As the 21st Century ambles along, technological advances are taking us further and further away from the way we used to do business. The new trends in technology have necessitated the need for new trends in business. Now, more than ever before, more employees are working from home or are headed in that direction. With the availability of cloud based services to access information and voip phone services it is easy for employees to work from the comfort of their home. This change in workplace dynamics has created the need for supervisors to have a more far-reaching range when it comes to managing their at-home employees, with their biggest concerns being, “Are my employees getting the job done?”, “How do I know if they are getting the job done?” Managing remote employee performance is one of the newest areas of consideration for business owners and the tons of information on the internet can leave you cross-eyed and confused as to where to begin in this endeavor, especially if you consider yourself less than technologically savvy. Mobile Work Exchange has a wealth of information on the subject. Below are some tips to get you started managing your remote employees more effectively. Below are some tips to get you started managing your remote employees more effectively. Increase communication. No one likes a micro-manager, but since the convenience of being able to walk over to your employee’s desk at a moment’s notice is no longer available, you may have to call for more regularly scheduled meetings via online meeting tools such as Skype, TeamLab or Huddle. The need is not necessary to talk to your employees all the time, However you do need an easy straightforward way for you and your workers to correspond when there’s a need. Seeing that a good manager often does more listening than actually talking, it really needs to be a mutual process. Build a trusting relationship with your employees. Letting your employees know that you have faith in their abilities will increase their morale and motivation to complete tasks without the need for “a pair of eyes over their shoulder.” Then the employee has to do his or her part and deliver. Focus on the end result rather than the process. Managing employees remotely may mean that you have to alter your managerial style. Instead of focusing on the daily “to-do” list of your employees, the emphasis will have to shift to what they completed. This ties into maintaining a trusting relationship since they are not directly visible and you will have to trust that they are getting the job done. Use software to monitor progress. For more hardcore evidence of how you’re employees are working, you can always turn to the variety of tracking software on the market. WebWatcher is one that allows you to monitor your employee's computer and business phone from the Internet. All of the information from both monitored devices is accessible from your own private, password-protected website. SpectorPro is a keylogger software that allows you to track what your employees typed. Other web-based tools for documenting timesheets, sending and receiving e-mails, or supervising staff location can also be valuable tools for maintaining a track record of your employees. Also, if you are using internet based phone service you should check with your voip provider to see if they offer monitoring services which allow you to check volume of calls and do quality control. As trends in technology continue to progress, so will the business owners’ ability to monitor their remote employees more effectively. This new emergence of the work-from-home-employee has proven not to be a passing phase, as more individuals in the workforce are taking this option. It is the responsibility of the savvy manager/business owner to be aware of all the trends in business and offer solutions to accommodate for those employees who may find comfort in working in the confines of their own four walls.
