Lawsikho Blog

Learn how to draft an effective and practical Work-from-Home (WFH) policy using a detailed checklist. This article also explores common implementation challenges and offers proven solutions to help you confidently address them. Whether you are an aspiring HR professional or a seasoned expert, this article will be useful. 

Introduction

If you are an HR manager, I am sure you have probably already heard this phrase a hundred times: “Can I work from home?”

And it is not going away. Remote Work / Work From Home (“WFH”) is not just a trend anymore. It has become a legitimate and long-term working model. Whether you are at a fintech startup or an established IT company, someone in your team is either working remotely, wants to, or is asking why they can’t.

Here is the problem and an opportunity for you: most companies still do not have a formal WFH policy. Without a proper WFH policy in place, here is what could go wrong (and often does):

• Team productivity tanks because no one knows what “working hours” mean anymore
• Managers complain about accountability, employees feel micromanaged
• Legal risks such as data breaches, harassment complaints and tax headaches pile up 

Let’s be clear: WFH is not just about handing over a laptop and asking your employees to log in at a particular time. It is about clarity. Setting boundaries and expectations. As an HR professional, you need to create a system where your team knows what is expected and what is off-limits.

Big players like TCS, Google, Amazon, and Infosys? They have already moved remote work into their long-term strategy. And that means only one thing for you: it is time to get your WFH policy in place. Now.

In this article, I will show you how to draft a WFH policy in less than an hour, one that is simple, flexible, legally sound, and works. You can even take this forward and work as a freelance WFH policy consultant (yes, organisations are actively hiring).

Let’s start with the basics: What does a practical WFH policy look like, and how do you create one without complicating it?

What is WFH/remote working, and do Indian labour laws recognise it?

WFH/remote working refers to a work arrangement where employees perform their job outside the traditional office set-up, usually from home or any location other than the employer’s premises.

So, as of now, Indian labour laws do not have a specific or comprehensive statutory framework for WFH. However, there exist certain laws and guidelines that can be interpreted and applied to remote work arrangements and are stated below:

1. IT/ITES sector exemptions:

• The Information Technology (IT) and IT Enabled Services (ITES) sector has enjoyed special exemptions under various state-level Shops and Establishment Acts.
• Though these regulations primarily focus on providing operational flexibility, it does not explicitly regulate WFH. 

2. Draft model standing orders (2020)

• The Model Standing Orders for Service Sector (2020), issued by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, explicitly recognise “work from home” as a legitimate mode of work. 
• Though these standing orders are not enforceable, in consonance of the same, employers may include provisions for WFH in their code  

3. Shops and Establishments Acts (State laws)

• These Acts generally assume a physical establishment, but some states (like Karnataka and Maharashtra) allow for registration of remote workers and digital record-keeping.
• Compliance, such as working hours, leave, and holidays, still applies.

4. Upcoming labour code 

• The Code on Wages, Code on Social Security, and others may apply regardless of work location, but they do not specifically regulate remote work yet. 
• This Code casts responsibility on the employers that employers must ensure that the employees (including remote workers) are not deprived of:

1. Minimum wages
2. Social security benefits 
3. Health and safety (to a reasonable extent)

• In the absence of explicit WFH regulations, employers may interpret general safety provisions under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020 for WFH to ensure compliance. 

To sum it up, 

• Remote work is not directly regulated, but it is not prohibited either.
• Companies are free to allow remote working, but must ensure compliance with general labour laws and maintain well-documented policies.
• Once remote working becomes a long-term norm, future reforms may offer more clarity. 

Checklist of information that you must keep handy before you draft a WFH policy 

When the pandemic first hit, Bell Technologies (“Bell” for short), a mid-sized IT services company in Telangana, scrambled to move its 300+ employees to remote work. There was no game plan, just a lot of Zoom links and crossed fingers. At the centre of this mayhem stood Kanika Rao, the company’s HR Manager.

A sudden shift to WFH revealed a glaring problem: Bell Technologies had no remote work policy. Employees did not know what was expected, managers did not know how to track work, and IT had no guidelines on equipment provisioning. Productivity dipped. Morale dipped even further.

