How to Properly Manage Remote Workers

For obvious reasons, more and more companies find themselves with fewer physical bodies in the office. The recent surge in Out of Office work has not dipped, as remote workers are apparently here to stay.

This of course presents businesses with new challenges, but there are ways to maximize the situation and get the most out of your staff.

Problems Inherent to Remote Work

Without face-to-face supervision, management can find themselves wondering exactly how employees are using their time. Conversely, some workers find it difficult to perform optimally without immediate communication with and instruction from their superiors.

The crux of both these problems is that employees sometimes can not access necessary information as quickly as when they were in-person with their team, which can lead to unwanted delays and lapses in productivity. In the past, one would simply stroll over to their coworker’s cubicle and make their inquiries; now, an employee may not respond to an email or even an instant chat message in a timely manner.

In addition, without direct interaction with another worker, their messages may be taken out of context, or not fully understood at all. Another issue that managers rightfully fret over is the sundry distractions that can pop up at a worker’s home: children, partners, deliveries, and even pets. And finally, solitary work can cause isolation, which can lead to depression and an overall lack of enthusiasm from some staff members.

Monitoring & Managing Your Crew

Luckily, there are ways management can handily combat these problems. The first is to outline a daily check-in ritual with the team. This can be accomplished on an individual basis, with a chat, or with a whole group. Consistency here is key, as it establishes a system where everyone knows their thoughts and concerns will be heard.

Next, ensure that there are multiple methods of communication available: email, phone, video call — along with the various worker chat platforms that exist (Slack has become very popular). After these things are in place, it’s imperative to lay down ground rules and best practices. Employees should provide the optimal times to reach them for calls, as should management. To keep the social aspect of work functioning well, managers can plan occasional informal get-togethers and meetings, as a way to boost synergy and reestablish connections.

The last thing to work on is making sure employees are doing well emotionally. Something as simple as enquiring how remote work is going for them, and if there is anything that management can do to improve it, will do wonders for certain staff’s morale and overall mood.

HR Done Right, and Remotely

Some of the aforementioned issues fall directly under the purview of the Fingercheck HR management platform. With a company managing all the crucial aspects of your HR, valuable time is freed up for you to focus on your employees and overall company health.