Q&A with The Workplace Advisors – April 2026

Finding and keeping talent is not getting any easier, and for many employers, workforce challenges have become a long-term business reality rather than a temporary staffing issue. In this month’s Q&A, The Workplace Advisors explain why strategic workforce planning matters and how organizations can take a more proactive approach to meeting future needs.

Question: We provide employees with laptops so they can work remotely when needed. While they are expected to come into the office regularly, we allow them to work from home one day a week; however, they must be available during their regular scheduled hours. Since employees have laptops for remote work, can we expect them to respond to urgent emails or inquiries after hours?

Answer: Possibly.

Hopefully, this doesn't happen too often so employees are not tied to their computers. All employees need a chance to step away from work to recharge and prioritize their personal lives.

You can set the expectation that employees respond to certain communications (such as urgent calls or emails from clients or co-workers or inquiries from prospects) whenever they are received even if they are during off-hours. 

However, if you are holding employees to a strict work schedule without flexibility during the week, they may push back and hold you to that same schedule.

Legally, if the employee is non-exempt, they will need to track this time via your time-tracking method and you will need to pay them for this time, which may create overtime obligations.

If this is a regular occurrence, then you might consider creating "on-call" schedules where one employee covers the requests to give others a break. These on-call employees may need to be paid for this time as well, so it is important to review your obligations before implementing any practice.