Can You Still Phone It In? The Challenges of Managing Remote Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic may be behind us, but its effects are still felt, especially in the workplace. Between 2019 and 2023, 40% of U.S. employees started working from home at least one day per week. Sustaining a remote workforce has become a necessity. Supporting a remote and hybrid workforce presents new leadership challenges, particularly now that organizations are moving workers back to the office.

During the pandemic, the challenges of managing remote teams became apparent. How do you keep remote workers motivated? How do you measure their performance? How do you manage a disjointed staff consisting of in-house and remote workers?

Creating a productive work environment that embraces remote workers takes creative thinking, new approaches to team management, and new leadership skills. That’s when they call in Dr. Phlatt Mclean, founder of PhlattLine and an expert in adaptive leadership.

The Pros and Cons of Remote Work

The pandemic made work from home a necessity, and it’s clear that remote work is here to stay. Twenty percent of employees work remotely, and 16% of companies are totally remote. Ninety-eight percent of workers polled said they want to work remotely at least part of the time. And experts anticipate that 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025.

While there are still some skeptics, there are clear benefits to embracing a remote worker strategy. By going remote, companies save an average of $10,600 per employee. Workers also save an average of $12,000 annually in commuting costs, clothes, gas, food, and other expenses. Ninety-three percent of workers say working from home is good for their health and mental health. Forty-eight percent also said that working remotely reduces stress.

Many executives remain skeptical about the ROI of remote work. Mark Zuckerberg declared that Meta engineers “get more done” in the office, and Google’s chief people officer told employees that working out of the office would affect performance reviews. Research shows that remote workers are 10-20% less productive (which can be offset by the added cost of supporting office workers). However, research has also shown that hybrid workers are as effective as in-office workers.

Part of Dr. Mclean’s job is to help organizations create an adaptive leadership structure that accommodates remote and hybrid workers. He assists managers in developing metrics to measure performance, assessing remote teams, and developing strategies to maximize employee performance.

Leading a Remote Team

Corporate leaders know they must embrace remote and hybrid work to remain competitive. Creating a productive remote/hybrid work environment requires a new management approach. Every organization has different criteria to make remote work effective. Senior management must start by determining how to gauge the performance of remote workers.

Before creating a remote work policy, you must assess the entire organization. Analyze every department to create a baseline to gauge remote worker performance. Consider how each department supports remote work. Which job functions or teams are best suited to work from home?

For example, customer service workers may only need internet access and a computer to be productive. Similarly, some software developers are more productive working on their own. Sales is another role that lends itself to remote work. Start with the big picture and then focus on specific areas.

Use the Right KPIs

Developing key performance indicators (KPIs) that accurately measure performance is essential. Use KPIs that create a level playing field for remote and in-house workers. The goal is to have accurate metrics to compare the performance of remote and in-house workers. That’s the only way to make data-driven decisions.

“You want to set the bar to compare which group is actually performing better,” said Dr. Mclean. “For example, you can measure them using a common baseline, such as the number of phone requests, intakes, or tickets, then see who is responding more frequently, faster, and with higher completion rates.”

If there is a disparity in performance, the next step is to understand why. Perhaps it’s a lack of technological tools or access to essential data. Is it communications? Are there more distractions or demands on their time, either working in-house or remotely? If there is a disparity, consider whether remote workers have the technical assets and resources they need to succeed. For example, is slow or sporadic internet access affecting performance?

“If the technology you have doesn’t allow you to function at 100%, then you don’t have what you need to do your job,” said Dr. Mclean.

Help Remote Workers Succeed

The issue could be individual performance. Some people work better in a group setting, while others work better independently. The right KPI metrics help identify problems affecting all remote workers versus individual underperformers. Once you understand why a particular worker is struggling, you can provide a solution to help them improve, such as scheduling time in the office to increase productivity or finding new ways to increase engagement.

“As a leader, your first thought should be to lift someone,” Dr. Mclean said. “The leader must get into the weeds and see what’s going on and how to help underperformers be  efficient and productive.”

Creating a culture that supports remote employees and benefits the organization is essential. For example, Dr. Mclean said a client company adopted remote work as an employee benefit. Every employee had the option of working remotely two days per week. One day was set aside for all employees to come in office., which helped accommodate meetings and other activities. This approach proved to optimize productivity while allowing employees to work remotely to accommodate their schedules.

Some people will work independently and meet deadlines without prompting. Others need daily check-ins. Adopt KPIs that track performance and empower employees, and adapt your management approach to help remote and in-house employees maximize their potential.

“As a leader, you need to know your people, how they work, where they work, when they work, how effective they are,” said Dr Mclean. “Just as you pivot when there is an industry crisis, as an adaptive leader, you need to help your people pivot to maximize success and organizational potential.”