COVID-19 has changed the world in so many ways. Even now, when we’re already two years into the pandemic (at the time of this writing), most of us are still adjusting to those changes. This is especially true when it comes to our working lives. Fortunately, many companies have been able to adapt to the limitations that have come with the pandemic by allowing their employees to work remotely. But that doesn’t mean that we’ve ironed out all the wrinkles that come with remote work! In fact, when it comes to supervising a work-from-home staff, most managers are still learning the most effective and efficient ways to accomplish that task. In this article, we present some of the greatest challenges that we believe lie ahead for managers in 2022 and beyond, along with some tips on how best to overcome those challenges.
Challenge #1: Measuring Worker Productivity
If you supervise a work-from-home staff and have yet to invest in software that will enable you to measure the productivity levels of your remote workers, you’re missing out on one of the most important management tools available today. MySammy was specifically designed to provide you with valuable information about just how productive your work-from-home staff is on a day-to-day and hour-by-hour basis. And we do it with the full knowledge of the employee and without blocking websites or invading their privacy. Our cloud-based software provides easy-to-ready charts and graphs regarding how your workers are spending their time online.
Challenge #2: Creating a Career Path for Work-from-Home Employees
Both 2020 and 2021 saw an increasing number of employees leaving their jobs. This occurred for many reasons. Among the most common was the perceived lack of advancement opportunities for remote workers. Just because your staff is working from home doesn’t mean they don’t want to advance their careers. And remote work should not give managers an excuse to hold their employees back from climbing the career ladder of their choice. Not only will your employees be more likely to stay with your company in the long term if you provide them with future career opportunities; you’ll also be preparing for what many believe to be the inevitable – a workforce that will be working from home (at least on a part-time basis) for many years to come.
Challenge #3: Paying Your Remote Workers What They’re Worth
Another common reason why so many people are leaving their current positions is their dissatisfaction with their salaries. As a manager, one of the biggest mistakes you can make when managing work-from-home employees is paying them less than you would if they were working in an office environment. You may believe that offering a lower pay scale for remote workers is fair considering that they’ll be paying less for childcare, commuting, eating meals outside the home, etc. But managers who adapt that point of view often find themselves regretting it. If you don’t pay your workers what they’re worth in the current job market, they can (and most likely will) find work elsewhere.
Most experts agree that remote work is here to stay. And while the work-from-home revolution does present challenges for managers, those challenges are not insurmountable. It’s simply a matter of addressing the concerns of your staff, and utilizing the technological tools available to make your job easier. The best place to begin is by signing up for your free trial of MySammy today!
