Remote work is now trending in the corporate sector, but most managers wonder how to ensure their employees are actually working effectively in remote mode. Sometimes employees respond late, work remains incomplete, and productivity is declining day by day.
In this blog, we will try to explain, step by step, how to control remote employees work without any pressure or surveillance.
Getting Started with Clear Expectations
When you schedule work for employees, first determine what the task is and how it should be completed. If the expectations aren’t clear, how will you evaluate the work?
Tell Employees
- What are the working hours
- What is your today to do list
- Explain clearly about deadlines
- Office rules are applicable for remote work also
When employees are aware of their tasks and deadlines in advance, it helps managers avoid confusion. Clarity is the first step in managing Remote Employees Work.
Conduct Daily Short Check-ins
In the office manager can easily ask “HI. What are you doing?” but for remote employees its hard to do so, so daily short check-ins are very useful.
- Daily 5 to 10 min video or phone call
- Ask daily what has been completed or what has been pending
- If there is any problem, fix as soon as possible
Regular meetings via video or phone calls make employees feel that their managers are supporting them, rather than feeling that their managers are simply trying to control remote employees’ work.
Focus on Output, Not Screen Time
Many managers get stuck using screen monitoring tool but real goals are
- What is the output of work
- Ensure task is completed or not
More screen time doesn’t equate to increased productivity, so focus on results and objectives. This approach reduces instances of remote employees being unresponsive and delivering work late.
Use User-Friendly Tools
Task and time tracking is the most important part for controlling remote employees work but don’t turn this tool into pressure instruments.
- Show team progress
- Track deadlines and milestones
- Facilitates team collaboration
Use employee work monitoring software tools like WorkDesQ. This tool is meant to assist employees, not to control and pressure remote workers by micromanaging their work.
Address non-responsive Employees
Sometimes employees not responding, these are the simple solutions
- Message them personally
- Ask what problem is
- Offer support
A supportive approach leads to increase remote employees’ productivity
Encourage Daily Remote Employees Work
- Write a summary of the employee’s work in 2 or 3 lines.
- Note what work has been completed and what hasn’t.
- Find out about the employee’s work plan for tomorrow.
This ensures every employee is accountable and makes the process of how to control remote employees work smoother.
Build a Feedback Culture
Don’t give feedback for just mistakes. Managers can also give feedback in other ways, such as:
- Appreciate achievements of work
- Politely point out areas for improvement
- Suggest a growth plan
Remote employees appreciate feedback when they understand that it’s meant to help them. This improves employee motivation and productivity.
Balancing Between Trust and Control
Balancing trust and control are the biggest challenges in remote work, because employees aren’t working right in front of you.
- Always trust on your employees
- Set clear expectations
- Implement only result based tracking not on assumptions
This combination will keep the team confident and productive.
Use The Tools and Resources Supportively
For remote employees
- Laptop, software and stable internet
- Training for new task and projects
- Help channels for queries
The rule for tracking remote employees is intended to make work easier, not to put pressure on them.
Handle Work-from-Home Challenges
Here is most common work from home challenges
- Communication gaps are the biggest challenge in remote work because all team members are in different locations.
- When employees work from home, they tend to feel lonely and their connection with the team diminishes.
- Your work area is often surrounded by many things like TVs, phones, and family members, which can distract you from your work and take away your focus.
- When employees work in different locations, such as different countries, their work and responses cannot be synchronized, leading to missed deadlines.
Here are some solutions to these problems
- Connect on regular basis through virtual meetings
- Create chat groups or drop message in chats in every morning
- Virtual coffee time for bonding
- Create flexible schedules
Manage Multiple Teams at The Same Time
- Create Central communication plan
When the entire team follows the same communication system, everyone knows where to find messages and updates.
- Team points of contact
Each team has a responsible person, like a Team Leader (TL), who can be contacted directly. This reduces unnecessary communication.
- Weekly sync meetings
Weekly meetings are very beneficial for every remote employee because they keep everyone updated and provide clarity about the work.
- Shared Dashboard
Tasks, progress, and deadlines are displayed on a common dashboard. This makes it easier for managers to monitor the work of different teams.
These points help reduce confusion, and multiple remote teams can be managed easily.
Conclusion – Smart & Supportive Remote Management
Controlling remote work is not spying. It’s about how to manage the work of remote employees.
- Organizing work with trust
- Focusing on result, not screen
- Adopting and supportive approach, not pressure
Implementing this step-by-step approach makes employees faster, responsive, and smarter workers, which increases productivity.