Q&A With the Workplace Advisors – March 2026

With remote and hybrid work still common across many organizations, employers continue to face questions about how traditional workplace expectations translate outside the office. Issues such as camera use during meetings, professional appearance, and participation standards can quickly become points of tension when expectations have not been clearly defined.

In this March Q&A, The Workplace Advisors address whether employers can require remote employees to appear on camera during mandatory meetings and maintain professional standards while working from home. They explain how a clear remote work policy can help set expectations around meeting conduct, appearance, and accountability.

Question: We have weekly team meetings that are mandatory for all employees, including remote employees, to attend. This allows us to relay important information while also increasing face-to-face connectivity between coworkers. Recently, some remote employees started turning off their video feeds, which negates this benefit. Another employee showed up in pajamas which was completely unprofessional. Can we require employees to have their video on and be dressed properly even when they are not in the office?

Answer: Some expectations for remote employees naturally differ from those for in-office employees. However, you can require remote employees to follow company policies as well.

Draft a policy outlining the requirements and expectations for remote workers and then hold employees accountable to it. The policy should include critical aspects such as availability, connectivity, and information security requirements.

It should also include your expectations for conducting remote business meetings with coworkers, clients, prospects, and vendors. If you require them to keep their cameras on for all meetings, outline procedures for situations in which they cannot join by video, such as illness or other circumstances that make them unpresentable. Also, set on-screen appearance expectations to mirror those of your in-person meetings, while allowing for a more relaxed standard off-screen when appropriate.