Tips for Managing Remote Employees

As the global economy continues to change and technology continues to evolve, the number of companies that are hiring off site employees is growing rapidly. After all, hiring remote employees can be a win-win situation for everyone involved – if the process is managed properly.

Not only do employees benefit by reducing their commute and saving on travel expenses, but companies benefit as well. In the case of employees who work from home, for example, the company doesn’t need to worry about paying for a physical location for the employee to work. In addition, by hiring off site employees, the company can tap into the knowledge and experience of a worldwide employee base.

Despite all of the benefits that are associated with hiring off site employees, many companies are still uncomfortable with the idea. In most cases, the primary reason is that they are uncertain how to go about properly managing these employees.

When it comes to answering the question of “What do remote or off site employees need?” there are several areas that need to be addressed. Aside from providing employees with the proper materials and tools to perform their jobs, companies need to know more about how to manage the productivity of their offsite employees.

For these reasons, it is in the best interest of a company to have its supervisors complete a managing remote employees training program. By completing one of these programs, managers will be able to more effectively answer the question of “What do off site employees need?” while also learning more about…

• The differences between managing and motivating on site and off site or remote employees
• How to get employees located in various locations to work as a team
• Strategies for monitoring the productivity of off-site employees
• Maintaining communication channels with remote workers not physically located with you

The bottom line is that it can become far too easy to forget about off site employees. After all, there is much truth to the adage of “Out of sight, out of mind.”

Similarly, it can become far too easy for off-site employees to become disconnected and lose direction and productivity or take advantage of a remote work environment. By having your supervisors complete a managing remote employees training program, you can be certain to maintain the expected level of production while still enjoying all of the other benefits that working with off-site employees can provide.