement
The company may provide necessary equipment such as laptop, monitor, keyboard, or other tech accessories. Employees must maintain a secure and distraction-free remote workspace in a professional manner. Reliable internet access is a must for remote work.
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Performance expectations
Hybrid work employees must have performance standards for both remote and in-office work, and are evaluated based on quality and timeliness of work, team contribution, responsiveness, communication, and goal achievement.
Conclusion
Work from home or hybrid work policy is designed to support flexibility while maintaining accountability, productivity, and team collaboration. Employees are expected to uphold the same standards of performance both in-office and remote work, always showing professionalism in each workplace. By clearly outlining expectations and providing the necessary tools, this policy helps create an adaptable and effective work environment.
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