How to Transition to Long-Term Work From Home

How to transition to long-term WFH

Businesses often want to accommodate employees who prefer working from home. Many of these employees like not having to commute and enjoy the better work-life balance that remote work can bring. Additionally, working from home can save companies money, so the arrangement is often a win-win. 

Numerous businesses are implementing WFH models. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 35 percent of people with jobs that can be done from home work entirely from home, 20 percent work from home most of the time and 21 percent work from home some of the time. Only 12 percent rarely work from home, and another 12 percent never work from home. 

If you’ve decided to make telework a long-term or permanent situation at your business, here are some essential considerations and action items for your remote work plan.  

Set guidelines and policies for employees who permanently work from home.

A fully remote workforce requires specific processes and guidelines to ensure employers and team members are on the same page. Clear communication of WFH guidelines ensures employees understand their responsibilities and helps leaders manage remote teams effectively. 

Business leaders should create and enact guidelines and policies that cover the following topics: 

• Are expenses such as high-speed internet reimbursable, or will the company pay for them? Are there limits on reimbursements or expenses? Define any necessary reimbursement or expense outlay processes.
• Who is responsible for providing or paying for equipment such as computers, routers and web cameras? Who will support and maintain this equipment?
• How many hours daily or weekly is the remote employee expected to work? 
• What workday hours are remote employees expected to work and be available for calls and meetings?
• Will the remote employee be required to attend in-person meetings or events? If so, what meetings and events apply?
• What should the remote employee do if there’s an internet outage?
• Will you use remote staff productivity-tracking tools or employee monitoring software? If so, detail how you’ll use these tools and how you’ll address employee privacy concerns. 
• Will you provide professional development opportunities for work-from-home employees?

Use the right tools to improve WFH communication.

Businesses must invest in the right communication tools to ensure remote employees stay connected, engaged and privy to insights into various projects in real time. 

Work with your IT team to provide remote employees with collaboration tools and internal communication apps, like Slack, to enable distributed project management and freely flowing text and video communication. 

Hold video meetings only if they have a clear purpose.

One of the most common remote work complaints is video call fatigue, also known as “Zoom burnout.” You don’t want your remote team to experience this issue, so coordinate with in-office and WFH employees to limit video meetings. When video meetings are absolutely necessary, ensure they have a defined purpose, a limited time frame and an agenda shared with everyone involved.

While your WFH employees may not have a say in the structure and number of video meetings, business owners and managers can work with all team members to streamline them and use everyone’s time wisely. 

Provide a home office stipend.

Transitioning from a fully equipped office to an at-home work arrangement can be financially challenging for employees. Consider offering a home office stipend to help your remote team create a dedicated working environment. 

A home office stipend can be a one-time amount to help remote workers buy desks, work chairs, and other necessary furniture and equipment. It could also be an ongoing monthly amount for software subscriptions, business internet with high-speed connectivity and office supplies.

Respect employees’ work-life boundaries.

Remote employees may struggle to draw boundaries between work and home life. Blurred lines between the office and personal time can lead to employee burnout and lower productivity, so business leaders should do everything possible to help employees stick to a reasonable, agreed-upon schedule. 

For example, if managers choose to email employees after hours, they should make it clear that remote employees aren’t expected to reply until the next workday. Additionally, avoid texting employees outside working hours, and don’t contact remote team members who are taking time off except in an emergency.

Communicate clearly with team members.

Communicating and collaborating with WFH employees can be more challenging than communicating with in-person team members. For example, you can lose significant nuance and nonverbal communication in virtual interactions, causing rifts due to incorrect assumptions and misunderstandings.

For the best results, commit to overcommunicating with your remote team and making things as clear as possible. Be specific in your communications, and leave nothing up to interpretation. Encourage remote team members to ask for clarification whenever necessary, and demonstrate that you’re always happy to explain further.

Set expectations for work product deliverables each day.

Working from home can improve or lower productivity, depending on remote workers’ time-management skills and the company’s support and oversight. 

To encourage employees to use their time wisely, add all pertinent meetings to their shared schedules. Depending on employees’ current work or projects, you can either allocate specific time to various tasks or give employees daily goals for certain projects that must be accomplished by the end of the workday. 

Pros and cons of transitioning to long-term WFH

More and more companies are instituting permanent WFH or flexible work arrangements. HubSpot, Williams-Sonoma, Dell, Mayo Clinic and Stitch Fix were among the top companies offering remote jobs in 2024, and many more are sure to follow.  

If you’re thinking about offering WFH arrangements, discuss the following pros and cons of working from home with potential remote team members to ensure that a remote work arrangement is the best decision for them.  

Pros of working from home

People who work from home may experience the following benefits: 

• Schedule flexibility: One of the biggest benefits of working from home is that employees can make their own schedules instead of adjusting to a preset office schedule. They can structure their day to accommodate their workload and meetings along with nonwork obligations, like medical appointments and child care.
• No stressful commute: Americans spend 239 hours and $8,466 commuting annually, on average, according to Bankrate’s Average Cost of Commuting 2023 report, so it’s clear that losing the commute is a significant WFH benefit. Eliminating the commute can also decrease employees’ stress and help them save money on gas or public transportation.
• Increased productivity: Working from home can increase productivity for many workers because of personalized scheduling and fewer distractions. WFH employees can take breaks as needed, thereby reducing stress and combating employee burnout. 
• Fewer workplace distractions: Co-workers, office activity and other distractions abound in the workplace. However, working from home means fewer such distractions, thus allowing employees to focus on their work.
• Better communication skills: Working from home means adapting to new communication channels and improving written, verbal and virtual communication skills. Additionally, remote workers must learn to communicate meticulously across every medium to avoid misunderstandings. 

Cons of working from home

Working from home also has some downsides, including the following:

• Isolation: Your remote employees may experience isolation and loneliness. Many workers enjoy the social aspect of office work, making an abrupt transition to full-time independent work challenging.
• Home office costs: When transitioning to a remote work situation, new workspaces are required. Your remote workers may need to invest in a new desk and chair, faster internet and computer equipment. The costs can add up, especially if the company isn’t paying for the setup.
• Too much work: While some remote workers experience improved work-life balance, others may find it challenging to draw a line between work and personal time. Some remote employees struggle to designate firm work hours and find themselves working all the time or constantly thinking about work.
• Decreased productivity: While working from home might increase productivity for some workers, it could have the opposite effect on others. For example, they may be tempted to take frequent breaks and become distracted by family members.
• Co-worker disconnect: When workers are used to seeing co-workers in the office daily and working together face-to-face, it can be difficult to transition to video calls and emails. Your remote team may be frustrated when their questions aren’t answered quickly, and some nuance may be lost in communication. 

Businesses must take time and care when transitioning to WFH 

Working from home brings many benefits to employees and companies, but transitioning to a long-term WFH situation shouldn’t be undertaken lightly. Employers must create a communication and support infrastructure that bolsters their WFH employees and sets them up for success. Workers must take time to organize their schedules and setups to improve their work-life balance, not damage it. 

Remote work is here to stay. Be aware of its potential pitfalls, and take steps to create a situation that enriches both your business’s operations and your employees’ lives.

Jennifer Dublino contributed to this article.