With more and more businesses across the world looking to streamline their processes and to free up their in-house team’s resources by hiring telecommuters, it’s likely that you’re exploring this possibility as well. Or, perhaps, you’re already outsourcing some of your in-house tasks to a remote employee. Doing so can obviously save your company money and boost productivity, but you need proper, systematic management, often with remote access software, to make things work and keep processes functional. Here are five tested tips for managing remote workers effectively.
Select employees carefully
If you’re hiring a new employee, then seek for the right skills and characteristics that not only meet with your current business needs, but also fit with an ideal home worker profile. Communication (both written and oral) and time management skills are essential here, as remote workers need to be committed, disciplined self-starters who can deliver results without constant supervision or in-person support.
Provide the right tools
To do their jobs right, your telecommuters need quality remote desktop software. This will provide them with the opportunity to connect to multiple remote workstations, retrieve business critical data and assist their colleagues from anywhere in the world, which eliminates the need for unnecessary travel. Don’t forget about other tools that will allow your offsite employees to constantly stay in touch with you, plan and balance their schedule, track time spent on a particular task or project, and submit reports. When selecting tools, look for ease of use, cost effectiveness, and reliability.
Encourage collaboration
In addition to remote desktop software, telecommuters also need tools that allow them to collaborate with one another. Without this opportunity for communication, telecommuting employees won’t reach their full potential, and you’ll be forced to constantly watch over their work.
Be more human
Being more human when working with remote employees spread across different geographies means showing positive emotions. Always make some time for a small talk or a joke, for instance. Also consider scheduling regular 1-on-1 talks to walk through the vital tasks of the day and discuss the results that have already been achieved.
Monitor quality
There’s a common prejudice that office workers are more productive because they’re set in an environment where they can be constantly watched. However, it’s much more challenging to fake productivity when working remotely. All in all, it’s all about being oriented on the goals and the quality. You can’t watch telecommuting employees on-the-job, but you can monitor the quality of the work they produce. If quality of the output suffers, confront the employee and address the issue. Act sooner rather than later to correct the situation.
Are you planning to recruit or hire remote employees, or do you already manage telecommuters? If so, don’t hesitate to share your best practices and tips in the comments sections below!