Since the pandemic in 2020, remote work has become increasingly popular all over the world. The flexibility of working from home can be incredibly beneficial. Many employees experience increased productivity, better work-life balance, and overall greater job satisfaction. For employers, there are typically fewer overhead expenses and higher employee retention rates, making remote work a great option.
The increase in remote work, however, has had an impact on HR policies, and things continue to evolve and adapt within human resources. Let’s dive into the impact remote work has had on HR policies and how PEOs can provide solutions for managing a remote workforce effectively.
Impact of Remote Work on HR Policies
One of the major differences between in-person work and remote work is the level and means of communication within the organization. Communication encompasses so much of what happens at work—from performance management and feedback to employee engagement and collaboration. In person, this looks much different than it does while working from home.
It’s crucial that HR policies hold standards for communication in order to keep things running smoothly. Utilizing collaboration software and instant messaging to stay up-to-date with projects is essential. As an employer, it’s important to regularly schedule team meetings and performance reviews. Let your employees know that your door is always open for communication. In the same way an employee could stop by your office during the day, they should just as easily be able to get in touch with you while working from home.
Remote work has also had an impact on HR policies regarding compliance with labor laws. With more people working from home, it can be more complicated to accurately track regular hours and overtime. Additionally, each state has different laws when it comes to labor—managing remote workers entails staying up-to-date with all of them.
Challenges of Managing a Remote Workforce
While there are many benefits to hiring remote workers, managing a remote workforce can have its challenges. As an employer, providing feedback to employees is a huge part of the job. When your employees work remotely, however, you’ll often have to communicate asynchronously. This means feedback can’t always be provided in real-time, which can negatively impact performance and productivity.
Employee engagement can also be a challenge when managing a remote workforce. At the office, employees are able to gather and chat between meetings or while taking a break from work. When working remotely, those informal conversations are often missed. This may prevent employees from connecting and building strong working relationships with their coworkers.
Compliance with rules and regulations can also be a challenge when it comes to managing a remote workforce. Not only is it difficult to track time while employees are working from home, but maintaining a safe work environment is still required from employers.
The Role of PEOs in Remote Workforce Management
Professional employer organizations (PEOs) can be incredibly helpful in managing a remote workforce. PEOs step in to handle the administrative tasks of a business—like onboarding, payroll, benefits, and risk management—which can be particularly beneficial when employees are in multiple locations.
When employees are hired for an in-person role, the onboarding process is typically done on-site. For remote workers across different states and potentially different countries, having a streamlined, virtual onboarding process is essential.
With multiple state’s rules and regulations to consider, payroll can be challenging to navigate. Taxes, minimum wage, overtime pay, paid leave, and more will vary from state to state. Partnering with a PEO can alleviate the burden placed on business owners and HR managers of having to sort through and calculate everything alone.
Ensuring Compliance with Remote Work Regulations
PEOs are experts in compliance—they’ll work to ensure your business is up-to-date with all remote work regulations so nothing gets missed. From labor laws and taxes to workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, working with a PEO means you won’t need to worry about noncompliance.
Optimize Your Remote Workforce Management with PEO Services
Though there are many benefits to hiring remote workers, managing a remote workforce can be somewhat complex as HR policies continue to evolve. Partnering with an experienced PEO like PEOPayGo can help you streamline the process and ensure your company remains compliant with rules and regulations.