That is when Anika decided to fix things, not with ad hoc emails, but with a formal WFH policy that made sense.

She started by doing something unusual but important: listening. She ran anonymous surveys, team calls, and one-on-ones with department heads. She learned that some employees thrived remotely, while others struggled with distractions or unstable internet. Managers wanted more accountability but did not want to micromanage.

Kanika also reached out to peers in MNCs (who were not new to this concept) and read global WFH policies. She collaborated with the legal team to make sure labour laws were followed. With IT, she drafted a section on data security. With finance, she figured out reimbursement policies.

And then, after about a fortnight, she came up with Bell’s official Work From Home Policy.

But before Kanika put her words to paper, she prepared a set of questions or rather a checklist, which helped her immensely in gathering relevant information. Due to this exercise, the policy turned out to be practical, enforceable and as per Bell’s culture. Here is a checklist of key information which she collected without much ado:

     1. Company readiness

• Are employees already working remotely informally?
• Is leadership supportive of WFH or sceptical?
• Do employees have laptops, VPN, secure tools, etc.?

     2. Roles and team structure

• Which roles can work remotely? (e.g., marketing, HR, legal, tech vs. admin, security)
• Which teams need to operate in hybrid mode?
• What is the preferred mode for each department- hybrid or remote?

     3. Working hours and flexibility

• Does the company want fixed hours or allow flexible schedules?
• Do you have remote employees in different locations?

      4. Communication tools

• What platforms are currently used? (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet, Slack)
• Is there an internal policy on the frequency of communication?
• Are meetings recorded/documented for transparency?

      5. IT & cybersecurity setup

• Do employees use company-issued devices?
• Is there a VPN, antivirus, or secure remote access system in place?
• Any existing data privacy or cybersecurity policies to link with?

      6. Performance tracking systems

• How is employee productivity tracked?
• Are there tools used for task/project management? (e.g., Asana, Trello, Jira)
• How often is performance reviewed during WFH?

     7. Employee home setup

• Do employees have a suitable work setup at home?
• Will the company offer reimbursements (internet, chairs, desks, etc.)?
• Are there any legal issues with working from another city/state?

     8. Expense and reimbursement rules

• Which WFH-related expenses will be covered (if any)?
• How will employees claim these reimbursements?

     9. Leave and attendance practices

• Is there an online attendance system?
• How will leave during WFH be applied and approved?
• Are employees expected to be available on holidays or weekends?

    10. Legal and compliance considerations

• Is remote work recognised under your state’s labour laws?
• Are employees aware that harassment laws apply during WFH?

    11. Take constructive feedback from employees

• Any pain points or suggestions from current WFH employees?
• What kind of flexibility are employees asking for?

Bonus: 

Check WFH policies from similar-sized companies or your industry. This will help you to understand what is reasonable, competitive, and up-to-date. 

How to draft the policy

Shall we now see what Bell’s WFH policy looks like? Let us begin.  

The explanation is in red.

Bell Technologies Ltd.- Work from Home Policy

Overview and purpose

We need to understand that remote working is not just a policy but a shift in mindset. This policy emphasises how the WFH model empowers employees, improves business outcomes, and supports environmental sustainability, shifting the focus from where work happens to the impact it creates.

This document reflects the overarching work-from-home policy that Bell Technologies uses for our team members. It is intended to give a starting point for companies to consider while building their internal working-from-home policy.

1. At Bell Technologies, our flexible work policy uniquely positions our employees to get work done successfully in any situation.
2. A decade from now, we shall endeavour to make flexible working a key component of our company’s culture.
3. Our WFH policy is a strategic business initiative which allows employees to choose the work style that best fulfils their needs on the job and in life in a highly mobile, collaborative, and flexible work setting.
4. In the past few months, the WFH model has positively impacted our business, our approach to talent acquisition and our environmental footprint.
5. But more than just a policy, this program is much more about a change in how we think about work, where work is not anchored to one place and time and instead is focused on outcomes.
6. By 2035, our goal is to enable 50% of our workforce to work flexibly.
7. The goal encouraged team members to design their ideal working arrangements, including remote work, flexible hours and job sharing.
8. It also involves supporting remote workers’ needs through enhanced technology infrastructure and training. 
9. From an environmental impact perspective, employees who work remotely contribute immensely to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 
10. We will continue to invest, grow, and evolve our WFH policy to enable our team members to be their best and do their best work.

