As we are going through a pandemic which will most likely another few months, more workplaces are becoming remote every day. And as a lot of companies are experiencing employees working from home for the first time, many rules and regulations will have to differ in these times of pandemic crisis.

In this blog, we will discuss how company expenses and employee benefits will change under the remote work conditions.

Changes in Company Expenses

During these times, the most important way to look into company expenses is to realize that as a manager, you are essentially managing a crisis that was unforeseen for the entire world. Therefore, you have to make sure that you are being fare and adjusting to this situation to make to right decision.

This global crisis calls for flexibility. Whether or not you assigned a budget to deal with new types of company expenses during difficult and unforeseen times like this, you will need to accommodate employees with their needs so that they can adjust to this quick shift and adjust comfortably to working from home.

1) Company tools & devices

This can mean anything from scheduling deliveries of their computers, keyboards, and even work chairs from the workplace to their homes or if the situation is very critical where you are, order them whole new ones online and have it shipped to their homes.

Employees will recognize your understanding and effective crisis management and will be more motivated to work from home which will show a positive shift in the productivity.

2) Employees with Coronavirus

Another expense would be if any of your employees had come down with the Coronavirus. You will then have to make sure the entire work space is sanitized and ready for the return of your workforce as well as making sure your employee has everything they need to combat the virus. Helping them financially or sending them a care package and getting them in touch with the company doctor will help them through these times and will show the rest of the workforce that you care.

3) Online Q&A with a Doctor

Setting up a weekly online meeting with all your employees and a professional doctor for a question and answer session will also help your employees with any anxiety or worry they may be dealing with during these times.

4) Coronavirus First Aid

Prior to the return of your employees in the workplace, it’s good measure to make sure every floor or office is equipped with hand sanitizers, anti bacterial gels, liquid hand wash, and an emergency Covid-19 kit with extra masks, gloves or antiseptic for anyone in need. If your company can afford it, it would also be beneficial if you can swap the office doors with automatic doors to limit the touch with public surfaces.

5) Transportation

If some of your employees need to travel to work for a day or two to the office, make sure you will provide them either with company shuffle service or compensate them for using Uber or private taxis instead of using the public transport for an extra measure. This will save them the worry of travelling during a dangerous and contagious virus spread.

6) Budget Allowance

An important point to note is that since we are experiencing very stressful times, if your employee needs to use a budget to adjust to this situation, you should compensate them on a timely manner. Now more than ever, a platform like Haslle can help you assign budget and have streamline approvals through an app so that employees don’t need to wait to return back to the workplace to be able to file for a petty cash voucher.

Haslle will also allow you to have real time data analysis into what budgets your employees are spending and which allowances they have requested. You also get access to financial information to get a macro scope of how much money the company is spending.

Changes in Employee Benefits

Aside from company related expenses that either you or your employees need to go through to adjust to the remote work conditions, there is another thing to consider.

How to consider your employees help, contribution and crisis management during a time like this is very crucial.

Your employees may try to help their coworkers and colleagues to adjust to this work situation, reduce their anxieties or they may simply work overtime to compensate for the extra demand of the market for products and therefore excess production levels.

You can categories the employee benefits in a few categories:

1) Those employees who worked over time in production or sales teams to compensate for the unforeseen excess of demand which called for an increase in production.

2) Those employees that helped their colleagues stay focused and adjust to the pandemic and managed the crisis very well.

3) Managers in all levels for keeping their teams in check, making sure everyone has what they need to follow through their work and guided their subordinates with working from home.

4) The employees who could not work from home due to the nature of their job (for instance people in production) and risked their own and their families lives to come to work everyday during the spread of this highly contagious virus.

Now that we have discussed the types of employees that you need to offer benefits for their outstanding and heroic work during a global crisis, you need to define how you will compensate their benefits.

1) Monetary Benefits

For the employees in production for instance who still had to come to work during the crisis and endangered themselves and their families everyday by coming to work.

2) Recognition Awards

For the colleagues who reduced work and crisis related anxieties and worries and created a supportive virtual environment for their coworkers.

3) Extra benefits

For the managers who helped their subordinates to get over these times, aligned and guided them through working from home conditions.

4) Bonuses

For anyone within your organisation who contributed to a successful crisis management and did far more than their duties to ensure a comfortable adjustments for remote work.

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