If managing a remote workforce is new for you, you may have noticed it is far more difficult to monitor employee behavior without the benefit of face-to-face interaction. In the office, you see employees coming, going and working at their designated work spaces. This is not so for employees working from home, so the question becomes “How do I know they are actually working?”

The answer is to place more emphasis on output than input. Focus on what your employees are creating. How many deals did they close? How many customers did they satisfy? How many products did they assemble? How many reports have they written? The idea is to find a way to evaluate productivity levels by using metrics outside of hours spent.

Consider what output items you can use to evaluate productivity for your employees currently working from home. You may have different metrics for different groups of employees.

NOTE: Proper monitoring of non-exempt employees who work remotely requires mobile time tracking of some sort. Non-exempt, hourly employees must still log their work hours and managers should still review them to ensure accurate time records are maintained. You must remain compliant with wage and hour laws in your area, regardless of whether your employees work remotely or on site.

Email [email protected] for guidance with wage and hour laws in your area.