How Do I Create the Perfect Work from Home Policy for an IT Firm? Seeking Advice!

Hello everybody, I am an HR trainee at a leading IT firm. I need to prepare an ideal policy for working from home. Below are a few questions for which I am seeking answers:

What is a Work from Home Policy?

1. What is a work from home policy?

How to Design a Work from Home Policy for an IT Firm

2. How to design a work from home policy for an IT firm?

Key Points or Conditions for a Work from Home Policy

3. What are the key points or conditions that should be included in a work from home policy?

Staff Members Covered Under the Work from Home Policy

4. Which staff members are covered under the work from home policy?

Inclusion of HR Personnel in the Work from Home Style of Work

5. Are even HR personnel covered under the work from home style of work?

HELP ME .....

Here are answers to your questions:

1. What is the Work-from-Home Policy?

Basically, companies allow employees to work from home, wherein employees can work out of their homes either at their convenience or during working hours, depending on the company policy. They are always available on all communication modes like calls, emails, and chat.

2. How to Design a Work-from-Home Policy for an IT Firm?

When designing such a policy, the first thing to consider is who can be eligible to avail of this facility. It can be made available to anybody and everybody. Employees who have performed well during their tenure and understand not to take advantage of such a facility can be eligible to avail of such a policy. Females who live far away, have children, or other major responsibilities at home can also be given such a facility.

However, one thing to include in the policy is that they may be required to come to the office as and when necessary, and there should be one mandatory day when they have to come to the office. Provide them with a timesheet format in which they have to fill out their daily tasks and send it to their reporting manager. Every day when they start working, ask them to write an email to their reporting manager, and also when they finish for the day. These are some major things you have to keep in mind.

3. What are the Must Points or Conditions to be Included in a Work-from-Home Policy?

At the end of the day, their timesheets should show productive input, and they should always be available over calls, email, or chat.

4. What Staff Gets Covered Under the Work-from-Home Policy?

Usually, a normal HR policy can be implemented. However, if you want, you can reduce leaves. It depends on your management.

5. Does Even HR Get Covered Under the Work-from-Home Style of Work?

Yes, even HR can work from home.

Regards,

In addition to some good points listed by Monica, you need to list out the functions that are identified for 'work from home' mode.

Regards,
B. Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Advisor
Navi Mumbai

We have this policy in our company. There is no written guideline on this policy in our employees' handbook. It is optional for the manager whether to permit any person to work from home or not and for how long. We have all work on the internet and laptops, and the performance is checked on a daily basis on the timesheet. Actually, it is a facility being given to the employees whose targets are high and who have to complete the job on time. The company cannot afford to lose the working hours of such employees and so accommodates them to work on the internet during their urgent stay at home due to absence from the office on account of reasons such as urgent work, family problems, sickness, etc. This facility cannot be given to all and sundry, and there cannot be any compulsion on the management to permit the employees to work from home. It is a mutual understanding and requirement.

Regards,
Mahavir Mittal