[speaker]
Out of sight, out of mind! Remote workers fit this proverb.
Whether it’s due to coronavirus or you have permanently hired a remote team or worker for your company, monitoring is the most difficult task. Your mind also keeps revolving around the stuff like, “What if they are just lying in their sofas claiming to work, but not working?” “What if they are just chattering at home, and planning to come up with new excuses?” “What if…….?”
Henceforth, there are too many if’s and what’s that distress you daily. But we came up with simple yet useful tips to keep your remote workers engaged and motivated.
Tip 1: Set Clear Expectations.
It is necessary. You may draft out a document or an email setting clear objectives and expectations from employees. This may include specific hours you need for their online presence, their tasks, and duties, reporting manager name, and frequency of reporting.
You can also hold virtual meetings and bind the relevant department/employees to attend it. Also, take a strict follow up on absence.
Tip 2: Engage With Them from Time to Time
Keeping open communication with employees and staying engaged with them fosters a feeling of being connected. Make regular check-in calls and messages with them, and also ensure using instant messaging tools like Skype and Slack for uninterrupted conversations.
Try calling whenever you can, rather than using email only. Also, become a little bit personal with your remote workers making them feel important. Try using occasional gifs, share good clips and movies with them.
Tip 3: Give them Enough Flexibility
Understand that they are not working regularly from 8 am to 5 pm. If not required, give them a bit of flexibility to work on their own at a convenient time. However, ensure that they meet the deadlines.
Foster a productivity mindset in them and endorse achievements. Let them be creative and their own boss, and avoid being too strict or flexible on monitoring.
Tip 4: Embrace Technology
There are ample free and paid project and team management tools that you can use to monitor your team’s progress and attendance. These tools not only help you to keep track of specific employees’ activities but also bring the whole team on the same page.
They also assist in quick communication with clients and employees simultaneously and make it easier to share documents, plan out time and tasks easily.
Tip 5: Be Confident in Your Team
Last but not least, putting your confidence in the team will not only help you to be at ease but will also rear up the sense of commitment and trust in employees. Stay confident of them, recall the characteristics and skills on which you hired them.
Boost their morale and encourage them to perform better without the team lead’s presence. Also, set a digital scoreboard to encourage them.
Keeping track of employees’ activities is not difficult though. However, most of the managers lose their nerves. By utilizing the above-mentioned tips and understanding your employees’ psyche you can help them to keep productivity intact.
Have some other useful tips? Don’t forget to tell us. Also, share the article with your colleagues and friends.