Managing the Risks of Remote Employees

​The ongoing circumstances related to COVID-19 and the Coronavirus have necessitated many of us to implement sweeping changes throughout our organizations.  One of the most significant changes many are grappling with, is how to navigate the risks associated with employees that are now working primarily or exclusively remotely from their own homes.
 
In this blog post, we’ll review four keys risks that each of us may face when requiring employees to work from home and the steps we can take to mitigate and manage the risks involved.
 
Cyber Risks
 
The cyber risks associated with having the majority of your office workforce working remotely can be significant.  A few best practices that can mitigate the risks involved in this area:

• If possible, do not rely on employees to use their own devices to connect to corporate networks and resources, as these devices may pose undue risks from the lack of security protocols or malware to your systems. 

 
Providing employees with the right equipment needed for the job can greatly reduce your risks by ensuring all equipment provided to the employee has the appropriate security measures installed, including virtual private networks, endpoint protection, password managers and multi-factor authentication.

• Ensure that your computer use policy is updated to prohibit the use of corporate resources for entertainment, children’s school or extracurricular activities, etc.

 

• Avoid the use of open or public Wi-Fi networks, as these networks increase the vulnerability to your systems. Also, requiring that work be completed at home on a secured Wi-Fi network provides greater physical security for company owned equipment that could be stolen from cars or bags while away.

 

• Provide training to employees to know how to effectively connect to and utilize corporate systems remotely.  This will not only increase the productivity of remote employees, but also provides you with an opportunity to reinforce good cyber hygiene.  Ensure employees understand how IT staff will contact them, if necessary, so they do not fall prey to the onslaught of social engineering scams targeting remote workers.

 
Use of Company Vehicles
 
Many organizations are permitting or even requiring employees to drive home company owned vehicles. This ensures greater responsiveness for on call employees and  mitigates the potential exposure that employees would have by going to a central fleet location where employees could congregate.  It is important that even with these exigent circumstances that you follow the same fleet procedures you would ordinarily follow for any employee taking a vehicle home.  Some of these include:

• Verification that an employee’s motor vehicle report does not have any serious violations.

 

• Clarify that personal use of the company vehicle should be de minimis and should only be used for limited personal errands when traveling to and from work, and that the vehicle should not be used travel outside of the area designated between home and work. 

 

• Ensure your fleet policy also addresses the issue of passengers riding in company vehicles.  With the need to social distance ourselves from co-workers, to the extent possible, employees should not carpool.  Also, it is recommended that you do not permit non-employees, which could include family members, to ride in the vehicles at any time.

 

• In addition to requiring pre-trip inspections, it may be worth considering requiring employees to sanitize high-touch surfaces inside vehicle (e.g. steering wheel, handles, shift level, etc.) with cleaning products providing by the employer; particularly if the vehicle will be used by multiple employees on a rotating basis.

 
Workers Compensation
 
Remote employees are entitled to workers compensation benefits, if they become injured in the course and scope of their employment.  Here are some tips to help you establish effective policies and best practices for your remote workforce.

• Remote Workplace Review – Discuss and document the area that will be defined as the employee’s home office.  Despite having little control over that space, you shouldn’t be completely in the dark.  Consider best practices, such as photo documentation, safety check-list reviews, and/or workstation set-up trainings.  Talk about topics such as: ergonomics; lighting and ventilation; proper use and placement of extension cords; and smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.

 

• Working Hours – While flexibility is one of the most appreciated benefits of a telecommuting arrangement, it’s important to define “working hours” in one way or another.  This is important in the event of a workers’ compensation claim, but it’s also essential to ensure you’re in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act and other state and federal employment regulations. Consider defining specific business hours for your remote employees or explore software options for tracking hours and break and meal times.

 

• Job Duties – Comprehensive descriptions of job-related duties and responsibilities are key for helping to prevent claims from injuries that may arise from non-work-related activities.  This is especially important for remote employees who have their professional and personal lives intertwined during the day.

 
By having a clear telecommuting policy and ensuring remote employee agreements are in place, you’ll be able to mitigate the risk and uncertainty associated with your off-site staff.

Ten Tips to Stay Cyber-Safe
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