How to manage remote employees

Remote working is on the rise and some businesses are seeing huge benefits.

From 2012 to 2016, the percentage of American workers who work remotely, at least part of the time, rose from 39% to 43%. This increase in remote work is due to a lot of factors -  primarily the benefits employers could see like increased productivity, reduced overhead costs and less employee turnover.

Here are some tips to help you manage remote employees to get the greatest benefits and avoid common pitfalls.

Set employees up for success

One of the main reasons remote working has become more popular is the proliferation of so many tools and resources that help remote employees stay connected to other team members. The first thing you may need to invest in is a reliable laptop for remote workers. Even if they will be splitting time between the office and home, a good laptop is the foundation of remote productivity.

Beyond just emails and video chatting, apps like Slack allow real-time chatting between teams so everyone stays in the loop.

Another necessary tool for remote employees is some kind of project management platform. There are plenty of free options like Trello that can help teams organize their tasks, files and ideas no matter if they’re two feet or two thousand miles apart.

Work with your remote employees to see what tools and resources they need the most. A successful remote working program starts with the right setup for your employees.

Build trust and set boundaries

There’s a belief among some managers that remote workers don’t work as hard as employees who are always in the office. However, trust is an issue in every relationship between managers and employees. You can never eliminate the possibility that employees will slack off or not complete their responsibilities on time.

Building trust between remote employees is very similar to the process of building trust with any other employee – it goes both ways. Inspiring trust and confidence in your own leadership is an effective way to encourage engagement in your employees. Engaged employees that find fulfillment in their jobs and are invested in the overall success of the organization will work much harder than those that feel like they’re constantly under a microscope.

Work-life balance is an important aspect of employee engagement and satisfaction. 53% of surveyed workers said they wanted a role that gives them a better sense of work-life balance. One important aspect of work-life balance could be the flexibility offered by remote work.

However, another key to a successful relationship with remote workers is setting clear expectations for their work. Set boundaries in the beginning so remote employees know what they are responsible for. Whether employees need to be accessible from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. no matter where they’re working, or just need to get their projects completed on time and can work whenever, make sure you’re communicating your expectations clearly.

Remote workers can still be part of a team

One of the reasons employees give for not wanting work remotely 100% of the time is a feeling of being disconnected from other people. Workers that are remote all the time are significantly less likely to feel:

• Their manager involves them in setting goals at work.
• They continually work with their manager to clarify work priorities.
• Their coworkers provide them with meaningful feedback.
• Their managers have acknowledged their greatest successes in the last six months.
• They’ve discussed the steps to reach their goals in the past six months.

To avoid these issues, it’s important to integrate remote workers into the team and create a company culture that supports them just as much as employees who are always in the office. Facilitating connections between remote workers, especially if your team is entirely remote, can lead to higher levels of engagement. Having a “best friend” at work is an important predictor of employee engagement and just 15% of remote workers said they had a work “best friend.”

Keeping lines of communication open and helping employees connect with each other no matter where they’re working can help them feel more like a team. Collaboration is important and shouldn’t be sacrificed in your remote work program.

To read more about building a workforce that works for your business, check out more blogs on these topics.