Remote work policy.
A practical remote-work policy covering eligibility, equipment, expense reimbursement, home-office WHS, security, working hours, and the right-to-disconnect.
REMOTE WORK POLICY — [Company Name] 1. Eligibility Remote work is available to employees whose role can be performed effectively away from a [Company Name] office. Eligibility is at the discretion of the employee's manager and is subject to a 4-week trial period at the start of any new arrangement. Roles requiring on-site presence (e.g. customer-facing, manufacturing, laboratory) are not eligible…
What's inside the document.
Which roles are eligible, the request process, the trial period, how the arrangement is documented.
Core hours, availability expectations, the right-to-disconnect (especially relevant in AU + EU).
What the company provides (laptop, monitor, ergonomics), the home-office allowance, expense reimbursement.
Home-office WHS self-assessment, ergonomic expectations, incident reporting.
Secure network, encrypted devices, prohibited use of personal devices for sensitive data.
How performance is measured remotely, expected meeting attendance, asynchronous communication norms.
How the remote-work arrangement can be ended by either side, with notice.
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
Three formats, one document.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
5 steps from download to use.
- 01Confirm which roles are remote-eligible and which require in-person presence.
- 02Set the home-office allowance amount and expense-reimbursement scope.
- 03Adapt the WHS self-assessment to your jurisdiction (AU has stricter home-office WHS expectations than most US states).
- 04Confirm the right-to-disconnect language if you operate in AU, EU, or any jurisdiction with the regulation.
- 05Have the employee sign the WHS self-assessment at remote-work commencement.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this policy when you have any employees working from home more than two days a week — it satisfies WHS obligations, sets equipment expectations, and protects the company on after-hours communication expectations.
For fully office-based workplaces this policy is overhead; for hybrid teams with formal flexibility it is the document that prevents drift.
Honest answers before you download.
- Do I have to provide a home-office allowance?
- In most jurisdictions no statutory obligation exists, but it is a common benefit. AU + EU jurisdictions sometimes mandate reimbursement of work-related home expenses (electricity, internet). Check the obligation in your operating jurisdiction.
- What is right-to-disconnect?
- A legal right for employees to refuse work-related contact outside of working hours. AU introduced this in 2024 for medium and large employers; the EU has been moving in the same direction. The policy explicitly recognises the right.
- What about hybrid arrangements?
- The policy covers hybrid by default — define how many days are remote vs in-office, the team's anchor days if any, and the meeting-attendance expectations. Fully-remote is just hybrid with zero in-office days.
This remote work policy template is a professionally drafted starting point and is not legal advice. The clauses follow current US and AU practice; adapt the document for your specific jurisdiction and have qualified counsel review any clauses you add before signing or distributing. Full disclaimer.