Remote teams can offer many benefits to a business. The Office of National Statistics released data showing a rise of almost 250,000 remote workers in the UK and this is only set to increase over the next decade. Remote working is obviously beneficial for employees, but it comes with its fair share of challenges for managers; particularly with regards to managing remote Time and Attendance. Remote time tracking is vital for managing remote employees in companies of all sizes, to ensure efficient working and for monitoring productivity whilst working from home.
In the office, it’s easy to see how employees time is being spent, and quickly pick up on cues when they need support. It’s not so easy to monitor when they’re in the field, or working from home. It’s so important for managers to monitor remote time and attendance tracking to ensure work is being completed, schedules are adhered to and time isn’t being wasted. Luckily, we live in a time where technological advancements allow for remote working and the ability for managers manage remote teams effectively whilst keeping an eye on time and attendance.
These are some useful things to consider when managing remote workers.
#1 Time Tracking
If you manage remote teams and they are required to work within a specific time frame, or set hours, remote worker time tracking systems will be beneficial.
Remote tracking is not just important for productivity, but also for Payroll and ensuring employees are paid correctly for their time. There are different types of time tracking software available. You may choose to implement web tracking software, where the employee can enter in their start and finish time. Alternatively, a cloud timesheet for inputting working hours and real-time data, which allows managers to approve the hours. Time trackers may also be part of a wider project management system. The successful completion of projects is usually time dependent, so this can be useful for keeping everything on schedule.
With most time tracking software, employees will usually just log in with their username and password and input their hours.
#2 Mobile Time and Attendance
If you have a time and attendance system in place, it is a good idea to incorporate it into a mobile application. Attendance systems for remote employees benefit greatly from a mobile app, and this is particularly important for managing employees who work on the road, as it’s much more convenient for them to track time on the go. Remote attendance systems can offer a ‘clock in and out’ feature and allow employees to manage holiday requests from their mobile.
#3 GPS Tracking
GPS tracking is particularly beneficial if you are managing remote workers who are out and about most of the time. For instance, you may have construction staff on the road or HR advisers who spend their time travelling to meetings. GPS tracking is a good way for managers to know where their workers are, so you can assign them with jobs in their local area, manage productivity and it is also beneficial from a health and safety perspective. It can also be more professional if you know where your employees are when you take calls from customers.
#4 Team Relationships
It is important to carefully manage remote teams, not just in terms of their Time and Attendance, but also their wellbeing. The idea of remote working can seem alluring at first, but the glamour can soon taper when the reality sets in. There’s the danger that remote workers can end up feeling isolated and managers have a responsibility for minimising this as much as possible. There is no excuse not to ensure remote teams are working together effectively, even if they do it face to face. You can keep remote workers connected by using software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Slack, Skype, and many more! This kind of software is useful for holding team meetings and keeping staff engaged with the wider organisation on a day to day basis.
Overall, remote workers have been shown to be happier and less likely to take time off than those who work in offices. A study by Stanford University revealed that half of remote workers feel they are more productive when they work from home, rather than in the office, where there are more distractions. Implementing remote time and attendance systems will allow you to manage productivity and working from home attendance more effectively.
If you want to find the right remote time and attendance software to suit your needs, call us on 0330 726 0066, book a demo or email sales@mitrefinch.co.uk today for more information.
