Remote/home working and the pros and cons of this working arrangement have been much debated over the last few months.

As this arrangement looks set to continue for some time, this month’s In Brief article focuses on some resources and stories about issues arising with and getting the most out of remote/home working.

• I’m not coming back to the office, thank you! – Olga Pollock discusses why so many of us are loving working from home
  
  
• Returning to the Office: Supporting and Leading Your Colleagues - Paolo Ruoppolo, Think People discusses what managers should consider doing to alleviate fears of employees returning to the office environment, even on a part-time basis.
  
  
• Watching Out for Burnout – Mairead Regan, Clarendon Executive, outlines some strategies for identifying and management burnout, a concern for many home workers who feel unable to switch off while working from home.
  
  
• Disciplinary Issues During Remote Working – How Do I Handle It? – Rachel Richardson, Tughans provides some guidance for HR professionals in managing disciplinary issues that arise with remote workers.  
  
  
• Data Protection and Remote Working  – during this webinar, Anna Flanagan, Pinsent Masons outlined the key risks associated with remote working for adherence to data protection policies and guidance to promote good practice.
  
  
• The Importance and Key Components of A Data Privacy Policy In The Workplace – Leeanne Armstrong provides some guidance in her latest Employee Handbook update on what to consider regarding remote working in a data privacy policy.
  
  
• Should Offices Stay Open? – this article from People Management discusses whether it is in an employee's interest to work from home or the office and whether not closing offices is in breach of rules.
  
  
• Stress Risk Assessments – Dr Philip McCrea, BHSF answers a question relating to stress risk assessments for remote workers.
  
  
• Payment for office furniture for remote workers – this is one of the many questions relating to remote/home working answered by Seamus McGranaghan, O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors in our regular ‘Employment Law@11’ webinar series.  Listen again to the webinars here or review the Q&A raised here.

In addition, a number of sessions at our Annual Review of Employment Law on the 4th and 5th November will focus on remote working, e.g.

-   Regulating Home and Remote Working – Top Tips from a Leading Employment Lawyer (Speaker: Leeanne Armstrong, Legal Director, TLT)

-   Remote Workplace Investigations and Disciplinary Hearings: Getting it Right (Speaker: Christine Swail, Director, People Management Solutions)

eLearning | Training Resource

Managing and Motivating Remote Workers in Northern Ireland
The purpose of this course is to provide managers of remote workers with the tools to manage and motivate their team, optimise performance, and achieve organisational goals.

Click here to find out more