What's your #1 tip for managing remote employees?
I'm particularly interested in hearing from franchise owners who hire employees to work at remote locations, i.e. where the owner is not on site regularly. How do you keep them engaged and performing at a high level?
Communication - leverage video for communication using platforms like Skype and Zoom to be able to connect face to face on a regular basis. Include remote workers in team events by bringing them in virtually. Inspire remote workers to stay engaged - incentivize them to perform at peak levels - i.e. they can have a Friday off once they achieve X. Coach consistently and check in weekly to ensure connections.
This won’t be the first time you have heard this, and it won’t be the last; communication! As a leader, take the time and resources to create an effective brand that emulates your value and establishes open lines of communication and visibility. Your organization as a whole will benefit!
Managing remote employees nowadays has become very easy due to the availability of technological tools like web, R-HUB web conferencing servers, GoToMeeting, GoMeetNow, etc. Using these tools, managers can now effectively communicate with their remote workers from anywhere anytime.
Communication is key, Technology is crucial, Leadership is a must.
Claire,
Getting the most out of remote workers or any workers for that matter, can be achieved by treating them as valued partners in your business. Simply making sure they know their job and are filling out the right reports is not enough. They must believe that what they are doing is critical to the success of the business. They must feel that the work they do is valued by you. You want them to have a sense of loyalty to your cause, not just a feeling of obligation for doing the work.
Employees who feel valued and are treated like important members of the team will work much harder and with a sense of pride for doing exceptional work. Employees who do not feel valued will do what is necessary and leave when their shift is over.
Unlike employees who work in an office, your remote employees must be self starters and willing to do more when it counts. Value, respect and importance drive this.
It is all about EXPECTATIONS and TRUST in your communication processes and tasks
Hi Claire,
I conduct reguarly timed meetings via skype and hang out.
We also use an automated web based project management application that syncs to our cell phones and mobile devices and allows for instant communication for push notifications and file sharing - due to different time zones.
All projects can be monitored and reviewed by the team at any time and the application sends out notifications to all team members whenever there is an activity.
Hope this helps. Happy to recommend so feel free to connect if I can be of further help.
Best as always.Good luck
What I have found to be very effective is to hold regular meetings on a fixed timeline. Conduct the meeting using Skype for business or similar software and always follow up on actions requested to be taken by the remote person.