3 tips for managing remote workers

Communication plays a vital role in a business' success. Workers need to be able to talk with each other regularly in order to coordinate future projects and ensure customers are getting what they paid for. For a long time, this meant that employees had to be in the office to accomplish their regular responsibilities. 

However, technology is altering where and how people do their jobs. According to research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 23 percent of surveyed employees did some or all of their work at home. Called telecommuters or remote workers, this group clearly make up a sizeable chunk of the workforce. What's more, the amount of workers completing tasks for their employers at home didn't change between 2009 and 2017. This information points to the conclusion that telecommuting is here to stay. 

While some more old school offices may try to shun this model, many business owners are finding success by embracing it. That said, allowing employees to work from home is no small matter. To make sure that you still get the proper productivity from these people, you'll need to manage remote workers properly. 

1. Ensure workers know what is expected of them
Allowing employees to work from home can give them an enormous amount of flexibility and freedom within their own life. While telecommuting days can easily help improve morale, it's important to remember that you won't be able to manage these people in person. Therefore, business owners should endeavor to set up some specific expectations of employees before they are allowed to telecommute. 

To begin, it should be noted here that it is generally ill-advised to allow new employees to work from home. Not only do they often require more hands-on attention, but they also haven't had the time to prove themselves. What's more, telecommuting should be considered a privilege to be earned, as well as one that can be taken away if the employee isn't meeting proper standards. 

Once a worker does reach the point where you trust them at home, you'll want to begin this process by discussing the timeframe that you expect to see them online. This is where you'll need to use your own best judgment to determine when employees can log in. Some employers need people working during a very specific block of time, while others simply need to have tasks accomplished before the end of the day. Regardless of what you require out of your employees, you'll want to set hard limits for when they can and can't work. 

Additionally, you'll want to discuss how often they can work from home. If you're worried about productivity, it's generally best to start people with a single telecommuting day and expand from there. This lets you judge their ability to work outside the office, and it allows you to reward productivity with additional days. 

Finally, you'll need to impress upon workers the importance of not working on other jobs while working from home. According to a survey from Bankrate, 37 percent of Americans have a side hustle. While there's nothing wrong with employees making some extra money outside their primary job, they should know that you will not tolerate them doing this while on the clock. 

2. Discuss their needs beforehand
Once you've asserted your expectations for an employee, it's time to discuss their physical needs for remote work. Specifically, you'll want to talk about how they'll connect to the office when they're at home. Most offices provide computers for their employees, and these machines are often laptops. If your business gives out portable computers like this, you may want to let workers take them home. 

However, if your employees use desktops that are not easy to bring home, you should consider allowing them to use their own devices. Letting workers use personal computers and smartphones to complete work tasks is part of a trend called Bring Your Own Device (BYOD.) This is often a cheaper alternative to purchasing laptops for employees, but business owners should understand what they're getting into with a BYOD initiative. 

BYOD can be a great solution, but you'll need to ensure security.

The biggest concern here is security. Sadly, many people don't take some of the most simple steps to ensure that the information on their devices are protected. The Pew Research Center found that 28 percent of smartphone owners don't even lock their phones. Therefore, it's up to business owners to ensure employees are keeping sensitive company data secure. If you are relying on BYOD, you'll want to discuss simple security tips such as locking the device or avoiding phishing schemes. Additionally, if your company operates in a space that handles a lot of sensitive material, you may be forced to purchase a laptop for workers that is preloaded with security software. 

3. Connect face-to-face when possible
If you decide to hire a full-time remote worker, or if you're allowing a current employee to stay home multiple days per week, you'll want to set up time to talk face-to-face. Ideally, this meeting would be in person. However, if the telecommuter works extremely far from your office, you may have to settle for a video conference.

The most important reason to have a weekly time to chat is that you need to create and maintain a personal relationship with the employee. When a person is working form home regularly, they can feel cut off from the rest of the workforce. As such, they may lose morale or even become disconnected with the overall goal of your business. Putting a face to the name in emails and chat clients can help you humanize yourself while also making the worker feel valued.

On top of this, you'll be able to regularly check up on what the employee is doing at home. It's easy to forget how often you run into workers while in the office, whether it's through deliberate meetings or simply walking to the bathroom. These quick conversations help employees stay on track and also give you a sense of their day-to-day tasks. A regular meeting with remote workers accomplishes the same task. 

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