Instituting a viable work-from-home program

Because the HR department is responsible for workforce management and administering the employee benefits program in some cases, representatives are partially in charge of determining whether a work-from-home policy is worth implementing. There are some proven benefits to utilizing this strategy. For instance, a group of researchers from Stanford University have found that employee productivity increased at CTrip, a Chinese travel agency, when staff members were allowed to work remotely. Additionally, WFH strategies can also boost employee morale. 

Of course, this doesn't mean that HR departments can institute these policies without determining whether they're actually feasible for their organizations. HR representatives should consider the following factors when deciding if employees should be allowed to handle their responsibilities at home. 

What the company does
The most important issue is whether staff members actually have to share the same space as their colleagues in order to complete their projects. Inc. Magazine notes that it's impossible for assembly line workers to stay at home and fulfill their duties, but more independent employees can likely finish their jobs from anywhere. 

A company's HR department needs to determine how projects are completed and common production strategies. When workers generally operate with autonomy, they can be trusted to produce excellent projects whether they're at home or in the office. 

Is there accountability?
A large concern with WFH policies is whether managers and HR departments can keep staff members accountable when they're in different locations. In the office, this process is fairly simple as a supervisor can walk by someone's desk to see if he or she is actually working or clicking around Facebook.

One possible solution is to capitalize on video conferencing technology. This strategy has caught on in some enterprises, including Ordr.in. CEO David Bloom recently explained to PCWorld that he relies on Google Hangouts to check in on his staff

"Everyone logs on for 15 minutes each morning, so we can all talk about what we've accomplished and what we're working on," Bloom said. "This allows us to have a face-to-face meeting where everyone's equal."

HR departments should consider their options when it comes to monitoring employees. Video conferencing may work for some organizations, but others may need something that allows managers to actually see what staff members are doing. A cloud service may be the best solution for these enterprises as managers can check files to watch each contributors' progress throughout the day.