COVID-19 has provided a wonderful opportunity for executives who were already planning on experimenting with management of their remote teams. Inspiration can be drawn from tech giants such as Facebook and Google, who have decided to manage their most of  employees through remote working policies until 2021.

Overseeing remote employees is a tough ask for any executive, as there is no face to face interaction between employees and employers. On top of this, remote employees are bound to feel demotivated and confused at times, which can upset the entire remote employee management  system. To avoid this, company executives must work with their management to establish virtual offices by investing in effective video conferencing and online communication tools.

The basic purpose of using virtual offices is to manage the business better and also to create a strong connection with remote employees. Employees can share their feelings and suggestions through this connection. This will also make remote employees relax a bit in an otherwise boring remote working environment.

It is extremely beneficial to arrange various socialising activities such as virtual tea breaks to make remote working enjoyable, and to emulate a regular day in the workplace. During these breaks employees can share their personal and professional experiences with colleagues. Another great way to boost the morale of employees could be by organising online video gaming activities. These pastime activities will keep employees engaged and will prevent them from isolation.

Company executives must make sure that their remote working goals are achievable and clearly conversed to their employees. Unclear and unachievable goals can create confusion and demotivation among remote employees. These goals should be tracked through effectual performance metrics. The paid version of the Klipfolio is an effective software to measure the performance of remote workers. High performing employees should be rewarded according to their performance level to keep them motivated and aligned with the long term objectives of the company.

Executives must organise regular face to face meetings between management and remote employees roughly every two weeks. The main aim of conducting these meetings should be to get honest feedback and useful suggestions from remote workers regarding improvement of the current work environment, and to gauge what’s working and what isn't. Such meetings can help company management introduce changes according to the desires and requirements of remote employees. Management can also offer financial benefits or other rewards to workers who give the best suggestions for improving the work environment. These benefits, along with the improvement in work environment will definitely boost up the morale of remote workers.

Executives must also work on offering innovative health insurance plans for remote workers. Safety Wing Insurance is a great option for providing health insurance to remote workers. Additionally, executives must make an effort to create a separate online learning management system for their remote workers. This learning management system could offer free courses on artificial intelligence, machine learning and digital marketing. Employees can take these courses in their free time and will play an important role in their professional development. It will also keep them interested in their respective jobs and build on their existing skill set. 

In addition to motivation issues, companies also face difficulties in managing their profit and loss accounts while working with remote workers. Quick Books online is the best option for executives who are facing difficulties in managing their accounting transactions related to their remote workers. 

Company executives should take Covid-19 as an opportunity rather than a threat. This is the perfect time to test innovative remote working technologies and get effective systems in place, given that some multinationals were planning to allow their employees for remote work even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, there was a steady rise in the workers opting for remote work.

Success of companies in the post Covid-19 era will mostly depend on how their executives will manage and motivate their remote workers.

Written by Ammad Qureshi