With more employers offering remote hours and positions, it’s more important than ever for workplaces to create a system for managing those employees effectively. Managers used to in-house employees may not understand how to effectively manage employees who are located across town or across the country. Managing remote employees may be a challenge but utilizing a time tracking system can simplify the process for your managerial team. Learn how to use a time tracking system to manager remote workers in your workplace.
Accurately Track Productivity
One of the challenges for remote workers is accurately tracking the time they are on the clock. While there are some positions that require employees to be on the phone or completing tasks, which makes monitoring simpler, many remote positions are more fluid. Employees may clock in for a few hours to work on a project in the morning and then again later that night. Ensuring that employees are actually meeting their work obligations and hours is essential for managers. A time tracking system can help gather those hours for managers and employees.
With systems that start tracking when employees log in or allow employees to record time, managers can use a system that fits their workflow and their employees. For task-based positions, a time tracking system can be tied to tasks like making phone calls or completing computer-based assignments. A flexible time tracking system can be set up to meet your business needs and your employees' job.
Accurately Measure Employee Progress
Managers who have a remote workforce often aren’t as plugged into the daily workflow of their employees. The distance between the manger and their employees results in vagueness that can negatively impact the productivity.
A time tracking system can help manager and employees by giving them a system to record progress. Employees can record what tasks they completed on a daily or weekly basis and managers can review that information to ensure that employees are on track and completing assignments. This increase in information allows managers to better understand the challenges of their employees, making assessment of job performance easier.
Allow Better Communication
Creating an environment that encourages open communication is a goal of any company but managing remote workers can make that communication more difficult. Without the forced interaction of meeting in an office, some remote workers rarely get feedback from their managers, let alone open communication.
A time tracking system creates a way to facilitate communication between managers and employees. By tracking hours and tasks, managers can keep tabs on employees and address specific questions about their daily workflow. In return, employees have a route to address questions and concerns to managers.
Gather Business Intelligence
Business intelligence is having more of an impact on the daily operations of businesses small and large. Business intelligence involves using data collected by software like time tracking and workforce management systems to enact change within the company. Time tracking systems can be a fantastic way for managers to collect data regarding their remote employees and use that information to improve productivity and employee satisfaction. Assessing data like hours worked or tasks completed can help identify ways to optimize remote worker productivity and reduce unnecessary tasks.
A time tracking system can do more for your business than just ensure hours are being logged. A system optimized to your workplace can help facilitate communication between remote workers and managers, provide business intelligence to improve your processes, and provide a system to measure employee productivity. If you employ remote workers, you need to have a time tracking system in place.
