March 1, 2023
3 33512 min read
According to the Growmotely report, 97% of employees are not willing to work in the office full-time. For employers, this means that in order to hire and retain the best talent and stay competitive, they need to consider adopting a remote or hybrid model in their organizations. Access to a worldwide pool of professionals is another good reason for this. In the remote paradigm, companies are not limited to recruiting local specialists. A much wider selection of qualified workers from all over the world is available. In addition, for companies operating internationally, it is also much easier to attract and retain new clients with employees based in other countries. Also, remote workers in some ways prove to be more productive as they feel happier and are more satisfied with their job. Without being distracted by office noise, they can also be more focused and organized. Finally, the remote model allows businesses to cut costs on office rent and equipment.To hire and retain the best talent and stay competitive, leaders need to consider adopting a remote or hybrid model in their organizations.
Communication difficulties. Without face-to-face contact in a physical office, managers and workers may experience communication challenges, especially when they are located in different time zones. Increased response times, difficulties in sharing information and experiences are more common when people work from a distance. Therefore, more efforts should be made to organize and maintain constant interaction and avoid misunderstandings. Collaboration issues. Managing remote teams also comes with challenges in coordinating employees and teams that are not typical for office work. It can be more difficult to align efforts and keep the workflow up to par without the introduction of additional technology and adjusting interaction algorithms. Performance monitoring. With employees operating from different locations, it could be a problem for managers to properly track their work. This problem can be solved by implementing monitoring tools that will help keep abreast of how employees spend working hours and how productive they are.Remote work presents a number of challenges that leaders don't experience in traditional office settings.
Isolation. In some cases, telecommuting can leave workers feeling isolated and detached from the team. This in turn can lead to reduced productivity, especially when it comes to younger professionals. While working from home, they tend to show less creativity, learn more slowly and have a lower professional growth rate than in an office environment. According to the BBC, it's much more challenging for them to move up the career ladder when working from home. Distractions. While some employees tend to be more focused when they work from home, others, on the contrary, are more likely to loosen up, they are distracted by non-work activities and concentrate less on work. In general, the remote work model can bring many benefits to companies. But organizations will be able to take full advantage of them only if they take into account all the challenges mentioned and get prepared for them properly. We will return to this issue later. Below you’ll find some tips on managing remote teams.According to the BBC, it's much more challenging for young employees to move up the career ladder when working from home.
Most employees feel better physically and mentally while working from home. They are less tired, get sick less often, and generally, claim to be happier. However, remote work does not suit everyone. Some workers may experience a lack of communication and interaction. Someone may have difficulty with motivation and self-organization. Many of them complain that they don't have a comfortable workspace or that they lack the necessary equipment. According to the survey by Nulabof, 72% of remote workers don’t have a properly organized workplace in their homes. In addition, young employees are more likely to prefer working in the office. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, they seek active social interaction, as it helps them to better get used to the workflow. Secondly, they need mentorship, the ability to receive feedback from more seasoned colleagues and generally the possibility to grow professionally in the work environment. Finally, they value access to the latest tools and technologies that an office setting can provide them.Remote work does not suit everyone. Some workers experience a lack of communication, have difficulty with motivation or don't have a comfortable workspace.
Young employees are more likely to prefer working in the office.
4. Give regular feedback. It will help you stay on the same page with your subordinates in terms of assessing their performance. It is important not only to provide remote employees with constructive criticism but also to recognize and reward their achievements. 5. Use tools. Communication, collaboration and employee monitoring software become critical when it comes to remote work format. Utilize video conferencing and chat platforms to facilitate communication; leverage project management tools to assign tasks and track their progress, use monitoring tools to assess employee productivity. 6. Provide assistance. Remote workers need more support and guidance. Develop the onboarding process for newcomers, introduce mentorship, provide opportunities for training and development. 7. Trust your team. Don't be too suspicious or invasive when trying to control remote teams. Show employees that you respect their autonomy and give them freedom of action.Communication, collaboration and monitoring software become critical when it comes to remote work format.
Video conferencing. The work of remote teams is impossible without regular virtual meetings. With teleconferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, employees can see and hear each other, brainstorm and discuss current tasks with colleagues from the comfort of their homes. Project management platforms. Online tools like Asana, Trello or Wrike provide virtual working spaces for collaborative planning and project management. They allow users to assign tasks, allocate responsibilities, track progress, discuss related issues, set deadlines and reminders, etc. Instant messaging. Chat platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams or Google Chat allow employees to quickly exchange messages, discuss tasks in groups or individually, and share files. Productivity monitoring software. When managing remote teams, it is especially important to understand what employees are working on and how effective they are during working hours. With tools like WorkTime, managers can non-invasively and efficiently monitor time spent on tasks, track worker activities and understand how productive those activities are.Technology is vital in managing remote employees.
