When Letting Employees Work from Home is Good Business

Editor’s Note: This winter has been a rough one for commuters, so Patch is re-posting this story to remind you to talk to you boss first thing Monday morning about working from home in the future.

Written by Lanning Taliaferro (Patch Staff)

Plan ahead, employers—and in times of trouble, keep productivity high and your staff safe.

Case in point: February 2015. And the first week of March.

Allowing employees to work from home during such challenging weather conditions can have many benefits, say the folks at Care.com Workplace Solutions. Most employers fear this will equate to giving their staff the day off; however, studies have shown just the opposite. Whether it’s under special circumstances or on a regular basis, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely actually increases productivity, engagement, loyalty and morale.

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In fact, a recent Gallup research found that employees who work remotely—even part of the time—are both more engaged and more productive.

Here are tips from Care.com Workplace Solutions why it’s worth it for bosses to create flexible work-from-home plans:

• Business Continuity: If employees are set up to work from the safety of their own homes, business won’t come to a halt in bad weather when road closures are a problem.
• Avoid a Gap in Service: From a customer service standpoint, closing down shop for a couple of days can have a huge impact. Allowing employees to work from home means they will continue to meet their deliverables and clients will continue to have their needs met. It’s an opportunity to differentiate yourself to your clients – while other providers’ services may falter, yours will not, and your clients will notice.
• Improve Employee Moral: Showing your employees that you trust them to work from home and that you care about their safety will improve company morale and your employees’ loyalty to the company.

How you implement remote policies is just as important as offering them in the first place. Here are tips for implementing effective remote policies:

• Clear Communication: When adverse situations come up where you want to offer the option for employees to work fromhome, have a clear plan in place and communicate it in a timely manner. The more notice you can give employees, the better (e.g. letting them know the afternoon before a storm that working remotely is an option is much more helpful than at 6:00 amthe morning of). It is also important that clear lines for communication are implemented before a crisis situation strikes. For example, having instant messaging accounts, remote login information to access files and conference call lines set up before a snow storm hits will ensure a productive work day.
• Manager Discretion: It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. There will be times when it makes sense for some employees towork from home and others to come to the office. Give managers the authority to assess, on a case-by-case basis, what is appropriate based on the employee‘s individual situation (e.g., where they live/how far they have to commute).
• Contingency Plan: Offer services such as back-up childcare to help employees to prepare for the unexpected. If you help them address the unexpected in their personal lives, they’ll be able to focus on work and continue to be productive.