Bell is committed to work-life balance and to exploring flexible work practices with its team members. The purpose of this policy is to outline the policy guidelines and eligibility requirements regarding the WFH policy.

Scope

This is to define who the policy applies to. 

This policy applies to team members of Bell Technologies, its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and other identified team members (“The Company”) (unless the subsidiary has a separate and distinct policy on the subject matter).

Definitions

This is to distinguish between different remote work models and ensure everyone uses consistent terminology when discussing work arrangements.

Under the WFH policy, the following are the working arrangements available when it is agreed between Bell and the team member to work remotely regularly:

Remote team member- Team members who perform their responsibilities exclusively from home, 5 days a week. For clarification, team members who occasionally visit a Bell campus to meet and/or collaborate with their colleagues or attend meetings but have a dedicated workspace outside of a Bell facility are still considered remote team members. 

Mobile team member- Team members who perform their responsibilities from home, 1 to 4 days per week. 

Policy statement

Like we discussed earlier, WFH policy is a lot about setting your boundaries. And this is what we are going to do in this clause. It is to set performance expectations and clarify that remote work is still professional work, not a substitute for handling personal responsibilities during office hours.

Policy adherence and expectations

Team members approved for the WFH policy are expected to maintain normal productivity and performance. They must not carry out work for anyone other than Bell nor, without prior permission, undertake non-work-related activities during their working hours.

Participation in the WFH policy is not an opportunity to perform household duties, care for children or other dependents, or attend to other personal business. Team members must use Personal Business Allowance (PBA) or other Paid Time Off (PTO) benefits for absences from work for childcare, personal business, illness, etc.

Team members should liaise with their leader about their patterns of work and days in the office, and will be responsible for keeping their leader and team informed about the status of their work. Team members must work with their leader to accommodate themselves for on-site meetings or training as required by their role.

At Bell, we take cognisance that employees working remotely may feel isolated or disconnected; thus, to encourage inclusivity and equal participation, we shall periodically indulge in virtual team-building activities, social events, or gamified collaboration tools. Further, we also make use of collaboration platforms for informal communication and establish guidelines for inclusive hybrid meetings.  

Bell’s Code of Conduct and all other respective employment policies and practices apply to Bell team members while working, irrespective of work location or schedule arrangement.

Team members must accurately report all time worked, no matter the work location.

Eligibility and approval

This clause outlines which roles are eligible and ensures leaders approve participation based on role suitability, business needs, and continued performance.

Team members who wish to participate in the WFH policy must ensure the following:

Role eligibility

Team members must ensure their role is eligible to work on a remote or mobile basis, and they should discuss role eligibility with their leader before enrolling. Certain roles, due to the nature of the job, are not possible to perform from a non-Bell facility. Such examples include, but are not limited to:

1. Any roles which require a physical presence onsite (e.g. manufacturing roles)
2. Any roles which have a technology constraint (e.g. call centre, inside sales)
3. Roles which have a security constraint that cannot be maintained from a non-Bell facility (e.g. customer contracts, etc.)

Leader approval

Team members must ensure their leader agrees and approves their work arrangements.

At all times, participation in the WFH policy will be subject to the continuing approval of the individual’s leader. Bell reserves the right to withdraw policy participation approval upon reasonable notice.

Suitable remote work area

It is the team member’s responsibility to ensure they have a suitable work area available when participating in the WFH policy.

It is the team member’s responsibility to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. The team member’s office area should be limited to a separate area of the team member’s home.

