While telecommuting may not seem like a big draw, more and more businesses are finding that their remote employees are happier, more productive, and save their business money in expensive building overhead. If you're considering telecommuting though, you understand that a poorly implemented process to transition employees to a telecommuting schedule can have some serious drawbacks. To successfully implement telecommuting for your employees, use these tips to make it work for your business.
Make Work Accessible
For employees to productively telecommute, they need all the information they can obtain in the office. Policies, procedures, requisitions, and anything else needed to complete their job needs to be available from their home. A great way for employers to start the process of making telecommuting work for their business is to transition all company records onto an online platform that is as easy to access at home as it is in the office.
Assess Each Position
Telecommuting isn't for everyone. Some positions need to be in a specific place for business to run as usual. Employers should take an in-depth look at employee job descriptions and duties to determine how often employees can telecommute, or if they even can telecommute. Assess each position individually to determine what percentage of the time that position would be effective to telecommute.
Create Clear Policies
Telecommuting isn't without risk. While a majority of employees will appreciate the flexibility and work effectively out of the office, some will struggle with that freedom and reduce productivity. Having a policy in place prior to starting the telecommuting process sets expectations and consequences for failing to meet those expectations, making the process clear for employees and employers.
Require Contact
One of the biggest fears with telecommuting is losing track of your employees and resulting in a disengaged workforce. Talking with managers prior to implementing telecommuting is one way to come up with a process to ensure remote employees are engaged in the business and with their team. Require weekly web calls or monthly meetings in the office to get face time with all employees. Encourage managers to reach out to their remote employees more frequently through email, phone calls, and messages.
Verify
The old Russian proverb "Trust, but verify" isn't just good advice, it's also a great example of how employers should approach telecommuting employees. To successfully run a remote workforce, you need to trust that workforce is doing their job but you should also verify that belief in an open and honest way. Tracking software is one way employers can check-in on remote employees to ensure jobs are being completed on time and up to par. Be clear with employees that managers can track their work and that information will be assessed during reviews so there is no confusion or perceived betrayal. A tracking system to verify productivity is a simple way to ensure results while still being transparent with employees.
A remote workforce can drastically increase the productivity and flexibility of your business but heading into that process without a plan can be disastrous. Searching out the right job, the right people, and the right process for success can decrease the drawbacks for your business. Start implementing some simple changes like moving documents online or investigating tracking software to ensure your remote workers do the best job possible from where ever they choose to work.
