5 steps to successful and compliant teleworking
Few companies have escaped this recently, and teleworking has had to be introduced, sometimes out of obligation and in a hurry.
But the trend towards teleworking preceded the health crisis, and the law has adapted to this new way of working.
Teleworking charter, teleworking rider, what conditions need to be met to organise your business remotely and intelligently?
It's not too late to get it right. Here's a guide to successful and sustainable teleworking in 5 key stages.
1 - Consult employees
🕵️♂️ Gather their expectations, needs and questions, for example by means of a questionnaire on the introduction of teleworking.
Some will want to :
- work mainly from the office and benefit from exceptions to organise their personal schedules in the event of a strike or childcare problems;
- Others may want a more regular arrangement, with all Wednesdays spent teleworking,
- Still others, rarer still according to the latest studies, will want to telework at maximum pace to become digital nomads.
You won't be able to respond to every request, but you'll get a general idea of the trend, so you can be guided towards the formula that's most satisfactory for everyone.
What's more, there's nothing to prevent you from dealing with exceptional requests and profiles on a case-by-case basis, even if a certain degree of consistency makes HR communication and understanding easier.
2 - Bring together team leaders, management and the HR department
🧐 On the steering side, it is also necessary to consult team managers and all the members who will be helping to frame the teleworking project.
For example, the IT department (information systems department) must consider the connection to the various remote working tools, data security and the acquisition of suitable software, in consultation with all the managers.
The human resources department, for its part, will draw up a teleworking charter or company agreement in agreement with management, to set out best practice and everyone's obligations.
3 - Experiment and communicate
👌 A test phase can be carried out in parallel with consultation with employees, managers and the CSE (even though the latter cannot oppose a teleworking project).
During this period, the duration of which is determined and communicated, managers continue to collect the opinions of employees, in order to adjust the conditions if necessary.During this period, the duration of which is determined and communicated, managers continue to gather feedback from employees in order to adjust teleworking conditions where necessary and to compensate for circumstances that were not foreseen in the initial discussions.
It is also important to communicate about remote management:
- the types of checks that are planned, such as a sworn declaration of compliance with working hours, for example;
- the new processes to be followed for reporting on tasks in progress or completed, within a department or across the company, etc.
4 - Equip yourself to telework properly
🔑 Right from the test phase, it is vital to get the right equipment to ensure continuity of business performance. This is the key to a sustainable and successful implementation of teleworking.
Fortunately, you can start with the free evaluation versions of the software recommended by the IT department and/or operational managers.
Not only do you need to be as efficient remotely as you are face-to-face, but you also need to ensure collaboration and teamwork in complete security.
There's no secret to this: online collaborative tools are just the thing:
- corporate social networks
- chat and videoconferencing tools,
- task managers
- document sharing
- password management and remote access,
- office suite, etc.
There are many of them, specialised or all-in-one, and hosted in the cloud, so they can be accessed anywhere and at any time. 👍
5 - Regularly monitor employee well-being
🔎 Employees may experience difficulties due to a lack of social contact or unsuitable equipment, leading to musculoskeletal disorders for example.
Generally speaking, it's vital to keep an ear open and identify any slumps in performance, during annual or even monthly reviews, or through ad hoc surveys.
Well-being at home is just as important and decisive for motivation and productivity as well-being in the office.
Setting up teleworking: what does the law say?
What are the conditions for teleworking?
The French Labour Code does not lay down any specific criteria or conditions for teleworking. However, it is worth remembering that teleworking is not a right, and the employer can decide which categories of staff can benefit from it.
To set out the conditions for teleworking, the HR department can also draw up a teleworking rider, but this is not compulsory (only the employee's agreement, even if oral, is), and has not been since the law on strengthening social dialogue came into force.
Nevertheless, whatever the document, telework charter or rider, the aim is to specify :
- the frequency of teleworking
- the authorised telework locations
- the approval criteria (application procedures, compulsory days of presence, teams concerned), etc.
Where can teleworking take place?
The law does not impose any specific teleworking location, so it is up to the employer to set the limits.
Whether it's at home, in a coworking space, a telecentre or a third-party workplace, the only requirement is that the space must offer satisfactory working conditions, including a good Internet connection.
This is also true for local civil servants. A decree, which came into force on 6 May 2020, gives them the right to work in a private or business premises.
Who must provide the equipment for teleworking?
The law stipulates that if teleworking is imposed, except in cases of force majeure (such as Covid), it is the employer's duty to equip its employees so that they benefit from the same working conditions as in the office.
What about expenses incurred by teleworking employees? Employees may claim reimbursement, on presentation of proof, if the expenses were incurred in order to be able to work properly, even if the confinement was not the company's intention.
Most organisations that introduced teleworking before the health crisis also included a lump-sum teleworking bonus in their rider or company agreement. Think about anticipating this type of question, as it is very likely to become the norm 😉
Setting up teleworking to anticipate tomorrow
This is the general observation, nobody expected such an acceleration in teleworking, and the companies that have fared better had anticipated this new trend.
Even the law transforming the civil service introduced the possibility of occasional teleworking.
Whether you adopt it on a permanent or temporary basis, and whether it's for one day a week or full remote working, right up to recruitment from a distance, think about setting up a teleworking policy. think about implementing teleworking in your organisation and analyse the pros and cons, the successes and failures.
You'll have a good basis for establishing your working framework and adapting to new organisations over the long term, with peace of mind.
Article translated from French