Q: With so much of our workforce being remote due to COVID, we’re thinking of switching to text messaging to remind people about Payroll deadlines and let them know about other important info and changes. What considerations should we keep in mind when texting employees for work purposes?

A: Text messaging can be a great way to communicate with employees on the go, and it often gets quicker responses than emails.

To avoid running into any wage and hour issues, it’s important to limit messages to employees’ work hours only. It’s also a good idea to get workers’ consent before sending work texts to their personal phones.

Keep texts related to work matters short and sweet. If the message (or the reply you need) can’t be written in one or two sentences, an email may be a better bet. You also don’t want to send text messages too often or back to back. Otherwise, they may annoy the employee and lose their impact.