Remote workforces or employees working from home are common as the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and are expected to take place even after the coronavirus is contained. However, in work from home setup, employees and employers require lots of communication and trust. It is imperative to have a healthy remote work environment to achieve and maintain the increase in productivity, which is crucial in every business.

How you manage a remote workforce is very important to your business’s long-term growth. Doing a poor job can lead to low morale and productivity, which can affect the company’s profitability. Once a remote workforce is successful, it comes with loyalty among the team members, boosting engagement.

Tips To Effectively Manage Remote Workforce To Increase Productivity

Remote work can be challenging for companies as they have to manage employees scattered across different locations. But, with a concrete plan and consistent communication, businesses with remote workforces can overcome these challenges, leading to a more productive outcome.

There are no one-size-fits-all guidelines when it comes to managing remote workers. However, there are some key considerations that businesses should consider.

Treat Workers As They Are

Good managers can determine the strengths, weaknesses, and needs of the individuals working for them. Then, they use this information to develop and motivate their employees. This style of management must be the same as how they work remotely. For instance, you have ten employees, so you should understand ten different sets of individuals. You need to ensure that they are engaged in order to achieve the performance you vision for.

Consistent and Extensive Communication

The importance of good communication is even more significant when employees are working remotely. Everyone should know what the expectations are for their work. If employees have any concerns or questions, the manager should encourage them to reach out to them through various means, such as video conferences or telephone calls. Also, aside from regular meetings, it is important to regularly communicate to discuss concerns and goals with their managers, even through one-on-one chat or conference calls.

Trust The Workers Working Remotely

You would not be able to monitor their work remotely, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t meeting or accomplishing the task or work they were assigned to do. So, trust is crucial in a work-from-home setup. Letting employees know that you trust them makes them more focused on their job as they do not feel the pressure. They have peace of mind while accomplishing their task, and that can lead to fruitful results, increasing productivity.

Advantages Of A Remote Workforce

Here are a few advantages of having remote workers:

It reduces operational costs. For small businesses, adopting a remote work environment can help cut costs by allowing them to focus on the core business. According to a survey, most employers believe that having a physical office is a big expense, unlike letting their employees work remotely at the comfort of their homes.

It decreases turnover. For sure, everyone will agree that it can be costly to replace employees who have left the business. It can be costly to hire another employee, and there are adverse effects when it comes to productivity. In fact, remote work can boost job satisfaction, which leads to employees staying with the business longer.

Increase in productivity. When employees work in the comfort of their homes, it can increase productivity. Why? Because most workers can accomplish tasks much easier and more comfortably at home, where they do not require to spend hours commuting to work, reducing stress.

Wider Hiring Options. When it comes to hiring, having a limited pool of candidates can be a big challenge to employers. But, by adopting remote work, employers can easily gather a wider pool of candidates, having many options, regardless of location, hours of operation, removing limitations.

How Will You Measure The Productivity Of Employees Working From Home?

Aside from making sure that you maintain productivity while implementing the work-from-home setup, here are some bonus tips that will help you determine the productivity of employees working remotely:

Defining key performance indicators

Different jobs have different productivity metrics. If your team has multiple remote workers, it can be hard to measure productivity. In this case, you will have to define key performance indicators for each role to help your employees understand what they should focus on and what you expect from them.

Estimating time of completion

By estimating the period it takes to complete each task, you can set a baseline for productivity. When an employee takes longer to complete a task, you can check to see if you estimate completion time wrong or they are just slow. Then, use this learning to estimate completion time for the proceeding tasks. Using estimates also helps you measure the productivity of different employees. If four out five of them finish on time, it can be a sign that the fifth one is not working well as it should be.

Create regulations for measuring remote worker productivity

Productivity is a measure that shows how much output per unit of time. Creating a productivity policy is the first step in measuring output. Also, it can help you put in place the tools and processes that will help you achieve your goals. This policy will help employees know how to measure their work. It will also build trust in them and help them prioritize their work.

Use reliable workforce management software for work tracking

Use workforce management software that works seamlessly across all team members. Consider using a variety of project tracking systems for different tasks, depending on the nature of the business. Disruptive Advantage offers Microsoft solutions for forecasting, scheduling, and monitoring workers – especially on work-from-home setups.