Enrol / modify enrollment / un-enrol

This is to give a structured process for joining, changing, or exiting the policy, ensuring clarity, accountability, and compliance with program incentives.

Before enrolling, team members should ensure that they have discussed with and received leader approval and that they meet all eligibility criteria. Once approved, team members can go ahead and submit the enrollment application form.

If a team member returns to work exclusively at a Bell facility, they must un-enrol from the WFH policy; they may be required to return incentives received while enrolled in the program, as permitted by local law.

Onboarding for new remote employees

This is for all the new hires who feel out of place during their initial days. This clause ensures that remote new hires feel welcomed, supported, and fully prepared from day one through virtual orientation, mentorship, and tech checklists.

Bell has a remote onboarding program with virtual orientation, mentorship, and team introductions to ensure new hires feel connected.

A checklist for setting up a home office, including IT setup and compliance with security and safety requirements, is also shared with the new remote employees.

Allowances

To provide financial support for home-office setup while managing expectations on what costs the company will and won’t reimburse.

In addition to the provided IT equipment (i.e. a Bell notebook, monitor, peripherals), Bell provides a one-time and recurring stipend to fully remote team members based on the country and, where legally applicable, to help support some of the costs associated with the setup and ongoing work-from-home arrangement.

No additional expenses

No additional expenses are covered under the WFH policy, other than the one-time and/or recurring stipends.

Expenses incurred by team members that are not covered by the one-time and/or monthly stipend are not eligible for reimbursement under the Connected Workplace program (e.g. internet expenses, telecom charges, etc.). If the team member has a legitimate business expense not covered by the provided stipends (e.g. office supplies), they must get approval from their leader and it will be subject to Bell’s Travel & Expense policy.

Team members cannot submit mileage and/or meal charges in connection with travel to/from a remote work location to a Bell facility within a team member’s local area of employment.

No retroactive / backdated stipend payments

Retroactive payments for either the one-time or recurring stipends are not permitted (i.e. backdated payments will not be possible for any period prior to when the team member enrolled in the WFH policy).

Stipend exceptions

For any exceptions, team members will need to discuss the business justification with their leader and submit expenses in accordance with Bell’s travel & expense policy.

IT systems and technology

This clause is added so that each employee has the tools and support they need to stay connected, productive, and technically secure.

Team members must ensure they have the proper IT systems and technology to perform their job duties from a remote location. If approved to participate in the Connected Workplace program, softphone and peripherals (e.g. monitor, docking station, keyboard, mouse, headset, etc.) may be requested following the existing process/procedures.

Further, Bell shall provide comprehensive IT support, including troubleshooting guides, dedicated helpdesk services, and remote diagnostics to address connectivity or hardware issues promptly.

Security

We are aware that there are higher chances of a data breach at home than in the office. Thus, this is to protect company and customer data by promoting strict security measures, including training, restricted access, and periodic audits of home setups.

Team members working remotely will be dealing with Bell and customer confidential and personal data, so reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that such data is treated with adequate regard to data protection, confidentiality and security measures. Team members must ensure that they continue to observe Bell policies in this area and that they take the following measures in their daily work arrangements:

1. Ensure that all access to Bell databases is provided through a secure ID. Bell’s IT team has put in place an infrastructure to facilitate working remotely and can be contacted if there are any specific issues related to access or IT security.
2. Shredders should be used to destroy confidential and business documents and other confidential papers that are not required to be retained.
3. No third parties present in your remote office, including family members, should be permitted access to Bell’s computer or any Bell or customer documents, and team members must ensure they are not permitted to access any other Bell or customer information.
4. Use a lockable desk drawer, cupboard or filing cabinet for storing papers.
5. For the purpose of enhanced security, the employees- 

• Remote employees and mobile employees must mandatorily attend cybersecurity training; 
• Use endpoint security software, multi-factor authentication, and encrypted communication tools to enhance data protection.
• Subject themselves to periodic audits that would involve random inspection of remote work setups to ensure compliance with security policies 

The home working office

This clause establishes remote work as equally accountable, including in areas like safety, wellness, and reporting workplace injuries or health concerns.

