Since the pandemic, most company operating dynamics have changed. The new normal might last longer than expected, with businesses shifting their regular work routines to accommodate some of the changes. One of the changes is working remotely.
By creating cloud-based work portals and websites, your employees can comfortably deliver from the comfort of their homes. As is with business operations, time is of the essence. Managing team member attendance even in such cases ascertains that you don't compromise on productivity.
Here are tips on how to handle team member attendance in the new normal:
1. Time Tracking
Now that employees don't have to show up for work physically, a lot could be at stake. First, this may encourage some to extend their sleep time since they don't have to commute to work. Others could see this as an opportunity to do other non-related work at home during their shifts. For some, since there's no one to monitor them like supervisors, it could mean spending time on their socials instead of concentrating on work. As a manager, it's good to understand the typical excuses employees make to absent themselves from work. You can use some of these helpful tips to deal with absenteeism cases.
And for such reasons, you may need to time-track your team member's working hours. Again, the new normal has introduced different working time frames for some employees. You can only be sure to monitor the hours worked through tracking systems. Time tracking software typically records keyboard and mouse activities and takes screenshots randomly, thus giving you an accurate picture of what your staff is working on in real-time.
Make it a requirement for all your employees to track work time. You can even set it as the basis for payroll processing, so they do it without fail.
2. Mobile Attendance System
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The invention of a mobile time attendance tracker ensures you seamlessly manage onsite and remote workers. It works best for project assignments or work that can be done while on the go. You can also tell how punctual your employees are in delivering their assigned tasks. Such a system also helps you calculate team member compensation according to the hours worked.
As the manager, you can sometimes get non-work-related duties. This shouldn't give your employees the time to embark on personal work. Customarily, most employees tend to ditch jobs once they realize that the team leaders aren't in the vicinity. A sophisticated mobile attendance system ensures you keep tabs on everyone at work and monitor what they're doing.
3. Global Positioning System (GPS) Tracking
When you have remote workers, especially in the field service industry, it's crucial to ascertain their location at any particular time. This assures you that they're at the site you dispatched them to. Remember, some workers can lie and take detours to address personal issues. This robs your company of time and finances.
An excellent option is using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track their whereabouts. This way, you'll know what’s happening in the field as you handle other managerial duties from your office.
4. Cloud-Based Calendar
Transparency in your organization is a massive boost for team member working relationships. Employees can feel motivated to work and collaborate with their colleagues if they can tell who else is working during their shift.
Setting up a cloud-based calendar puts every team member on the same page. It helps you upload work schedules online and update employees on upcoming events on time. This is a sure way to get things done if you want to scale down absenteeism. From the work schedules, you can prepare for the day's workflow prior.
5. Regroup And Work In Shifts
The best thing about the new normal working conditions is time flexibility. The remote workers can work at their convenient time, and this allows you to assign tasks in order of urgency. With the time advantage on their side, you should expect more projects to be completed. Time flexibility reduces the pressure of completing projects within the standard working hours.
However, this breeds new trouble for managers regarding employees working outside office hours. You need to regroup and ensure both onsite and remote workers are efficient. If the remote workers need to consult, you should give them timelines on when to communicate or how to go about it. You can also ensure that once in a while, both teams work within the exact time schedules to give every member a chance to raise concerns or comments.
6. A Place For Employees To Talk
If you notice that some of your remote workers are loners, this could affect their attendance and productivity. It'd be best if you created an inclusive and exciting work environment for your employees. In standard office settings, employees interact and go for breaks together to break work monotony. This might not be the case with remote workers. They could sit glued to their workstations without anyone to talk to, and this could adversely affect their productivity rate.
You can spice things up by making frequent calls or creating a virtual watering point where employees can communicate easily. This will draw remote working employees to work every day, given that humans are social beings. With such breaks, you foster good team relations among your employees and ensure their well-being.
Conclusion
The new normal is primarily characterized by remote working, which is prone to poor attendance. Working away from the office is susceptible to disruptions. Thus, it takes extra effort to ensure all workers are at their post of duty. First, sensitize them on better time management to improve productivity and meet the company's objectives. Second, use technology to monitor them remotely. Finally, it'd help if you’re a present manager to set the pace for your team members. They'll follow suit and measure up to your diligence if they realize you're always working and available.
Although you have to monitor how the employees work, give them the independence to work on their projects. Such trust helps them put their best foot forward and ensure you work towards a common goal.