Best Practices for Managing a Remote or Hybrid Workforce With Time Tracking Tools

While 2020 marked a turning point in remote or hybrid work as a viable option, managers still need an option to monitor work. The goal is to strike a balance between demonstrating trust in your remote or hybrid employees while using tools that promote accountability and keep you up to date on the work. Read on for some best practices to consider.

Challenges of Managing a Remote or Hybrid Workforce

When you hire fully remote workers, you may feel like you have a fractured team in different locations and in different time zones. It requires some adjustment to accommodate all employee schedules and be aware of the best times to schedule meetings or calls. If you have a majority staff with a hybrid or in-person schedule, fully remote workers can feel left out or less a part of a team that regularly sees each other in person.

Managers with remote employees may feel they have less oversight for assigned tasks and deadlines. They may feel suspicious that employees aren’t working enough or using assigned work time to fulfill personal obligations. Whether these fears are true or not, they can lead to distrust and a breakdown in the working relationship.

Time tracking can present viable solutions for the challenges of remote work.

Best Practices for Managing Your Remote Workforce

Explore these best practices to manage a remote or hybrid workforce more efficiently.

Trust the Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that productivity increased across 61 industries when remote work became a preferred option after the pandemic. Industries such as data processing, computer systems design, publishing, finance, and entertainment showed dramatic increases in productivity as compared to the years before the pandemic, when remote work was rarely an option.

Remote work offers positive benefits for your employees, too. The US Career Institute describes benefits like eliminating commute time and saving money on work clothing, gas, and lunch. Of those surveyed, 93 per cent said that “working remotely had a positive effect on their mental health.” Remote workers are free to move to be closer to family, friends, and support systems, all of which contribute to greater satisfaction overall. And 56 per cent of managers admit that remote or hybrid work has gone better than they anticipated.

Set Clear Boundaries and Expectations

“Remote workers thrive on accountability. They want to know what is expected of them and how they can exceed these standards,” according to the College of Liberal and Professional Studies at UPenn. “With remote work, this effort centers on deliverables: expected milestones and benchmarks.” 

Requirements could include:

• Expected times of online availability
• Expected response times during set hours
• The type of workspace at the remote location
• The use of business-provided laptops
• Guarding the security of the work with VPNs and passwords.

For each project or task, managers can set clear expectations about deadlines, frequency of check-ins regarding task completion, or entry into project management software that’s shared among the team. 

Use Time-Tracking Tools

Decreased visibility may prove to be a concern for certain remote or hybrid employees. Though many employees are diligent and may even have a hard time shutting off when they work from home, there is the risk of time theft with remote employees who have no in-person accountability like an employee in the office full-time does.

Tools like Workforcehub can integrate time-tracking with geolocation so you know that your employee is clocked in when they are at their approved remote workspace. This method ensures your employees stay accountable to the boundaries and expectations you both agreed upon. It also allows for requested adjustments when needed. While time clock punches are more typically associated with hourly workers, they can be a beneficial way to keep a record of salaried remote and hybrid workers’ time. Collecting this data can be useful for potential compliance concerns or wage disputes.

The data can also protect employees from false accusations about the work they do. In the event of company reorganizations or management changes, these records show how remote employees use their work time. The information is also helpful for new management to have a clear picture of the contributions of remote workers.

Be Transparent About Monitoring Policies

When implementing time-tracking or other monitoring software, be transparent. Explain exactly how it works, what it will be monitoring, during what hours it will be in use, and what the data will be used for. Secret tracking is the quickest path to mistrust between managers and employees, and trust may be impossible to win back. If employees feel like their privacy is being violated, you face concerns of noncompliance and poor retention. Solicit feedback about changes to time tracking policies and respect your workers’ opinions.

Along with full transparency, be specific about your goals for the data. Skepticism may not be enough of a reason to implement time-tracking tools, and will be obvious to your employees. Create a concrete plan that lays out the goals for data collection and use software that helps you achieve those results.

While there are challenges with remote and hybrid workers, there are also many benefits. To ensure that the arrangement works best for both the company and the workers, consider transparently using time-tracking software that helps everyone involved meet expectations. WorkforceHub makes it easy to manage remote and hybrid workers with flexible time collection options and advanced tools. Make it part of your routine when it comes to handling a remote workforce.