Employer’s and Employee’s Responsibilities when Working from Home.

With the newly reinstated order of employers allowing their employees to work from home in Kenya due to the increased numbers of Covid-19, many businesses are finding themselves going back to working remotely.  

Some businesses are new to the business world and working from home for them is a new thing for them. 

Running a business from home as you and your employees work from home takes mutual efforts and responsibilities to keep the business running. Every party in your business has to do their part as they would in a physically open store, restaurant,etc. 

Your employees have to work to get paid and as the employer, you need to give their employees what they need to get work done safely and efficiently from home. 

Employer’s Responsibilities

1.Your employees’ safety

When it comes to your employees’ safety as they work from home, visiting their homes to ensure they are safe might not be possible. 

You might not be able to ensure that your employees’ home does not pose a health and safety risk as they work from home. Inspecting every home to ensure it’s safe for working from home might not be practical during this pandemic. 

However, what you could do is educate your employees on what a safe work environment is at home. And under the current circumstances, your employees’ health is very crucial. 

Provide your employees with a health and safety list. Include tips on a safe work space free from trip hazards, a good working set-up with a good desk and chair,  among others. 

2.Providing your employees with appropriate resources  

As your employees work from home, it’s your role to provide them with the appropriate resources to carry out the work that needs to be done.

You know the equipment your business cannot do without. And if your employees don’t have what they need to get work done from home, your business operations might not go smoothly. 

Assess what your employees need to effectively get work done, share data, attend virtual meetings, send deliveries, among other business operations. Whether they need the internet, computers, phones, printers, among other supplies. 

Some tools such as printers cannot be in every employee’s home. In such a case, you could appoint one employee to handle the specific role of printing whatever needs to be printed. When it comes to services such as the internet, you could reimburse the expenses to some limit. 

Employee’s Responsibilities

Not all employers would allow their employees to work from home. Therefore, when your employer allows you to work from home, they are showing that they trust you. 

As an employee, it’s your role to do right by your employer and play your role without any physical supervision. Do as much as you would do while under supervision in the office and do what you would normally do as expected by your employer. 

1.Complying with the company’s policies

Every work organization has its own policies and regulations regarding their business and any work being done. 

There are policies that guide your work in your employer’s enterprise. Therefore, as you work from home, make sure that any piece of work you do is in line with the set rules and standards. 

Follow all the laws, regulations, and ethical practices that apply to your organization and every activity related to your company. Working from home does not scrape off these policies.

Do what is required of you as an employee. If you are supposed to prepare a report by the end of every week, do that. If you are supposed to follow up with clients, do that and do it right and on time following whatever policies have been put in place. 

2.Being available and accessible during the agreed working hours with your employer

Many employers have set up working protocols as their employees work from home just to make sure there is order and efficiency. 

Among these protocols, your employer might have set specific working hours for you so that he/she can reach you when they need you. And, your employer will definitely consult you as he/she sets the working hours. It will not look good if your employer, clients or colleagues cannot reach you during the specified working hours. 

Make sure you are always available during your set working hours. Besides, ensuring your availability helps boost productivity on your end and smoothens work for your supervisors and colleagues too. 

3.Maintaining regular communications with your superiors

Communication is one of the most challenging things when it comes to working from home. And poor communication between you and your superiors can cause misunderstandings and this affects efficiency. 

Make sure you communicate with your supervisors/superiors as regularly as possible. This makes it easier for you to communicate issues, delays, etc. on time before things get out of hand and affects your efficiency and productivity. 

Be committed to preparing and attending all the virtual meetings that need your presence. This helps you stay in the loop and stay informed on  changes in policies and different updates on the company. 

4.Staying connected with your colleagues

Remember your workplace is run by a team and not you alone. That means as an employee, it’s your responsibility to ensure that you stay connected with other colleagues. Your role affects all the other roles in the company and the other roles affect yours too. 

Get to know where your colleagues are in their activities and help where you can to ensure efficiency in each business operation. 

Staying connected with your employees as you all work from home helps avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and delays. 

5.Taking care of your company’s tools and equipment

Some employers provide their employees with resources such as computers, desks, printers, papers, stumps, etc. 

Your company’s tools and equipment are not your own. Every item your employer has entrusted you with to get work done from home, whether a laptop or chair, take care of these items. 

Final Thoughts…

For a company to survive working from home, the employer and the employees have a role to play. When each party does what’s expected of them, business operations will run smoothly.