ForumsManaging Employees and HR

Glad to hear that your business is hiring. Here are some tips based on my experience:

1) Trust your employee - just because they are out of sight, doesn't mean that they are not working. In fact, sometimes there are more distractions in the office vs. home. It shouldn't matter where they are working, as long as they are producing expected results.

2) Set clear deliverables and target deadlines - because you don't have face to face contact it's important to be very clear on project deliverables and deadlines.

3) Schedule weekly check-ins or more frequently if your business requires - it's helpful to have scheduled meetings with clear deliverables. This way, you can see their work progressing. If they are delivering results, then they are working effectively. If the work is not consistently meeting your expectations, then it could be an issue of unclear communication. Don't automatically assume its because of them working remotely.

4) Leverage email, but don't forget to regularly talk on the phone too! Some people also leverage chat/instant messenger - if you want to feel instantly connected. There are also other tools, like web conferencing, desktop sharing, etc. that really make it easy to connect regardless of where people are located.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I can't effectively hire an employee, conduct job-specific training, or provide daily supervision from a distance. I interview and hire in-person, and conduct job-specific training one-on-one (although some policy and procedure orientation/training is video or web-based). My goal is to select the right candidate and train that person well enough up front that daily supervision isn't necessary, and I only need to regularly guide, coach, assess, and mentor the employee once he/she is on the job -- and I can do that from afar. (Having measurable performance standards, targets, and expectations is the key there.)

Best wishes.