According to ONS, more than a quarter (28%) of working adults in Great Britain, hybrid worked between January to March 2025. But we were recently talking to Jon Rush from HR Smart about how so many companies don’t seem to know what their obligations are when it comes to people working remotely.  So he’s kindly put together this fantastic checklist.

Remote Work Employer Checklist

It is really important for employers to consider all of the elements related to homeworking when dealing with employees working remotely. Whether this is due to a Flexible Working request, temporary reasonable adjustments or the Company’s Mode of Operations, it Is vital that you treat remote locations as though they were the Company’s premises for reasons of Health and Safety, Security of data and employee wellbeing. The employer remains liable for all of these aspects even with remote working employees.

1. Clear Communication is Critical

• Decide on the primary tools to be used (Teams, Slack, Zoom, etc.). Cut these down to the minimum required to be able to run the operations effectively. Too many systems means multiple data stored and more chance of miscommunication.

• Set response time expectations (e.g., within 2 hours during working hours). This is important so that all employees and directors know how long they may expect to wait for each other’s time.

• Schedule regular 1:1s and team meetings. More effort needs to be expended when people are not with each other fact to face.

• Share company wide information via one channel where possible (Newsletter, HR System, Intranet). Try to avoid using emails as this can get lost in everyone’s inboxes.

2. Technology & Security

• Provide laptops, tablets, phones etc configured with company security software and policies. Use Mobile Device Manager software (MDM) to make updating devices, loading software, preventing uploads and locking devices down easier.

• Require VPN access for logging into company systems. This makes the links to company data harder to infiltrate. It is essential that remote workers never sign into company systems on public Wi-Fi unless they are using a trusted VPN.

• Enforce a strong password policy and two-factor authentication where possible. Passwords should be at least 10 characters long and be complex. 2FA should be employed on all systems where available.

• Conduct cybersecurity training at least twice a year. There are organisations who can offer testing of employees to see how they respond to unknown or suspicious email requests and links. Employees should read the IT and Security Policies at least once per annum.

• If you allow employees or contractors to use their own devices, think about how this affects your IT and Cyber Security policies. This also includes home broadband router set up to ensure this is secure. A BYOD policy is hard to regulate and needs careful thought.

3. Performance Management

•    Tracking outcome-based measurements are the easiest way to manage remote workers. You cannot check or control what people are doing when they remote work, so setting targets and measuring outputs is one of the easiest and most productive ways to manage workload.

• Defining clear objectives, KPIs, and deliverables for each role is imperative if you are going to manage by output. These should be clearly linked to the Company’s overall objectives.

• Consider using project management tools such as Asana or Trello. These allow reporting on task planning, key objectives and their current status.

• Conduct regular performance reviews on a monthly or quarterly basis. Managers will need to be able to provide timely objective and critical feedback, not just annual reviews. It is important for managers to be able to explain what is not going right as well as what is going right quickly.

4. Work-Life Balance

• Make sure that remote workers are sticking to their weekly contracted hours. Consider setting parameters on email and Company systems to stop them being used out of hours. The ability to switch off when remote working is imperative. Directors and managers must also respect these boundaries.

• Consider whether the Company could offer wellbeing resources such as gym membership, yoga classes, mental health support, meditation apps or employee assistance programs.

• Ensure that all employees take their breaks and use all of their holiday entitlement. This is key to reducing the risk of employees suffering from overwhelm or other mental health and physical issues.

5. Health & Safety Ownership

• It is the employer’s duty to ensure that health and safety requirements are upheld for employees working remotely. This means ensuring that ergonomic equipment stipends (chairs, desks, monitors) are provided, whether by the employee or employer.

• When an employee starts with the Company or starts working remotely it is vital that the Company conducts a risk assessment for the employee’s workspace. This avoids issues such as employees working in unacceptable environments e.g. on their bed or at the dining room table.

• Ensure that you track and record all remote work-related incidents or injuries. The Company can still be held responsible for any injuries caused by work, including remote workers.

• Make sure that you inform your insurer that you operate remote or homeworking employees to ensure that your policy covers this.

6. Collaboration & Team Culture

• Make sure that there are regular scheduled team meetings. These are essential to avoid employees working in silos and making sure everyone realises they are still in a team. You should also encourage as much cross departmental working as possible to achieve the company’s goals and objectives.

• Try and introduce as much fun as you can throughout the working week. You can do this by Organising virtual coffee chats, quizzes and on-line awards.

• Make sure that individuals and teams are recognised for their achievements. This could be done in team meetings, awarding an employee of the month/quarter or by holding a Company awards ceremony to recognise  achievements publicly.

• Ensure that remote staff are not forgotten. Remote workers can often be missed out of Christmas or Company events and this particularly applies to people on Maternity and Paternity leave.

7. Legal & HR Considerations

• Review employment contracts to ensure that they include the relevant clauses relating to remote working. There are more contractual changes than you may at first realise!

• Check local employment laws on working hours, breaks, and overtime. If people are working overseas, then employment laws can differ greatly. Also ensure that you comply with the UK and other countries tax and payroll rules.

• Make sure that there is a comprehensive expenses reimbursement policy. This can be a difficult area to get right when considering reimbursing mileage and travel costs.

• Ensure that your Employee Handbook is up to date for all remote worker policies and procedures.

8. Data Protection & Confidentiality

• It is imperative that all employees are trained on the Company’s data protection policies and procedures at least once per annum. This is more important for remote workers as you need to ensure that any personal or company-sensitive data is protected when off-site.

• The employer should ensure that work emails are only used for work related duties. This cuts down the electronic footprint of the Company and lessens the risk of malware issues and unauthorised access to the Company’s data.

• If possible, the Company should review whether sensitive information and data should be protected using end to end encryption software. This ensures that emails especially are more difficult to intercept by unauthorised third parties.

• Remind employees not to share work devices with family or friends. This reduces the threat of unauthorised software or malware being allowed to enter Company systems and files

• Regularly review compliance with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 to ensure compliance.

We hope the above is of use to you, but if you need any further information or help in the area of employee remote working, please do not hesitate to contact Jon Rush on 01903 754107 or at jon@hrsmartuk.com. If you want to read more about supporting hybrid working why not check out our post Supporting Hybrid Teams