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In episode 127 of “The JoyPowered® Workspace Podcast,” JoDee and Susan discuss hybrid workplace models with Corinne Spencer, Chair of Pearlman Brown & Wax’s Labor and Employment Practice Group.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused all of us to rethink who needs to be at the worksite and who can work from remote locations, and many of those who worked remotely during the height of the pandemic want to continue working remotely at least part of the time. Employers are struggling with how much flexibility and work from home really makes sense for them.

Corinne Spencer joins the show to share her thoughts on minimizing legal risks when creating a hybrid workplace. Hybrid and remote work can increase employers’ risk exposure, most commonly with potential lawsuits from workers over reimbursable business expenses like laptops and cell phones. It’s also important to set objective standards for who has flexibility to work remotely so you can avoid any appearance of favoritism.

When you’re deciding whether you want to have employees on site every day, go completely remote, or create a hybrid model, it’s a good idea to talk to your employees about what works best for them. Set expectations of what that hybrid or flexible work looks like in a written agreement so there’s no misunderstanding. And adjust your communication to be more proactive – managers should really engage, be the ones to reach out to their employees, and set one on one meetings so they can touch base, stay in front of employees, and keep tabs on their performance, productivity, and morale.

In this episode’s listener mail, a listener asks about including remote work agreements in offer letters. In the news, the Washington Football Team was fined $10 million by the NFL after an investigation found that they created and maintained a workplace where sexual harassment, bullying, and intimidation was rampant.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Purple Ink
• Susan Tinder White Consulting
• The JoyPowered® Organization
• “Employees will leave if employers end remote work options, survey says”
• Pearlman, Brown & Wax
• Email Corinne
• Corinne on LinkedIn
• “N.F.L. Penalizes Washington Football Team Amid Harassment Allegations”

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