Successful remote working arrangements require the right software solutions to support day-to-day business operations. Though remote work offers benefits to both businesses and their employees, both parties can only realize these benefits if remote work enables the same productivity as a traditional work environment—while also leveraging the efficiencies of remote work arrangements.

The coronavirus pandemic forced many businesses around the world to adopt remote work security policies almost overnight. Now, even as some cities and states across the country start to loosen restrictions and allow business operations to return to normal, some companies are choosing to stick with remote work as a permanent option for their workers.

Adopters of this trend include Silicon Valley companies like Facebook and Twitter, but businesses of all shapes and sizes are realizing that business can proceed more or less as “normal” even when working from home. One of the biggest challenges of this transition is implementing security standards to govern a new remote workforce.

The discussion around remote work began when stay-at-home orders were enacted in March and has persisted long after those sanctions have been lifted. Employees have continued to work from home despite city and state reopening’s, suggesting that remote work is here to stay. To prepare for the future of remote work, it is important that businesses provide clear guidance for their remote workforce that is in line with their company values. Whether your company is expanding its investment in remote work, or embracing it for the first time, a comprehensive Remote Work Policy is essential to ensuring employees’ success, regardless of their location.

The transition to remote work can be burdensome for any organization—especially those engineering changes almost overnight.

As business owners, we recognize that our people are our greatest assets. For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to re-think our workplaces and workforces. We’ve experienced the office as a ghost town, with perhaps one or two of us haunting the hallways while others work remotely. We’ve experienced human resources as an Olympic event with changes in hours, sick leave and family leave, employee benefits, remote work policies, State and local regulations, the CARES Act, and perhaps reluctantly guiding our organizations through furloughs or layoffs. 

Remote work arrangements can offer a number of benefits to an organization, including higher job satisfaction among workers and the ability to reduce rent and other overhead. But effective remote work also requires new strategies and policies to manage workers and teams remotely.

As more and more businesses allow work-from-home alternatives to their employees, the challenges of remote work productivity and security have become evident. Businesses are eager to showcase their flexibility in supporting remote work for their employees, but these changes can’t compromise the integrity of the organization.