3 tips for mastering remote employee management

Remote working is nothing new; it seems that most of us have been doing it lately, and those who’ve been tapping into the vital freelance market as an ad-hoc resource have been reaping the rewards for longer still. The question is, are you getting the most out of your remote workers in terms of productivity and efficiency?



Sure, the work may still be trickling in at the same old rate, but with a few tweaks here and there, you could transform your remote teams into productivity powerhouses. Here are a few tips to supercharge your remote worker management and get the most out of your distanced staff and freelancers.

1.   Get kitted out

You can’t expect a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, so it stands to reason that anyone who you’ve tasked with remote working will require the right tools and equipment to do the job to the best of their abilities.

Technology to enhance and support remote working has been fast-tracked over the last 18 months due to the global pandemic, so now might be a good time to reassess the access that each worker has to critical platforms. Confirm that you have suitable communication systems and processes in place along with adequate technical support to guarantee that they can perform at their best.

2.   Structure, goals and boundaries

Like any in-house employee, you expect a certain level of output in return for a salary. Remote workers should be treated no differently, but you’ll need to accept that remote working has a unique set of challenges when it comes to productivity. A key point to keep in mind is that it can often take a little longer to get collaborative projects up and running.

However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give your remote teams structure, goals and boundaries as this will help to keep tasks on track and individuals motivated. Simply leaving them to their own devices can often lead to feelings of disconnection from the greater business objective.

3.   Channels of communication

The biggest cornerstone of successful remote working is communication. Give your remote workers an array of channels so they can check in with you and others that they’ll be working with. This helps to keep productivity high and also means that projects aren’t delayed or bottlenecked due to a lack of information or issues in any one area of the brief.

From weekly Google Hangouts to a casual WhatsApp group for idea generation and general queries, the ability to communicate dramatically increases efficiency and ensures that remote workers stay engaged.