Thanks to improved technology, a growing number of employees be capable of accomplish most or all of their work from home. Smartphones, tablets, teleconferencing, and WiFi-equipped bookstores and coffee shops have made this possible. This presents a huge advantage for employers: the more employees that work at home, the less money companies have to spend. Many companies, for instance, don’t have assigned computers and desks for all of their workers since so much of their workforce is working remotely. In addition, employees working remotely are frequently more productive; they are not wasting time and energy driving to work every day. And they are not exchanging office gossip in front of the water cooler when in the office.
Remote Worker Challenges
Remote workers and contractors do present at least one significant challenge to employers: It can be hard for employers to effectively monitor the hours that their workers are putting in. How do employers know, after all, if their remote workers are pounding away at their keyboards or playing Angry Birds on their smartphones all day?
By setting realistic deadlines employers can monitor their remote workers effectively. This is a change in managerial strategy; it puts the focus on the goal instead of the amount of time that the employee works. Ultimately, employees are the only ones who know when they perform most optimally, even if it is from midnight to 4am.
Setting Remote Worker Deadlines
This is most likely the simplest way to monitor your remote workers. Employers could decide that a certain amount of work needs to be turned in by Friday. One other way would be to set up weekly or bi-weekly meetings via phone or video chat. To resolve any feelings of detachment some employers may ask that a remote worker spend one day a week at the office. This will help to keep everyone on track and informed.
Off-Site Not a Permanent Condition
Working remotely requires personal discipline and good time-management skills. Individuals who are chronic procrastinators may not perform best remotely. If employees aren’t hitting deadlines, or are delivering sub-par work then off-site working doesn’t have to be a permanent privilege. For remote working to be successful there need to be trust between the employee and the employer. To maintain this trust the employee must hit their deadlines and the employer needs to be focused on the results.
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