Work From Home Policy: A Simple Guide for Vietnam SMEs

A work from home policy is a short written rule that tells staff how remote work runs at your company. A clear page is better than a string of chat messages. Keep it to one or two pages, and have every employee read and confirm it.

Start with who and when

Say which roles can work from home and on which days. A front desk or a warehouse role may not fit. An accountant or a designer often does. Say whether the arrangement is temporary or open ended, and who can end it. Write the start date and a date to review the rule. A review date stops a short-term fix from becoming a habit nobody has checked.

Also name one manager for approvals. When staff know who says yes, you avoid the same question being asked ten times.

Sources: Labor Code No. 10/2012/QH13, National Assembly of Vietnam, passed 18 June 2012 and in force since 1 May 2013, as summarized by Tilleke & Gibbins, Vietnam's New Labor Code: Key Changes for Employers, 27 February 2013.

Set hours that match the Labor Code

Remote work does not change the legal limits on working time. Under the Labor Code, normal working time is capped at 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week (Article 104). Your policy should repeat the daily hours your company already uses, plus a short window when everyone is online, for example 9:00 to 11:30 and 14:00 to 16:00.

Overtime needs care. The Code allows overtime only with the employee's agreement, and it caps the total. In most cases the limits are 50 percent of the normal daily hours, 30 hours in a month and 200 hours in a year (Article 106). Overtime is paid at a higher rate than normal pay (Article 97). So write one rule: no overtime unless a manager approves it in writing first. Ask staff to log start and end times. This protects the worker and protects you in a dispute.

Put the remote hours in a short written agreement or an annex to the labor contract, so there is a record both sides signed.

Sources: Labor Code No. 10/2012/QH13, Articles 97, 104 and 106, as summarized by Gide Loyrette Nouel, Vietnam Legal Update: Labour Law, January 2013 and Tilleke & Gibbins, Vietnam's New Labor Code: Key Changes for Employers, 27 February 2013.

List the equipment and who pays

Decide what the company supplies and what staff supply. A laptop, a headset and a company phone are common company items. Home internet and electricity are the usual gray area. Pick one of three options and write it down.

• The company supplies the device, and staff use their own internet.
• The company pays a fixed monthly amount toward internet and phone.
• The company pays actual costs, with a receipt or a screenshot of the bill.

A fixed amount is the easiest for a small team to run, because it needs no monthly claims. Whatever you choose, state how to report a broken or lost device, and say that company equipment stays company property. Keep an equipment list with serial numbers and the name of the person holding each item.

Protect company data

Home networks are less controlled than an office, so the policy needs a few plain security rules. Keep them short enough that people will actually follow them.

• Give each work account its own strong password, and switch on two-step sign-in where the service offers it.
• Keep work files in the company's shared drive, not on a personal phone or a USB stick.
• Do not use public Wi-Fi for client files, or use the company's secure connection if you have one.
• Lock the screen when you step away, even at home.
• Report a lost laptop or a suspicious email the same day.

Tell staff what happens to files when the arrangement ends. They should return devices and delete company files from personal accounts. Add one line saying that customer data must never be shared with anyone outside the company.

Agree how you will talk and measure work

Pick the tools: one chat app, one video call app and one task list. Set a reply time, such as within two working hours for messages. Hold a short daily or weekly check-in so problems show up early.

Measure results, not green dots on a screen. Give each person clear weekly goals and review them with the manager. Staff who know what finished work looks like need less supervision, and managers spend less time chasing.

Finally, add a line on safety and wellbeing. Ask staff to set up a proper desk and to take breaks. This is general information, not medical advice. If an employee has a health concern, they should speak to their doctor and to HR.

A short checklist to finish

Before you send the policy, check that it covers these points: who is eligible, the hours and the online window, the overtime approval rule, the equipment list, the cost sharing option, the data security rules, the communication tools, the review date and the manager who approves. Have each employee sign or reply to confirm. Keep the signed copies with the labor contract.

A good policy is plain and specific. It sets out what you expect, what you will pay for and how long it lasts. That protects both the business and the people who work for it, and it is quick to adjust when conditions change.

Sources: Labor Code No. 10/2012/QH13, National Assembly of Vietnam. Hours, overtime and pay figures above come from Articles 97, 104 and 106; see Gide Loyrette Nouel, Vietnam Legal Update: Labour Law, January 2013.