4 Ways to Track Employees Remotely

With more and more businesses making the move to working remotely, you may be tempted to join them. Operating a business remotely can be challenging, however, with the right systems in place, you can ensure that your team is more productive than ever. In fact, many employees are more productive working remotely, as they have more control over their schedule and can work at times that suit them.

One of the biggest challenges for employers, however, is keeping track of your employees. When your team is scattered all over the country, or even the world, you need to have an effective system in place to track your employees. With a better understanding of how your team is performing and the hours they are working, you can manage your payroll more efficiently, plan your business finances with more certainty and ensure that your team is productive in their roles in the business.

Let’s take a look at just a few ways that you can track your employees when your team is working remotely.

1. Time Tracking

Tracking the number of hours that your team is working is one of the most obvious, yet most effective ways to monitor your remote employees.

Employee time clocks and other online tools allow your employees to log their hours worked into one centralized system. You can use these platforms to ensure that your employees are working the right amount of hours, are taking their breaks and are compliant with any other policies that you have in place in your business. Time tracking is a great way to monitor your team to ensure they are performing optimally.

2. Email Volume

Measuring email volume might not be an effective measurement for every type of business. However, for some business types, the number of emails sent in a single day by employees is a direct indication of their productivity. There are many tools available that will monitor the number of emails sent and track various other metrics such as response times. Tracking employee email volume can be a great way to ensure that your team is not slacking off with important internal or external communications.

3. Project Management Tools

Setting project milestones and timeframes for them to be achieved is critical in keeping any project on track. There is a huge range of project management tools available to business owners nowadays, offering a variety of different functions. Depending on your budget and the size of your business, you can choose project management tools that range from completely free basic options to bespoke software solutions that can cost thousands of dollars. Take the time to consider the needs of your business to choose project management software that will allow your business and your team to stay on track moving forward.

4. Management Reports

Management should always be monitoring the performance of the business and your team to identify areas for improvement. Even in a virtual setting, your management team should be able to identify who the top performers are and who needs to improve. Take some time at your online management meetings to discuss the performance of your team. Based on management reports of employee performance, you will be able to identify where you need to invest more time, provide more training or reward those employees who have gone above and beyond for your business.

Find A Method To Track Your Employees That Works For Your Business

Every business has unique needs. To choose the best method to track your remote employees, it’s important to consider the needs of your business. What works well for one business might not be the best solution for another company. Take some time to consider your options and put a system in place that will benefit your employees and your business moving forward.