A Step-By-Step Plan to Monitor the Working Hours of Remote Employees
Have you ever compensated a worker for binge-watching a television show on Netflix or another service? Most probably not! Simply put, you pay them based on the value that they provide for your company. This is so ridiculous that it can’t possibly be imagined, right?
In spite of this, it is unfortunate that in this post-pandemic era, this has now become a reality. The culture of working from home (WFH) is reshaping the way businesses around the world are run, and one of the most significant drawbacks of WFH is the loss of command and control over one’s workforce. You have no way of knowing whether or not the compensation you are paying them is actually reasonable or proportionate to the efforts they are putting in.
This takes us to our solution, which we’ve given in this post in the form of a step-by-step plan to track the hours worked by remote employees using the most straightforward procedures possible. I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to read it all the way through because skipping even one step could throw off the whole image.
Let’s plunge in!
Direct Transmission of Information
There is no way for employees to win your respect unless they are aware of the demands you place on them and the skills you anticipate them to possess. Let them know the things that are important to you and the things that you consider to be a waste of your time and energy.
Make sure that your staff is aware that your top priorities, which may include commitment and discipline, are being communicated. And make sure to keep them accountable if they don’t live up to your expectations. In a similar fashion, in order for them to work on it and make progress, they need to be aware of it when the time comes. The majority of issues in any company or startup may be resolved through improved communication. Therefore, you are now one step closer to achieving victory in the game. When it’s finished, give yourself a pat on the back because you’ve already accomplished more than anyone else who is even considering making a difference.
Issue Deadlines
It is imperative that deadlines are met at all times, and it is your responsibility as a leader to maximize the use of your team’s time. When dealing with tasks that are comparable to those completed on location, allot the same amount of time. You will be able to coerce them into doing a task in the same amount of time that they had been doing in the past by using this method.
This sends the obvious message to your subconscious that you are not going to make any concessions on the time standards, even when you are in a remote location.
Examine the Different Progress Reports
You can never make progress unless you have an accurate understanding of where you initially began. If the culture as a whole remains unchanged, it will have a negative impact on your firm in the future since the graphs will either continue to increase or continue to decline. Within the culture of business, there is no such thing as a “constant.”
Compare the current metrics to the records from the previous years in order to determine whether or not the time spent from a remote location was spent successfully. Consider whether you’ve matured or whether you’ve succumbed to the “constant” myth.
In addition, you may conduct an investigation and mandate that your staff members regularly update you on the status of the progress. Pay attention to their anecdotes and inquire about the reasons behind any delays or postponements they may have experienced. They will be held responsible for this routine, and it will encourage them to maintain their commitment to the time.
Tracking Done by Hand
Request that your staff members manually record the amount of hours they have worked. Yes! There is a significant risk involved with it in that one of your employees might just make the whole thing up and try to defraud you. Even if only one percent of a corporation engages in this behavior. It is still a hardship for you and the business that you work for.
There is a possibility that this will work. It’s when you have complete and utter faith in all of the people working for you and reporting to you. If this is the case, there is no reason to consider any other possibility; you should just go for it. But if that’s not the case, you absolutely have to start looking into other possibilities.
Send Reminders
This is a non-traditional approach, yet it has proven successful for many people. You might decide to engage someone whose primary responsibility will be to monitor the work of your remote staff. His job would consist of doing nothing more than sending an hourly text message to each of the workers and making a note of the progress on the Gantt Chart.
It’s possible that this is frustrating for the workers. In addition, it is a somewhat more difficult and exhausting activity, which is why we do not recommend that.
There has to be a more straightforward and mechanized option available, right?
Instrument for Tracking
This is one of the most efficient ways to keep track of the hours worked by remote employees. This choice is being made by many businesses in order to keep track of their employees’ hours worked and evaluated their progress. The staff first had a negative reaction to such technologies due to their unfamiliarity. However, as time has passed, the vast majority of people have come to the realization that this is going to be the way that the future operates, and it is intended to remain in place for a significant amount of time.
There is nothing specific that you are expected to do at this time. You need only communicate with the members of your team and request that they connect their computers to yours and install a tracking tool. The program is an automated system that keeps track of the number of hours an employee has put in. It does the job for you. In addition, even the pauses in the action are recorded, providing you with a balanced view of the situation.
To make up for the amount of time spent working, a weekly or bimonthly report should be printed.
Have you already purchased one of these? If that’s the case, we have a suggestion for you: there’s a program out there called Employee Monitor System. It is economical, efficient, and comes with a user-friendly interface all rolled into one. It has a monthly fee that is less than the price of a candy bar. You have no choice but to do so!
Conclusion
When it comes to keeping tabs on the working hours of remote employees, the most effective method is to use software that tracks time. These tools provide you with insight into a variety of additional parameters. Which may assist you in optimizing the process and taking things to the next level.
Have you ever made use of any of these before? Please share with us your preferred method for keeping track of the hours worked by employees. Particularly in situations in which they work remotely.