Cloud-based document management. Cloud-based storage tools like Dropbox or Google Drive will help you organize your work with documents in a shared cloud space. They provide a secure and easy way to store and collaboratively work on files with colleagues. Using these technological solutions, leaders can more effectively manage their remote teams, provide them with convenient communication and collaboration channels, and thus increase their overall productivity. However, it is important to note that each of these tools should be carefully selected based on the specific needs of the team and meet the challenges facing the company.With WorkTime employee monitoring software, employers can non-invasively monitor worker performance: track time spent on tasks, capture computer activities and understand how productive those activities are.
One of the reasons why this can happen is a lack of communication. Without personal interaction in the office, employees can become less involved in work processes. Such isolation can lead to misunderstanding, delays in completing tasks, lack of focus and motivation. Another reason is home distractions. While working from home, people may be exposed to various distractions such as household chores, children, pets or other family matters. It can be difficult for employees to clearly separate work from personal life. The home environment itself can have a relaxing effect on some individuals, which also leads to a drop in performance. Another important factor must be taken into account. It has been observed that remote work while bringing possible immediate benefits can dramatically reduce productivity in the long run. According to The Washington Post study, working from home negatively affects employee creativity, innovative thinking and professional development.Remote work while bringing possible immediate benefits can dramatically reduce productivity in the long run.
On the other hand, new ideas and insights are more likely to occur when people work together in the office. In addition, the remote format is bad for the development of young employees, it slows down the process of learning new knowledge and skills and as a result, can cause a delay in their professional growth In other words, the productivity of remote employees is in question. Managers should carefully weigh the pros and cons before moving employees to a remote format.The Washington Post: working from home negatively affects employee creativity, innovative thinking and professional development.
These tools not only allow you to track the employees’ activity and performance but ultimately positively influence these indicators. However, the positive impact of monitoring is only possible if it is used responsibly, with respect and trust in your employees. It’s important to carefully choose the right productivity-tracking software to balance the need for monitoring with the privacy and autonomy of team members.According to Gartner and The New York Times, the use of productivity monitoring software is increasing.
It’s important to choose the right productivity monitoring software to balance the need for monitoring with the privacy and autonomy of team members.
Their functionality may include tracking the time spent at work, the productivity of the sites visited and the applications used. Also, it is important to consider the ease of use. Choose a tool that is easy to try, install and utilize. Pay attention to the convenience and clarity of dashboards and reports. Find out how user-friendly this solution is in general. Does it support various devices and platforms? Can it be easily integrated into your existing systems? Consider privacy and data security. Since productivity monitoring software collects data from team members, make sure it does not violate privacy boundaries, ethical norms, and current laws. It also deals with sensitive information that needs to be protected. Therefore, check the tool for data security, whether it allows you to control access to confidential data and notifies you of its unauthorized use.Choose the solutions with characteristics that best suit your requirements.
Test customer support to find out how effective the support team is. How prompt and responsive is it to user requests, how professional and helpful is it? Check reviews which are an invaluable source of information that you won't get any other way. They allow you to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of the tool directly from those who have tried it.Consider privacy and data security when choosing employee monitoring software.
The other consequence is increased stress. Working under the watchful eye, employees will feel unsafe, assailable and will experience constant anxiety, which will negatively affect their health and ultimately their efficiency. A drop in productivity also happens due to a decrease in motivation. Invasive monitoring creates a negative emotional background, which will inevitably demotivate workers. They will also be less creative in their approach to completing tasks. Surveillance kills innovative thinking, the desire to experiment and go beyond the necessary minimum. It also leads to increased employee turnover. Excessive control can encourage workers to start looking for other employment opportunities in order to find a job where managers will trust them and respect their privacy and autonomy.Invasive monitoring can irreparably destroy trust between workers and employers.
Also, they are inefficient. Instead of monitoring productivity, they allow you to literally spy on workers, extracting information that is not directly related to employee performance. In addition, they create an atmosphere of oppression and distrust, demotivating employees and reducing their job satisfaction. Therefore, managers should mindfully select monitoring software and use it with respect for the worker's personality and rights.Invasive features violate employee privacy. At WorkTime we only offer socially responsible monitoring.
To effectively monitor the work of your employees, focus on features that enable you to measure productivity without crossing the line of privacy.
WorkTime monitors employee attendance by means of the first and the last computer use throughout the day.
With WorkTime, you can track the excessive share of idle time when the employee’s computer was turned on but there was no activity on it.
WorkTime monitors and calculates employee productivity based on the applications and websites used.
With a clear understanding of your expectations, employees will be more focused and motivated.
WorkTime calculates distraction score to estimate employee focus on work.
WorkTime is a research tool! You can skip the guesswork and actually measure whether your employees are more productive in the office or remotely.
If you want to see in practice how non-invasive monitoring can boost your business, try WorkTime, the software aimed at pure productivity.A healthy balance between control and employee privacy is super important. WorkTime productivity monitoring offers this healthy balance while boosting employee productivity.
Benjamin Franklin once said “If you fail to plan you plan to fail”Planning is the first step in successfully managing remote and working-from-home employees.
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