It is becoming more and more common to have a remote or hybrid workforce. According to recent data from PwC, 83% of employers believe remote work is a success for their business. Therefore, not only did many organizations adopt remote work quickly at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, but many of those employers have decided to keep that structure moving forward.
Despite all the benefits of remote work, managing a team from a distance and keeping tabs on them can be difficult. Business owners can manage remote employees easily with the help of tracking tools. Using these tools will let you track working hours; help you keep track of your budget and maximize resources. The tracking tools have the added benefit of making sure remote workers’ efforts are being recognized and appreciated.
Tracking tools can range from collaboration tools with shared changes, to time management tools, project management systems, and advanced trackers that monitor keystrokes, locations, and browsing history. Here are some examples.
Collaboration tools
Remote teams can use collaboration tools to maintain track of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Google documents, for example, show who made the modifications and when they were done. Asana and Jira are project management applications that keep track of how tasks are passed from one remote worker to the next. Trello is another wonderful alternative for teams who have a lot of moving elements and need to keep track of them.
Some collaborative solutions provide time monitoring as well. The Viva Insights feature, which debuted last year, is available to Microsoft 365 users. It gives managers information on how much time workers spend working outside of normal working hours, how much time they spend in Microsoft Teams meetings, and whether they are at danger of burnout. A glimpse of organizational resiliency, engagement, and agility is available to leaders.
Time management tools
If all you need is a mechanism for employees to clock in and out from their smartphones, products like Connecteam can help. It also contains a GPS tracker for sales teams operating in the field, for example. If staff find it difficult to manually record time, HoursTracker is a suitable choice. Timely, Toggl, and Toptal’sTopTracker are other popular solutions for employees that work at a desk.
A project management tool like TeamWork maintains track of the time spent on each phase of a project if you’re a firm that invoices clients for services. It offers high-level data for assessing capacity planning and budgeting and allows teams to tell each other when a job is ready for the next phase.
An employee monitoring system like InterGuard may track employee activity, record audio and video conversations, assess idle vs active time, restrict website visits and downloads, collect screenshots, and monitor email and chats on a more advanced level. This is useful for companies who want to “trust but verify” the conduct of their remote employees.
Remote engagement tools
A project management tool like TeamWork maintains track of the time spent on each phase of a project if you’re a firm that invoices clients for services. It offers high-level data for assessing capacity planning and budgeting and allows teams to tell each other when a job is ready for the next phase.
An employee monitoring system like InterGuard may track employee activity, record audio and video conversations, assess idle vs active time, restrict website visits and downloads, collect screenshots, and monitor email and chats on a more advanced level. This is useful for companies who want to “trust but verify” the conduct of their remote employees.
All of the suggested tracking tools can assist employees in staying in touch with their managers both inside and outside of the office. The key to a successful adoption of these technologies is to approach them with the appropriate mentality. Tracking software does not have to be intrusive. When used effectively, they may help employees by boosting teamwork and pinpointing areas of difficulty as well as times when they are most productive. Installing tracking technologies and combining them with emotional support and sound remote management strategies will result in a business that performs as well as, if not better than before you went remote.
Bottom Line
In addition to monitoring employee productivity through tracking tools – such as keystroke and website monitoring software – you can evaluate your team’s work ethic and protect your business by keeping a close eye on the documents that are leaving your network.
SW HR Consulting has been helping companies to build their teams and values for over 10 years. Contact us to find out more about our unique hr outsourcing services and see how our expertise can benefit you.
