It can be challenging to manage in-office employees, let alone a workforce dispersed across different states or continents. You need to develop a strategy to ensure everyone stays on the same page and effectively achieves your company’s objectives and goals.
Track Time 24 is one of the tools you can utilize to manage your remote employees. It’s a user-friendly tool with features for employee scheduling, work time tracking, leave management, and business travel management.
Whether some of your employees work from home or your entire workforce is remote, embracing technology is key to seamless business operations. Here are some effective strategies you should use to ensure your remote team is working like a well-oiled machine.
1. Schedule Your Employees Effectively
With the tool mentioned above, you can schedule remote employees effectively and build a culture of accountability. But what to focus on regarding scheduling?
Make weekly or monthly schedules to help your team plan their time better and meet all the deadlines. If you do it daily, both you and your team might lose precious time.
Employee scheduling software will also provide full visibility into everyone’s schedules and enable employees to swap shifts without your aid. That will save even more time, reduce time-off requests, and improve employee satisfaction. When they’re happier, they’ll also be more productive.
2. Monitor Performance and Help Employees Boost Productivity
Gone are the times when you couldn’t monitor the progress of employees working from home. Many tools allow you to track their performance in real-time, such as employee productivity trackers.
The purpose of such tools isn’t to find out who may be slacking so that you can punish them. It’s to assist those who may have trouble completing certain tasks and help them do a better job.
Real-time progress and performance reports can give you an insight into everyone’s strengths and weaknesses so that you or your managers can jump in when necessary. You can provide valuable feedback, empower your team, and boost their productivity.
3. Encourage Better Time Management
With time-tracking tools, you can see how much time it takes for your remote teammates to perform their daily tasks. That way, you can help them manage their time better and, again, be more productive.
If your team is often swamped with work, it’s likely they keep racing against the clock daily to complete assignments and meet deadlines. Many of them may have a poor work-life balance due to managing their time ineffectively.
To eliminate stress and promote better time management, recommend using the Pomodoro technique. It’s a time-management technique that includes using a timer to break work down into intervals and take frequent, short breaks. That’s great for recharging batteries and preventing burnouts.
4. Stay Connected with Real-Time Communication Tools
Effective communication is essential for building a strong team. It’s even more significant when you have a remote workforce.
Remote employees often feel isolated, which can negatively affect their work. It’s important they feel like they’re part of the team, and they can rely on their teammates.
So, utilize real-time communication tools and don’t underestimate the power of video conferencing. Forget about email, as it can easily lead to miscommunication. Focus on instant messages and video calls that will bring everyone closer and increase motivation.
Another apparent reason for staying in touch with your remote team with real-time communication tools is ensuring everyone works towards a common goal. You can provide feedback and guidance, remind people of your company’s objectives and core values, and ensure they’re on the same page.
5. Acknowledge Good Work and Reward Employees
Recognizing good work and showing your gratitude can go a long way, especially when it comes to remote employees who may feel isolated.
Show them you appreciate their excellent work, and be sure to reward it. Give your top-performing employees bonuses and promote them when they reach certain milestones. If they don’t feel appreciated, and there’s no room for growth, some of them may leave your company for better opportunities.
6. Build Personal Relationships
It’s easy to build relationships when you meet employees in the hallway or chat with them in the break room. But when they’re miles away, you should make an effort to strengthen your relationships online.
Informal meetings are excellent for building personal relationships. And every once in a while, gather your team for team-building activities. If you’re ever in their area, grab lunch or coffee together to catch up and show them they’re an essential part of the team.
Final Thoughts
Managing a remote workforce doesn’t seem like an impossible mission now, does it? With effective strategies like these and the right tools at your disposal, you can empower your remote workforce, foster healthy relationships, build trust, and improve your business in the long run.
