Employee control is one of the most boring things in the world. And if they are also remote, then this is an additional “headache”. Neither the management enjoys the process (“it would be much easier if everyone worked in the office at arm’s length”), nor the employees themselves who compile reports on the time spent “usefully”.
This was the case in a significant mass of companies a few years ago, but today processes that bring neither benefit nor pleasure are dying. The volumes of completed tasks, their effectiveness, and compliance with deadlines have come to the fore.
At the same time, the number of remote tasks around the world is constantly growing. Is it possible to control remote employees effectively, and so that the process does not cause irritation for either managers or specialists? Gave an answer to this question and identified several basic steps on this path – Dmitry Kostomarov, entrepreneur and business angel.
1. Choose the right staff
What is meant here? The part of the staff that works remotely for you should be capable of such activities. Managing employees oriented to the values of the industrial era is practically impossible without the physical participation and presence of the boss. Your contingent in this case is people with a high ability to self-organize, self-motivate, able to work efficiently (according to tasks) and in compliance with deadlines, regardless of external circumstances.
2. Interact and control
If you find people suitable for remote work, the question arises of how to effectively set tasks for them, see how they are accomplished and, in general, control remote employees. There are various systems for this..
For example, consider the work of a sales representative in any territory. This is one of the professions, which in the industrial era required a large amount of independence and initiative. The setting of strategic objectives, the presentation of KPI historically took place in the framework of briefings. Announcements were made at team meetings, and results were summarized at them. Now everything is packed in personal mobile devices, with short interactive briefs with a test of understanding. This is a new class of software: work force management system, the first representative of which in Russia is the object of my investments – Equio.
Automation of sales representatives began long ago, and spawned a class of systems called SFA (Sales Force Automation, Sales Automation). These solutions allow you to collect orders, generate documents. SFA systems have long acquired automatic geolocation control; they are able to track routes, duration of visits, collect and process information about orders, help plan shipments, issue invoices and control payments.
3. Plan together
Remote employee control is not without planning. Team meetings are no longer needed when there are systems that use the capabilities of mobile devices to assign and adjust tasks, motivate employees. Solutions of the CRM class (Customer Relationship Management, Customer Relationship Management) make it easier to plan work with customers.
And the few functions of personal leadership and planning are implemented in joint task setting systems, such as ToDoIst and its analogues. Thanks to a sufficient number of convenient functional solutions, both sales representatives and workers from other areas have the opportunity to act as independent “combat units” that are not tied to the office.
4. Build teams according to the principle of the designer
In design areas, it is still more interesting. Today, you don’t have to have a bloated staff of specialists, some of whom work in full force only from time to time. You can hire shared employees for projects and assemble teams on the basis of the constructor.
Trello and MeisterTask software, for example, allows you to manage not only your own personnel, but also to assemble teams from specialists from various companies. MeisterTask uses a kanban (a system for organizing production and supply that allows you to implement the principle of “just on time”) for this board, where the “task sheets” hang, when clicked, the internal project information, contacts, news feed, chat are opened, all the necessary documents are stored . In such systems important information is not lost, you do not need to look for letters on the task and keep separate records for the project.
5. Interact efficiently
SCRUM came to the rescue of ordinary business. It is based on the principle of continuous movement towards a common result through the obligatory achievement of short-term tasks, from the solution of which everything else is composed. SCRUM implies mandatory short briefings for setting tasks, short debriefing sessions and refusal from “debriefing” if that does not work out, focusing on how to fix the situation, and not on who is to blame. The positive SCRUM philosophy, combined with the technological solutions that we have discussed above, increases productivity at least one and a half times, and allows you to flexibly respond to the situation, act according to circumstances.
6. Change the approach
But the main question facing any business that has decided to actively use remote forms of interaction, reduce the load on offices, become more mobile and flexible, does not lie in the IT plane. The main thing is to understand how to manage changes in the heads, not only of ordinary employees, but also of managers. Personnel, especially mobile and / or remote, should receive greater freedom along with greater responsibility. And work, focusing on the result. This is one of the most important points that will allow you to implement the correct control of remote employees and normal work with them..
An interesting fact: the leadership of the Russian representative office of a major telecommunications vendor, learning that office employees who are required to spend strictly regulated amounts of time on their work walls, spend hours on social networks, has blocked access to the most popular platforms. What happened next? That’s right, at about the same time, it began to be spent on numerous coffee breaks, breaks, trips to the nail salon and styling (a beauty salon worked in the business center). But almost none of the employees were late by the beginning of the working day. It is understandable – even for five-minute delays a fine in dollars was provided. At the same time, if management would evaluate the effectiveness only by tasks, and not by the time spent “in and out” in the office, it would be much more interesting for employees to work.
If you break the main obstacle, the rest will work. To come to understand that work is not traffic, but the result, visualize for yourself each of your actions in the process and its value. At one time, this simple exercise helped me understand that 80% of my traffic is meaningless interaction with other people..
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What are some effective strategies or tools to ensure effective control and management of remote employees?
What are some effective strategies for managing and ensuring productivity of remote employees? How can one maintain effective communication and collaboration in a remote work setting?
Some effective strategies for managing and ensuring productivity of remote employees include setting clear expectations, providing necessary resources and support, and establishing regular check-ins and deadlines. Effective communication in a remote work setting is crucial and can be maintained through regular virtual meetings, utilizing communication tools like email and instant messaging, and fostering an open and transparent work culture. Collaboration can be facilitated by using project management tools, encouraging virtual team bonding, and promoting a sense of shared goals and responsibilities. It is also important to regularly assess and address any challenges or concerns faced by remote employees to ensure their productivity and well-being.