Remote Employee Productivity - The Complete Outside The Box Guide

Many companies are adopting a remote work culture as a result of the COVID 19 epidemic.

Companies saw the value of having a remote staff even before the pandemic and overcome the early difficulties. They now run a well-oiled machine and are even thriving as a remote company. So, how do they ensure remote employee productivity using remote employee monitoring techniques? Let's find out.

How to improve remote employee productivity 

We frequently see images of parents holding their children while typing on a laptop, generally while sitting on a sofa or the living room floor. This is, in fact, a poor example of effective virtual work. Before enabling remote workers to work, we usually advise employers to make sure they have a designated workspace as well as adequate childcare.

While remote work has its drawbacks, there are several simple and affordable things that managers can do to make a move easier.

Daily check-ins for remote work productivity monitoring 

Most of the successful remote managers schedule a daily conference call with their remote team. If your employees operate more independently from one another, this could take the shape of a series of one-on-one calls or a team call if their work is extremely collaborative. The crucial element is that the calls are consistent and predictable and that they serve as a platform for employees to communicate with you and have their issues and questions acknowledged.

Select effective communication channels

Email alone isn't enough to increase your remote employee productivity. Remote workers benefit from "richer" technology, such as video conferencing, which provides many of the visual cues that participants would receive if they were face-to-face. Video conferencing has a number of benefits, particularly for smaller groups: Visual clues allow for more "shared awareness" about teammates and can also help teams feel less isolated. Video is also better for difficult or delicate talks than textual or audio-only communication since it feels more intimate.

Make rules of engagement

When managers set expectations for their teams' communication frequency, channels, and optimal timing, remote work becomes more efficient and rewarding. For instance, you can say that "we utilize videoconferencing for daily check-in meetings, but we use instant messaging when something is urgent." Also, if possible, let your staff know the best means and time to contact you during the workday. For example, "I'm more accessible late in the day for video calls, but you can send a message if there is an emergency." Finally, monitor remote team communication to an appropriate extent. It will help you to make sure that your remote team is sharing information with each other as needed.

Managers should set these "rules of engagement" with staff as soon as feasible, preferably during the initial online check-in meeting. While some choices about specific expectations may be preferable to others, the most critical factor is that all employees have the same communication expectations.

Examples:

•  I will respect confidentiality.
•  I will be present in the moment.
•  I will stay when times get tough.
•  I will speak my truth.
•  I will actively listen.
•  I will turn off all mobile devices and no peeking at emails

The social aspect of remote work 

One of the most important steps a manager can take is to structure ways for employees to interact socially while working remotely. You should allow employees to have informal conversations about non-work topics. This is true for all remote workers, but it is especially true for those who have been thrown out of the office unexpectedly. You can use intranet social media portals like AgilityPortal to solve this problem.

Additionally, allowing some time at the start of team calls for non-work topics is the simplest method to develop some basic social contact. Virtual pizza parties and virtual office parties are two more choices. While virtual gatherings may appear artificial or forced, experienced remote employees' supervisors (and the workers themselves) indicate that they assist in minimizing the feelings of isolation and promote a sense of belonging.

Encourage your remote employees 

Managers must recognize stress, listen to employees' anxieties and concerns, and empathize with their problems. It is especially true in the context of an abrupt change to remote work. Ask a recently remote employee how they're doing if they're visibly struggling but aren't expressing their tension or anxiety. Even a simple query like, "How is this remote work arrangement working out for you so far?" can elicit vital information that you might not have heard otherwise. After you've asked the question, make sure you pay attention to the answer and briefly rephrase it to the employee to make sure you've understood everything right.

Examples:

• Show you care. 
• Provide best tools for remote workers. 
• Extend innovative incentives. 
• Show your face. 
• Give importance to employee feedback. 
• Use communication as the key. 
• Don't be afraid to experiment.

Use Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

One issue with productivity measurement is that different jobs have different measurements. Your team may have remote employees that work in sales, software development, blog writing, or SEO. Thus, you need to determine what activities you need to monitor and what can help you in your remote team's assessment. 

Use milestone approach

Milestones will make it simple for you to keep track of progress.

Employees can accurately mark their development, and you can be confident in their progress. Employees can report progress every day instead of waiting until the end of the project with specific goals. You can see what's going on through milestone reporting. You can check to see if an employee is on track to accomplish the work on time.

Breaking down a long work into milestones allows you to collect crucial data for future project planning. You can keep track of the time it takes to reach each milestone in order to improve your project plan in the future.