Keeping Your Telecommuter Visible

A lot of businesses now have employees that work from home.  Some of those employees may not even be in the same state as the business or office they’re working for.  How, as a manager or supervisor, can you manage an employee you don’t see?  Read on and see if any of these ideas will work for you.

You have to have communication between yourself and your employee.  Have a set time for a one on one meeting frequently. This will give the employee a chance to tell you the status of their work.  It will also give you an opportunity to answer any questions or to settle concerns about the job the employee has.  You can also, at this time, review the quality and quantity of the employee’s output and if they are meeting deadlines.  Once a month, hold an onsite meeting for all the staff with conference calls from the telecommuter.  If the staff and telecommuter have never met, use this time to formally introduce them.  This will make them feel welcomed and helps with communication if questions or problems arise.  The meeting will also allow input from all the employees and handle any potential problems.  You can also evaluate employee morale and job satisfaction during these meetings.

Be sure you are available for your telecommuters.  Remember to answer questions promptly after receiving them.  If there is a technological problem or a work issue question, telecommuters will expect to have answers to their questions to complete their work projects and not get a backlog.  A good communication policy is helpful.

Be sure to let the onsite employees know they can contact the telecommuter during normal work hours.  Although your telecommuter may be a night owl or an early riser, set up a phone or email policy so that the employee can be contacted if needed, even if they aren’t working at that time.  The idea is to make the telecommuter as accessible to their coworkers and you as if they were actually in the building.

Make sure your telecommuters have a good idea of what needs to be done, the goals that are to be accomplished and due dates.  Due dates allow telecommuters to get the job finished on time. If telecommuters don’t know what’s expected of them or their responsibilities, then neither you nor they will be satisfied with the job performance.  Also, keep in mind, in all actuality; you may not be the only business a telecommuter is working for.  Don’t forget to ask the telecommuter how they would prefer to connect with in-office employees and other telecommuters that are part of your business.

If your telecommuter is a temporary worker, make sure they are in the loop.  The person on the other end is a real person, not a talking computer.  It never hurts to ask how they are or just a friendly good morning to let them know they’re part of the group.  Some managers are afraid that if they aren’t standing over an employee that the work won’t get finished.  You have to learn to trust your telecommuter to get the job done.  Without the distractions of the office and coworkers, production may actually increase.  If a telecommuter is not doing their job, it will show in the work performance and can be corrected or disciplinary action can be enforced.

By making adjustments on your end and becoming the best manager you can in these new circumstances, your relationship with your employee will not be an invisible one!

Do you have telecommuters in your business?  How do you handle the interaction?