Purpose

As a result of COVID-19 and associated stay-at-home orders, the number of employees working remotely reached unprecedented levels during early periods of the pandemic. Since that time, some employees have returned to the office; yet, there is a lasting impact on employees’ desires for remote work. In response, decision-makers in organizations should be equipped with knowledge regarding what makes remote work beneficial for both employees and the organization and also fair and compliant with the law. This paper aims to take a dual perspective spanning human capital and legal aspects of remote work to offer six practical recommendations to organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews the human resources (HR) scholarly literature on remote work, using principles from evidence-based management to select valid and reliable findings in which to base practical recommendations for organizations. Associated legal risks are identified through a review of the legal literature on remote work and integrated into the recommendations.

Findings

Building on a multilevel model of HR practices, the authors offer the following six practical recommendations to organizations: offer hybrid work and both location and schedule flexibility; ensure fair and compliant work schedules; acknowledge manager perceptions; ensure fair approval and evaluation of remote workers; acknowledge individual workers; and align remote work practices with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Originality/value

The multilevel model of remote work practices discussed in this paper offers an organizing framework for identifying advantages and disadvantages of remote work that future research may build upon. The six recommendations help bridge the research–practice gap by providing organizations with knowledge on how to maximize the benefits of remote work while mitigating potential legal risks.

中文翻译：

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远程工作的人力资本和法律视角：给组织的建议

目的

由于 COVID-19 和相关的居家令，在大流行初期，远程工作的员工数量达到了前所未有的水平。从那时起，一些员工回到了办公室；然而，这对员工对远程工作的渴望产生了持久的影响。为此，组织中的决策者应该了解如何使远程工作对员工和组织都有利，并且公平且遵守法律。本文旨在从人力资本和远程工作法律方面的双重角度为组织提供六项实用建议。

设计/方法论/途径

本文回顾了有关远程工作的人力资源 (HR) 学术文献，利用循证管理的原则来选择有效且可靠的研究结果，为组织提供实用建议。通过审查有关远程工作的法律文献来确定相关的法律风险，并将其纳入建议中。

发现

基于人力资源实践的多层次模型，作者向组织提供了以下六项实用建议：提供混合工作以及地点和日程安排的灵活性；确保公平且合规的工作安排；承认经理的看法；确保远程工作者的公平批准和评估；承认个别工人；并使远程工作实践与多样性、公平性和包容性努力保持一致。

原创性/价值

本文讨论的远程工作实践的多层次模型提供了一个组织框架，用于识别未来研究可能建立的远程工作的优点和缺点。这六项建议通过为组织提供有关如何最大限度地发挥远程工作的好处同时降低潜在法律风险的知识来帮助弥合研究与实践之间的差距。