What Challenges Do HR Managers Face with a Telecommuting Workforce?

Companies around the world increasingly rely on telecommute workers to perform key tasks while saving on the expense of a traditional office space, but along with the benefits of this arrangement come several telecommuting workforce challenges from an HR perspective. From increased distractions to security issues, businesses must keep a special eye out for employees who work outside of the office. Here are some of the most pressing challenges that HR departments face from telecommute workers.

Proper Scheduling

Many businesses have begun phasing out the standard 9-to-5 work day in favor of schedules that support people’s real needs and abilities, and telecommute work reflects this shift in attitude about productivity. The downside to open scheduling is that workers may take advantage of the situation to put off important tasks — sometimes unintentionally. Working from home opens up employees to a host of distractions. Implementing a set schedule helps prevent idle meandering. Employees should understand when they’re supposed to be available for work during a typical work day.

Appropriate Communication

Technology makes communication easy these days, but that doesn’t mean that telecommute workers always stay on top of the latest news in the office. Despite the world’s increasing dependency on electronic communication, verbal communication remains number one for transmitting news. In an office environment, employees find out about meetings and company changes quickly thanks to rapid gossip; telecommute workers don’t have this luxury. Human resources departments need to implement an appropriate communications policy to make sure that at-home workers stay on top of company changes and relevant updates.

Increased Distractions

Distractions affect all employees, but telecommute workers experience significantly more distractions due to their relaxed and often familiar environments. Kids, telephones, sudden at-home crises and other issues can all affect an employee’s ability to focus while on the clock. One of the biggest telecommuting workforce challenges that HR departments face is how to motivate at-home workers to stay on task. This can be accomplished by performing meticulous screening to ensure that telecommute workers have the right characteristics to work from home. Employees need to be self-motivated and highly responsible in order to work away from the office. Choosing employees who require little supervision reduces the risk of wasted productivity.

Heightened Security

Employees who work outside of the office need access to secure files, but maintaining security is critical to a successful company. Human resources professionals need to make sure that only select employees gain access to the files they need via approved laptops, computers and other secured electronic devices. In addition, the company should have a policy in place to deal with security access immediately after an employee stops telecommuting or loses her job. Most employees will not be able to do real damage to a company’s electronic files, but HR departments can’t take the risk that information will fall into the wrong hands accidentally.

Telecommuting work can save companies thousands of dollars on office space, travel expenses and other costs associated with in-house staffing needs. Many businesses see significant results by having some of their work force perform jobs outside the office, but it’s not always easy to implement a system as complex as telecommuting. Planning ahead of time to accommodate the aforementioned telecommuting workforce challenges and other issues should result in a more productive workforce and a more positive company image.

Additional Reading: Top 25 Best Affordable Bachelor’s in Human Resources Degree Programs 2014