How to manage remote employees effectively
In my previous blog post, I talked about the important steps to watch out for when adding employees to your business. As I mentioned before, remote work or a hybrid model is the future of employment. What wasn't really much talked about just a few years ago is now almost a must-do for brands, and that is remote work.
Managing remote employees, especially if they are out of state, can be tricky, especially if you have never done that before.
When managing remote team members, introduce these items into your workflow:
Communicate regularly: Establish regular communication with remote employees, such as daily check-ins or weekly team meetings, to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that any issues are addressed in a timely manner. Remote team members need to raise any issues, for example, internet outages or equipment problems, in real-time with their manager or supervisor.
Set clear expectations: Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and expectations for remote employees to ensure that they understand their expectations.
Lunch schedule: I recommend introducing lunch schedules so it is easier for the manager to have an overview of who is working and who is on lunch. Lunch schedules ensure contact availability from team members. Especially if you manage a larger team, such as a sales team, you want to ensure that potential clients can always reach someone in your business despite team members being on lunch.
Use collaboration tools: Use collaboration tools such as video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management software to facilitate communication and collaboration among remote employees. When talking via video chat, ask your remote workers should always turn on their cameras. This will help to build a better relationship because you can see each other.
Provide regular feedback: Provide regular feedback to remote employees to help them improve and stay motivated.
Providing regular feedback to remote employees is an important aspect of effectively managing them. Here are a few ways to provide regular feedback to remote employees:
Schedule regular one-on-one meetings: Schedule regular one-on-one meetings with remote employees to discuss their progress, provide feedback, and address any concerns they may have.
Use performance metrics: Use performance metrics to track and measure the progress of remote employees and provide feedback accordingly.
Provide written feedback: Provide written feedback on the remote employees' work, such as email or direct messages.
Use employee surveys: Use employee surveys to gather feedback from remote employees and identify areas for improvement.
Encourage open communication: Encourage open communication and create a culture of feedback by inviting remote employees to share their thoughts and opinions.
Be specific and actionable: Provide specific and actionable feedback that remote employees can use to improve their performance.
Be timely: Provide timely feedback so remote employees can promptly address any issues or concerns.
Be consistent: Provide feedback consistently, whether positive or negative, to ensure that remote employees receive regular feedback on their performance.
Make it a two-way conversation: Make feedback a two-way conversation by asking for remote employees' input and suggestions for improvement.
In addition, to check in with team members and providing feedback. There are also a few other things you can do, to manage remote team members even more efficiently:
Use monitoring software: Use monitoring software such as insightful.io to automatically track your employee's computer activity. A tool like this will be pre-installed on your team member's computer or laptop, allowing you to take screenshots, check computer activity, and track someone's performance. Monitoring softwares are great for seeing if a remote employee works or not.
Trust your employees: Trust your remote employees to get the job done, don't micromanage.
Have a clear process for communication and problem-solving: Establish clear procedures for reporting problems and communicating with remote employees to ensure that issues are resolved quickly and efficiently.
Provide training and support: Provide remote employees with the training and support they need to be successful in their roles, including access to technology and resource.
Be flexible: Depending on the position and your business needs. Be flexible with remote employees' schedules and work arrangements to accommodate different time zones, work styles, and personal responsibilities.
Not everyone is made for remote work. That's why it is important for you to be in constant communication with remote team members.