Among the factors of failure of remote work, the worst, for the employer, comes from the feeling of loss of control over the work of his employee. Yet there are tools and mechanisms to prevent this.
1. Accept some loss of control
Before dealing with the control mechanisms of telecommuting, you should know that it requires a special relationship between the home worker and his job. We are moving from face-to-face management to management with objectives, which implies increased autonomy for the employee, sometimes coupled with a feeling of loss of control by the manager.
This development must be understood by all parties: the home worker, the employer and colleagues who stay in the company. It’s a whole different work culture that needs to be put in place. However, mechanisms exist for the employee to remain under the control of the manager.
2. Control methods included in the employment contract
The amendment to the employment contract, signed by the home worker and the employer, must specify:
- what will be the hierarchical connection of the remote worker;
- how will the evaluation of his work be carried out and with what frequency?
- what will be the reporting and liaison tools with the company
. The control of teleworking is also regulated: the amendment must specify the hours during which the worker can be reached, by phone or by e-mail. Outside of these hours, he is not required to respond to his company, in particular to protect his privacy.
3. Properly frame work processes
The teleworking agreement must formalize the business processes in which the remote worker is involved, and their frequency. It is a question of clearly defining:
- the nature of his employment;
- the referent in the company;
- the method of rendering his work: by e-mail or on the intranet via VPN access;
- etc.
The manager and the worker must fix together:
- the workload targets;
- delivery targets;
- delays.
If necessary, it can be useful to have the home worker and his manager go through teleworking training. Finally, you should know that if the results of remote work are not satisfactory, it can be stopped at the sole will of the company or the employee, and the latter can join the company’s premises within a period of time. thoughtfulness.
How to define the modalities of teleworking?
1. Remote work, a strict legal framework
The methods of setting up teleworking are governed by the Interprofessional Agreement of July 19, 2005, extended by the ministerial decree of May 30, 2006. They are based on this basic principle: bi-volunteering (the employer and the employee). employee must agree to these terms) and reversibility (one of the two parties can end teleworking by unilateral decision. The worker then returns to the company).
2. Terms clearly stated in the employment contract
Remote work must be the subject of an amendment to the employee’s employment contract. This rider lists all the procedures for posting homeworkers, in particular by defining:
- his missions;
- its hierarchical connection;
- its method of periodic evaluation;
- the procedures for reporting and for correspondence with the company.
On the whole, the homeworker must receive equal treatment with that of other employees in the company, whether in terms of comfort at work or that of the right to training. Finally, in companies with more than 11 employees, staff representatives must be consulted on the details of the methods for posting the worker remotely.
3. A supervised hourly volume
The amendment to the employment contract must also define the number of hours that the employee can devote to his position, including if he works at home. The maximum daily hours is 10 hours, and the weekly maximum is 48 hours (with a consecutive rest period of 11 hours minimum per day). The law also requires defining what are the hours during which the employee can be contacted by telephone or e-mail, in order to protect the latter’s privacy.
4. The technical modalities of teleworking
On a technical level, it is up to the company to take charge of all the costs related to teleworking tools. The imperative for the employer is also to ensure the computer security of his data.
Thus, the company must make available the computer hardware and software that the employee will need. It is not expected that the home worker can use his own computer. The employer must also assume the cost of communications, in terms of telephone calls and Internet access. It is recommended that the homeworker sign a charter, prohibiting him from using the company’s equipment for his personal use. Finally, the employer is supposed to compensate the remote worker for his heating and electricity costs. The monthly amount must be mentioned in the amendment to the employment contract.