Managing Remote Workers

With 4 billion people working from home, it can be a difficult undertaking for new and experienced managers to effectively manage, coordinate with their employees remotely, and ensure productivity is consistent online. Traditionally, managers are used to seeing their workforce and meeting with them in person. A remote workforce model creates an “out of sight, out of mind, out of control” fear and reticence in even the most experienced managers.

Remote work models tend to elevate and enhance concerns by management about productivity, efficiency and corporate culture. With 74 percent of CFOs, post-pandemic, intending on moving some percentage of their workforce remotely on a permanent basis, companies of all sizes need an effective way to manage people remotely.

5 Tips to Managing Workers Productively

• Establish priorities at the beginning of the week and establish weekly goals.
• Trust but verify — most workers are honest but some may yield to the temptation to do a Netflix marathon instead of work. Occasionally ask for updates on progress on projects if there’s a change in work progress.
• Utilize video conferencing to have facetime with employees and give them an opportunity to discuss progress and roadblocks, and allow face-to-face mentorship time.
• Utilize non-intrusive platforms, which allows team members to see each other’s work progress if collaboration is essential for completing the project.
• Focus on the positive and celebrate employees’ wins when they hit their milestones.

Moe Vela is chief transparency officer of TransparentBusiness, a remote workforce management and coordination software company that helps companies of all sizes to increase and ensure accountability while increasing productivity, enhancing efficiency and respecting employee privacy. Vela also was the director of management and administration for two Vice Presidents of the U.S., including Joe Biden, and part of his responsibilities included human resources.