Working remotely, or telecommuting, is increasingly becoming an option in the workplace. In fact, between 2005 and 2009, the number of remote workers in the United States grew by 61%. Employees find a lot of value in having the option to work remotely, to the point where they are willing to sacrifice other aspects of job satisfaction in order to get the flexibility they want. Managing remote employees is a different ball game, though. Here are some ways that HR professionals and employers can help their remote employees, and their business, succeed.
Even if your employees are working remotely, that doesn’t mean that you should forget about them. Since they’re not in the office all the time it can be easy for employers and HR professionals to lose focus on remote employees. In fact, communication is more important than ever when employees work from home. The HR department and employer should remember to reach out to remote employees on a regular basis and encourage remote employees to keep connected with their teams and supervisors at the office.
On a similar note, remote workers have reported that although they enjoy flexibility in their work location, they also often feel isolated from the workplace. Of course, there are many perks when it comes to working from home but remote employees can feel disconnected from the social environment of their workplace and interacting with their coworkers. Getting answers to questions and feeling supported in their jobs can be harder for remote workers. Employers and HR professionals should touch base with remote employees and keep them informed on what’s been going on in the office, especially for the daily activities that they used to be in charge of, and include them in all team and company discussions. Also make sure that you are being as responsive as you can be when remote workers reach out for answers or support so that they don’t feel like they’re being left in the lurch.
With remote employees in a company, employers and HR professionals need to realize that these workers require different benchmarks for measuring their performance. Take note of the results they produce instead of holding them to the same standards as office work. If you’ve offered the option of working remotely, it’s important to remember that where the work happens will no longer be included in performance evaluation criteria. Even though they might not be in the office with you, HR professionals and employers should still recognize that remote workers have an important presence in your workplace based on the results they produce. An easy way to transition your performance criteria from in-office to remote working is to request regular in-person meetings with the remote employee.
Flexibility and mobility are more valuable than ever today, especially in the workplace. Don’t let this new style of working throw a wrench in your business. HR professionals and employers can make sure that their remote employees are still doing a great job by keeping the lines of communication open.
