Managing Remote Employees: Techniques for Effective Management
Azizullah Bangash
Certified Learning and Development Professional | Training Design & Delivery | Talent Development | Instructional Designer | Corporate Trainer | E-Learning Strategist
Remote employee management is one of those things in an organization that requires undivided attention because one has to be strictly alert about all the activities that they remote employees carry out. It is quite different from office work.
Remote Employees are employees who do not work in the office but rather from another specific location (mostly home), they are needed by most companies and the ways in tips by which they can be made more productive for the company/ organization is remote employee Management
According to Global Workplace Analytics, for a company/organization, the most attractive way to gain productive workers is to offer work remotely opportunities. Though it can be a bit challenging for many leaders to come to terms with this sort of job, sure everything has its demerits, but with the right employees, the right understanding, and the right level of trust with remote employees, this can go in favor of a company.
Working with remote employees as we said earlier, can be a challenging task because it is different from working in the office. You can not do the things that you naturally do in an office environment. Understanding and building trust is a challenge along with communication and management. Use these simple and easy tips to be conscious of the steps you take while managing your remote employees.
Effective Communication with Employees and the Employer:
A good way of interacting and communicating with each other from day 1 has fruitful outcomes both for the employee as well as for the organization. First off, it removes all the unnecessary barriers standing between the employee and the leader.?Try knowing about your employees without work as well, see how they are as a person, and be friendly with them. Show them that you care about them, this will improve productivity and remove unnecessary reluctance.
Verbal or Visual Conversation Is Much Preferred:
Most of the time, many leaders send out a text message regarding the requirements of the required task to the remote employees via a text message and put their phones down. They talk to the point without providing any further details. This is not something you should be doing all the time. Try to call them instead or even video call them and give them the task, this way it will be understood and delivered in a good manner. They will have enough time to ask questions if any.
Deadlines- Be Strick about it:
One thing you should make clear to your remote writers is that the deadlines need to be followed very strictly unless they have a genuine reason once in a while. All tasks should be delivered on time with no errors. Try to keep a good gap between the delivery time of your employee and that of the original client so that if any emergencies occur, you are well prepared for them.
Be Available for remote employees 24/7 or timely:
Another thing about managing remote employees is to allow them to reach out to you anywhere at any time, why is this important? It is important because if there is something that they need to ask or tell you, they will know how to instantly reach you. Keep the communication thread (network or internet) between you and your remote employees on and give them enough space and comfort to talk to you freely about any problem.
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Keep remote employees in the Loop about the organization's other activities:
Keeping remote employees in the loop and giving them details regarding all the important things happening in the company/organization helps a lot. Tell them about the important things happening which are related to their job. Also, ask them for advice whenever something goes wrong in business so they can be more dedicated and accountable.
Build trust with the Employees:
Business is all about building trust with your employees. Since remote employees have a lot of trust issues regarding many factors in the work, most of which include salary at the right time and the ability to freely communicate. Try to be as frank and relaxed with your workers when it comes to discussing issues and asking questions. Assure them that they are working with the right organization which cares for them as well.
Sharing your goals once in a while:
Once in a while, it is healthy to refresh your organizational goals, your expectations to your remote employees and talk about the company’s priorities and goals once in a while and let your remote employees know what is expected of them.?
Doing routine follow-ups:
Once in a while, thy to set up a meeting with your remote employees as well. If not a meeting then a one-on-one verbal or visual call can also do the job. Track their progress, and refresh the guidelines of?the job in their minds. Discuss their weak points, try to eliminate and improve them and appreciate them for their strong points.?
Measuring performance and assessment of remote employees:
Once in a while, try to assess how your remote employees are doing. If someone is working too hard, try awarding them, on the other hand, if you feel that an employee is making too many mistakes despite the cooperation, then it is time to make a healthy decision for your organization.
Why Remote Employee Management?
Managing remote employees may seem to be one of the hardest things, but once you get used to it, it will be effective and productive for your organization. Knowing that you can assist your employees anywhere with just the tap of a single button is a relief in many ways as well. You do not have to be available at the office every time. Proper management can not only improve your business but also give you peace of mind. Just remember to work with the right and competent people.
People today really value workplace flexibility and remote work because it allows them to focus their energies on work and life as opposed to commuting or other complications due to geography.” — Ken Matos, Vice President of Research, Life Meets Work