Working Remotely

All State organisation employees are encouraged to follow the advice below for managing record keeping responsibilities while working remotely.  

The State Records Office of Western Australia (SRO) recognises that State organisation employees may work remotely, whether occasionally or on a regular basis. Regardless of work location, be it at home, in another office, a mobile workplace or public space, it is important to remember your record keeping responsibilities are the same.  

While working remotely, you must continue to manage records, information and data appropriately and in accordance with your organisation’s record keeping plan. This ensures you, your organisation, and the public can access information they need, now and into the future. You should also be aware of and comply with your organisation’s records management, information protection, and security policies for both hardcopy and digital information.

Refer to the SRO Records Management Advice Record Keeping Responsibilities and You to understand your responsibilities for creating and keeping records.

Consider the following advice for managing record keeping while working remotely.  

Manage records appropriately

• Ensure the data and information you create and use (records) are captured within appropriate record keeping systems (RKS) or business information systems (BIS), and can be re-discovered, accessed and re-used as needed.  

• If you have been working and creating records offline, make sure to capture them to the appropriate system/s as soon as practicable. 

Keep work and personal information separate

• Avoid storing work records on personal devices, unless they are configured appropriately by your ICT division.  

• If, for some reason, you must save a record on a personal device:  

• keep these on the device for the minimum time they’re needed  

• keep them separate from your personal information, and  

• remove them from the device as soon as practicable - ensuring they are captured in a RKS or BIS.  

• Use organisation approved communication channels. Avoid using your personal email, messaging apps or social media accounts for work.  

• Do not store the sensitive, personal information that your organisation uses on a personal information system (such as personal OneDrive, email, Dropbox and the like).  

Manage records securely at remote work locations

• Become familiar with your organisation’s information security policy or equivalent and complete any required information security training.  

• Keep records secure, especially sensitive records, and ensure they are not easily accessible. This may mean locking away any physical records or avoiding working in a public space where digital records could be visible.

• Follow your organisation’s policies and procedures for managing risks to information integrity and security, and report any privacy concerns or breaches, missing, lost or damaged records to your manager.

• Only share records with those authorised to access them. This includes viewing or sharing records during online meetings.  

• Ensure all records, including copies, remain in the control of your organisation.  

• State records (including devices on which records are stored) must not be disposed of via household recycling or rubbish collections.   

Recommendations for organisations

The SRO recommends that all organisations consider the following recommendations when developing or evaluating remote working requirements. Effective implementation of these recommendations involves collaboration between records practitioners, ICT professionals, and executive staff.  

• Review remote working and information security policies to ensure that record keeping expectations are clear and that expected remote based work activities can be performed in line with the organisation’s record keeping plan.  

• Review records management and information security policies to ensure they address staff using virtual desktops or remote desktops, vs accessing and downloading cloud-based apps and information via their own equipment (cloud computing).

• Establish controls (including access and compliance) to secure records from intentional or unintentional damage, unauthorised access, tampering or alteration. Develop procedures for responding to security incidents regarding physical and digital records.

• Work closely with business areas to understand the practical needs of staff and provide guidance regarding best practice record keeping while working remotely.  

• Implement processes to save information for those that are unable to access the official business systems and capture records as they normally would for example:  

• New record formats that need to be captured (e.g. capturing recorded teleconferences, or chats)  

• Consider workarounds that may need to be implemented  

• Ensure these changes are documented and communicated to staff in coordination with other regular updates.  

Attached below is the ‘Records and Information Management Working Remotely Checklist’, which has tips and guidance to help employees understand their record keeping responsibilities while working remotely.

Sources

The SRO acknowledges the following sources used in the development of this records management advice:

Australian Signals Directorate, Security tips for remote working, https://www.cyber.gov.au/protect-yourself/staying-secure-online/security-tips-remote-working (accessed 30 September 2025).

Government of Northwest Territories, Enterprise Information Management Handbook-8300 Managing Government Records When Working Remotely, https://www.fin.gov.nt.ca/sites/fin/files/enterprise_information_management_handbook.pdf (accessed 30 September 2025).

Government Records Office, Archives of Manitoba, Working Remotely and Recordkeeping Responsibilities, https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/gro/recordkeeping/docs/working_remotely.pdf (accessed 30 September 2025).

Public Record Office Victoria, Working remotely – recordkeeping responsibilities, https://prov.vic.gov.au/recordkeeping-government/a-z-topics/working-remotely (accessed 30 September 2025).

Queensland Government, Remote working guideline, https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/information-technology/queensland-government-enterprise-architecture-qgea/qgea-directions-and-guidance/qgea-policies-standards-and-guidelines/remote-working-guideline (accessed 30 September 2025).

Queensland State Archives, Records Connect Government Recordkeeping Blog- Recordkeeping & Working Remotely: 4 Tips to Make it Easier!, https://grkblog.archives.qld.gov.au/2022/01/05/4029/ (accessed 30 September 2025).