One question we often get from our clients is, "How can we ensure we're remaining compliant with workplace procedures and policies in a hybrid workplace?"
It's true that the workplace of 2022 is now often synonymous with hybrid work, which can mean less visibility, distance from managers and leaders, and greater employee autonomy. However, these changes shouldn't be viewed as negatives and can serve as opportunities to refresh your policies instead.
Stay on top of your workplace compliance and keep employees in check using these three tactics:
1. Refreshed Policies
Revisit written work policies to accommodate for new dynamics within the workplace, such as:
- Flexible work, including hours and location,
- Communications systems like Slack or Microsoft Teams, and
- Processes for dealing with everyday workplace occurrences.
When refreshing your policies, we recommend you to be as specific as possible — if you are discussing flexible work, what does that look like? How many hours or days are the employees expected to be in the office? One tip for clear communication is to say your numbers: “a few” or “a couple” can be perceived differently by different people, whereas “2 days a week” is crystal clear.
Ensure that policies accurately set the same expectation for employees that they've come to expect in an in-person environment in this new world of work, and clearly define differing policy considerations for new workplace elements so there is no ambiguity.
2. Accurate Documentation
Taking an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach to documenting things will only set you up to fail when it comes to compliance and dealing with workplace issues. Make sure employees are well aware of the expectations set out for them when it comes to documenting hours worked, overtime, project-related responsibilities, issues and anything else that requires full documentation.
Is it clear where your team is tracking their hours? What happens if they forget sometimes? How do you prevent project scope creep? Can employees see how much of their time is being booked? On top of that, make sure there are mechanisms for raising and reviewing issues in real-time so that things don't feel ad hoc. If your team is comfortable bringing up that they have too much on their plate and they need help delegating, you will be able to mitigate issues before hitting the finish line and realizing you won’t get everything to the client in time.
3. Upfront and Regular Communication
Reset expectations with your entire team using clear, concise (and kind!) communication to review policies and procedures. Regular communication helps eliminate any confusion and works to avoid issues from afar. Make sure to follow up on the policies so everyone’s had a chance to read the documents and familiarize themselves with the expectations, not only on their first day but throughout the team’s whole time with your company! Reiterating the importance of reviewing policies will remind employees of the perks they enjoy with your company and help eliminate misunderstandings.
