Even though the term remote working didn’t just come to be, the pandemic made it a concept many people now know. Many organizations shifted to remote working during that period and have decided they want to keep it that way. Some have even decided they would be switching back to the office.
However, remote working has its advantages and disadvantages. One of such disadvantages is wondering if your employees are working or not. You’re not the only one who feels that way, several business owners wonder if their remote workers are actually working or being nonchalant towards work. It is because of that that there is something also called remote employee monitoring.
It is the use of digital means to oversee the activities and productivity of your worker. By using different types of software, you can track or monitor how employees operate during work hours. More precisely, you can use it to keep track of an employees’ computer usage and that comprises websites they visit, kinds of programs too, and what’s been downloaded. Check out some of these software solutions below:
1. Set Clear Expectations and Communicate
This is one of the first things you want to do; communicating objectives clearly and continually will ease the brewing tensions among your team members that might come about as a result of the changes and pressures.
You could organize one-on-one meetings to keep them in the loop, check-in with them, and provide support where needed. In a bid to monitor the productivity of your staff, allow for calendar sharing, scheduled breaks, meetings, or status updates. By setting expectations and communicating clearly, you also get to receive feedback from your team. You can be sure they know what’s required of them and are working which in turn relieves pressure felt by your employees to always avail themselves.
2. Use The Right Tools
Investing in the right tools is crucial in any work setting and is even more important for remote work. Considering that the only way to assign tasks and find out if they’re truly working is via various means of communication, any little hiccups can cause catastrophic challenges.
Several tools have been specially designed to handle the different needs of an organization. Some of these tools include a work time tracker, messaging apps, project management tools, video conferencing apps, and a whole lot of others. Using efficient tools can even help give insights into how remote work can be done better. They would also provide personal productivity insights on each employee indicating how much time they spend on deep work, how focus-time can be improved, their well-being, networking amongst teammates, and collaboration within the organization.
3. Create An Avenue For Accountability
Interaction with your remote employees determines their level of engagement and in turn influences their performance. If your organization switched to remote work during the heat of COVID, you need to understand that it would take some time to get used to. Get your staff to talk about their stress and don’t dismiss it, listen to their anxieties, worries, and show sympathy.
Productivity is increased when your staff is aligned and engaged with set objectives – individual and organizational. There is this sense of responsibility that comes upon them when they realize how their efforts impact the success of the company. Organize an avenue for feedback using virtual venues as Zoom or Google Meets for socializing. Give them the chance to communicate with co-workers and remove the sense of isolation. It might look trivial but it has an immense impact on their productivity and output. You can also use an employee tracker to ensure your team remains productive throughout the day. Make sure you balance this approach by offering them sufficient breaks.
4. Trust
Trust is essential to unlocking the performance of your remote employees and you also need to understand how to build trust with them. After a general briefing, have a one-on-one meeting as a strategic management approach to help them reach their best performance daily. That can only be done when trust has been established.
When there is mutual trust amongst your teammates – in this case, virtual; they are able to work with speed and accuracy. Managers need to identify the ability of their remote workers and assign tasks accordingly. That would in turn make them know that you’re looking out for their best interest.
Monitoring the workflow of your remote employees doesn’t have to be difficult. Using the methods mentioned in this article would help you keep track and improve your productivity. They can also help you know what to expect at the end of each day or week.