By Jayme F. Moore, CPA
Accounting & Auditing Director
As vaccines come to market and the nation looks ahead to pulling out of the Covid-19 crisis, many organizations that sent employees home to work remotely in 2020 are considering whether they want to make the virtual work arrangement permanent.
For nonprofits, the advantages of a virtual work environment are clear. Savings in rent, utilities and office supplies would accompany a decision to give up office space, or to downsize it significantly. On the other hand, a disbursed workforce can present challenges in terms of collaboration and workplace culture.
As the pandemic fades, you’ll probably need to decide whether employees should remain where they are, return to the office or work a hybrid schedule.
Remote work advantages
Various surveys have found that working remotely generally lifts employee morale and job satisfaction. After all, working from home cuts expenses related to commuting and work clothing, and the work-life balance is generally more favorable.
Employers benefit, too. Higher employee morale and job satisfaction can help your nonprofit recruit and retain talent. Moreover, having a remote workforce could enable you to search beyond your immediate area for talented recruits.
Remote work also may boost employee productivity. One Gallup poll found that remote workers logged an average four more work hours per week than their in-office colleagues.
Reviewing your experience
During the past year, you’ve likely observed at-home employees’ productivity and work quality yourself. The following questions can help you evaluate the arrangement:
- Are employees logging more work hours from their homes than they did in the office or producing more work?
- Is the quality of individual employees’ work equal to, better or inferior to work completed in the office?
- Have you had troubling communicating with staffers — or have staffers encountered difficulties communicating with clients, funders and other constituents?
- How is staff morale? Are employees excited to get back to the office or are they enthusiastic about the possibility of permanent remote work?
For some employees, the remote work arrangement for the past year may not have been ideal due to the need to care for small children or supervise schoolwork during their normal work hours. Once schools and daycare facilities are open full time again, those issues will likely disappear.
The work-from-home option may not be appropriate for everyone in your organization — for example, new workers, staffers who have time-management issues or employees whose duties revolve around face-to-face communications. Keep in mind that if you’re considering allowing some employees to work from home and requiring others to work on-site, you’ll need a written policy.
Internal controls and processes
An important area to consider when deciding whether to enable remote work on a permanent basis is the issue of internal financial controls and processes. Remote work can create vulnerabilities in terms of who handles revenue coming into the organization and payments going out.
If you have policies governing internal controls, make sure they been reviewed and rewritten to ensure that the organization is protected when employees are working remotely.
Decision time
In the next few months, most employers who sent workers home at the beginning of the pandemic will need to decide whether (and when) to bring them back. Your nonprofit’s unique needs will determine the best plan. We can help you weigh the costs and benefits.
