As the country grapples with COVID-19, many employers are managing remote employees for the first time. If you’re a leader in your organization, how do you effectively manage your employees remotely? Here are some tips:

Schedule Weekly Video Meetings 

Communication is key when dealing with any employee. Remote employees are no different. That’s why you should make time each week to have a video meeting. Communication exclusively through email can leave a remote worker feeling unengaged. You want them to feel like a part of the team as much as your in-house employees do. Plus, video meetings allow you to see their body language, which can be a better indicator of what they are really thinking than their verbal communication. 

There are plenty of options out there for video conferencing, such as Skype or Google Hangouts.  

Set Up an Instant Messaging System 

Video conferencing is great for your weekly meetings, but you need the ability to constantly communicate with your remote workers. Instant messaging systems can open up the lines of communication even further, enabling you to quickly connect with your remote employees. It’s the remote employee version of popping into someone’s office or stopping by their cube for a quick question. 

Measure Productivity, Not Hours 

Traditionally, employers measure employee performance in part by when they show up and when they leave. Obviously, this is impossible to do with your remote workers. Rather than focusing on when they clock in and out, establish a system that measures a remote worker’s productivity instead of hours worked. Set goals, timelines and deadlines for projects. Employ a project management system that tracks your remote employees’ progress. Make sure to review their goals in your weekly video meetings to keep them on track and productive.

Create a Team Atmosphere 

The reality is, you and your employees may not be able to meet in person for a while. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create a strong team dynamic remotely. You can still do fun things with your employees, such as hold virtual happy hours or plan other virtual team-building exercises. Another idea is to ask your employees to send pictures of their home workspace and share how they are dealing with working remotely. Doing things like this will help keep your teams’ unity during these trying times.

Need help hiring?

Contact Burchard & Associates. We help companies in the St. Louis area find accounting and finance employees for their open positions. Learn why countless companies have partnered with us to find talent for their organization and contact us today.