How to Monitor an Employee Working From Home

In today’s wired work world it can be a good thing for both employees and employers to work from home. Employees gain flexibility over their schedules and reduce expensive and time consuming commutes. Employers save money on office space and gain motivated employees. But it can be tough to know if those employees working from home are getting the job done.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Set clear expectations. All employees should know what is expected of them when they are working from home these have to be really clear. Expectations include performance standards, communication guidelines and hours that you want the employee at their desk available to you, other employees or customers.

2. Manage time differences. You work in LA your employee works from home in Miami. Make sure this is part of your expectations and communications.

3. Share a to-do list. This can be done through an on line calendar or just by email. You can each check off items as they are completed.

4. Set up regular virtual meetings. Whether it is a phone call or web cam make sure you talk to your employee on a regular basis. Once a week is a good standard for check in meetings. Put it on your calendar and stick to a schedule.

5. Include remote employees in regularly scheduled meetings. Whether your entire team works from their homes or just one or two members hold regular meetings and include everyone. You can do this by conference call or web cam. Make sure you have an agenda and follow up with minutes so information and assignments that come out of the meeting are clear.

6. Plan a face to face meeting at least once a year. Whether it is part of a business trip to the employee’s general area or a group meeting make certain that you meet face to face. This will improve communications and your work relationship.

7. Include employees working from home in all regular employee communications. This can be employee activities, newsletters or benefits communications. Just because they are not in a building does not mean they should not be on the mailing list whether it’s hard copy or electronic.

Tips & Warnings

• Check time zones for everyone involved when you set up a meeting that will include people working from home. That 3:00 p.m. meeting is perfect for you on the west coast; but the east cost participants are being asked to start a meeting at 6:00 p.m.
• Take care with cultural or language differences with employees who work from or are native to other countries. These can be easily misconstrued during conference calls and in email messages.