Our 5 tips for implementing teleworking

According to the latest Malakoff Humanis annual Telework Barometer, conducted in December 2020, 67% of managers would be in favour of implementing teleworking in their company in the long term. Indeed, this organisational method is becoming increasingly attractive, both for employers and employees. How can you introduce teleworking for employees? What are the key steps to successfully implement this change?  

Discuss with your employees

First of all, it is essential to communicate with your employees, to understand how they feel about the implementation of teleworking. Although the home office offers many advantages, it also has a certain number of disadvantages (social isolation, unsuitable workspace at home, imbalance between professional and personal life, decrease in motivation, etc.). To understand your team’s viewpoint, you could, for instance, carry out surveys, send out questionnaires or organise group meetings or individual interviews with reluctant employees. This will enable every employee to share their fears, doubts, concerns and expectations about this new way of working.  

Define the conditions of remote work

This first inventory will allow you to precisely define the conditions for the implementation of teleworking. With the help of several company actors (human resources, managers, legal department, IT department, etc.), you will have to clarify the following points:

• Will teleworking be introduced on a full-time or part-time basis?
• Will it concern everyone or only some employees? If the latter, who and under what conditions? Are some professional activities more suitable for home office than others?
• What tools and resources will be made available to teleworkers?
• What means will be deployed to facilitate communication (intranet tools, collaborative platforms, shared agendas, videoconferencing tools, etc.) and remote management?
• What hours should be respected while teleworking?
• What will the rhythm be? Will there be a rotation system between each workstation on the company’s premises?
• Will the workload remain the same?
• Where will teleworking take place (home, coworking space, etc.)?
• What rights and duties will teleworking employees have?
• What type of tasks will be done through teleworking, and which tasks should be performed exclusively on site?
• What monitoring tools will be put in place (daily email and phone exchanges, regular face-to-face meetings, weekly reports, etc.)?
• How will remote work be secured and how will data be protected?

 

Find out about the legal terms and conditions of teleworking

Article L.1222-9 of the French Labour Code specifies that teleworking can be implemented by "a collective agreement" or "within the framework of a charter drawn up by the employer after consulting the social and economic committee, if it exists". Otherwise, a simple agreement between the employer and the employee concerned, whether written or oral, will be sufficient. Although not mandatory, it is strongly recommended to conclude a collective agreement or to draw up a teleworking charter. This document should outline all the rules and conditions related to the implementation of teleworking. It should define a clear framework for this new work organisation, informing employees of their rights and duties, and thus protecting against possible conflicts or litigations.  

Carry out a teleworking test phase

It is also advisable to carry out a preliminary test phase for a set period of time determined beforehand (a few weeks or a few months for example) to allow employees, managers and executives to experiment with teleworking. At the end of this period, an exhaustive assessment should be carried out to pinpoint areas for improvement, dysfunctions, and any benefits on the human, financial and operational levels. It is important to ask for feedback from each teleworker concerning the quality of life while teleworking, and the efficiency of management, communication, productivity, etc.  

Implement teleworking in the long term

If the initial trial is successful, teleworking can be implemented on a long-term basis. However, a regular follow-up should be carried out in order to evaluate the efficiency of this mode of organisation, to pinpoint any flaws and to optimise this way of working. It could also be useful to define performance indicators beforehand in order to clearly visualise the results of this organisational mode (rate of achievement of objectives, rate of absenteeism before/after, financial performance, savings made, indicators related to well-being at work, etc.). In addition, it should be noted that one of the biggest challenges in implementing teleworking is often related to the motivation and commitment of employees. It can be more complicated to motivate teams from a distance, and it is not uncommon that some employees feel a certain loss of meaning in their work. If this is the case, it may be beneficial to adjust the management style, change the pace of teleworking, provide specific training to learn how to manage remotely, conduct more frequent interviews and exchanges, organise teambuilding activities, or plan face-to-face events.