While remote-working, team members shall be subject to the same accident, sickness, and absence reporting requirements as they would be if they were working at a Bell facility. Employment-related accidents or injuries must be reported immediately to the team member’s leader. The team member should also follow the Bell Technologies Environmental Health & Safety procedures and processes to report work-related injuries and accidents.

To address mental health challenges, Bell provides counselling services or wellness stipends for activities like meditation apps or fitness programs. Additionally, we also encourage leaders to check in on employee well-being during performance discussions. 

Roles and responsibilities

This clause assigns clear responsibilities to both team members and leaders, ensuring the policy is followed, budgets are managed, and compliance is maintained.

All team members are responsible for understanding and adhering to this policy. Leaders are responsible for enforcing this policy within their workgroups.

It is the leader’s responsibility to align the allowances stipulated in the program to the policy, ensure funding/spend is controlled within respective business budgets, and ensure ongoing compliance within the guidelines of the policy.

Feedback and continuous improvement

To ensure the WFH policy stays effective and employee-centric, actively gather feedback and continuously refine the policy through a dedicated task force that addresses challenges and drives improvements.

In our attempt to ease the WFH model for the employees at Bell, we have established an annual survey or feedback mechanism to assess employee satisfaction and identify pain points in the WFH policy. To review the feedback and recommend policy updates, we have also constituted a cross-functional task force. 

What are the practical impediments to implementing the WFH policy? How can it be solved?

 

Final thoughts

Creating a strong WFH policy is no longer just a response to a crisis, it is a strategic move for the modern workplace. A well-drafted WFH policy builds trust, protects both the company and the employee, and ensures that flexibility does not come at the cost of productivity or accountability.

As you draft your WFH policy, focus on clarity, compliance, and adaptability. Think about how they work, what tools and support they need, and why your company wants to offer remote options in the first place.

The most effective policies are the ones that are realistic, inclusive, and flexible enough to grow with your organisation’s evolving needs. Whether you are formalising a temporary arrangement or launching a long-term hybrid work model, a well-thought-out WFH policy can set the tone for a future-ready, people-first organisation.

Now that you have got the base and understanding, it is time to start drafting with purpose, practicality, and a clear view of what “work” truly means today.

FAQs

1. Can an employer enforce a return-to-office mandate after allowing WFH for an extended period?
   Yes. Unless the terms of employment or contract explicitly grant a permanent WFH arrangement, employers can require a return to the office with reasonable notice, provided it is aligned with company policy.
2. What should be included in a WFH policy to avoid future disputes?
   A comprehensive WFH policy should cover eligibility, working hours, performance expectations, data security, equipment responsibilities, reimbursement guidelines, and the right to modify or revoke WFH privileges.
3. Can employers monitor employees while working from home?
   Yes, to a certain degree. Employers can use productivity monitoring tools, but must comply with data privacy laws and inform employees transparently about what is being monitored and why.
4. Are employers obligated to cover costs for internet, electricity, or home office setups?
   No, it is not mandatory. Unless required by local labour laws or agreed upon in company policy or employment contract, these expenses are generally borne by the employee, though many companies offer reimbursement as a benefit.
5. What are some best practices to maintain team culture remotely?
   Frequent virtual touchpoints, informal catch-ups, digital recognition programs, and inclusive communication platforms help keep the culture alive.
6. Can WFH employees claim tax benefits on home office expenses?
   Yes. In India, employees can claim deductions for expenses like internet or home office furniture if they get reimbursed. However, it is advisable to consult an income tax expert on this subject as taxability depends on multiple circumstances. 
7. How do you handle confidentiality and data protection in a WFH setup?
   Implement VPNs, secure login protocols, and data encryption. The WFH policy should mandate the use of company-approved devices and discourage the sharing of work materials in shared living spaces.
8. Is it legal to hire someone in a different state or country to work remotely?
   Yes. But before doing that, check the implications of tax laws, employment laws, privacy laws and other compliances in that jurisdiction.