Entrepreneur: Managing Remote Workers – Six Tips For Success
SmartMoney’s Diana Ransom covers the basics of virtual work force management. Tips include: start off slow, have a probation period and establish performance measurements.
“Thanks to improved technology and the high price of gasoline, working remotely has become an increasingly popular–and less expensive–option for both large and small work forces. Since 2006, the number of U.S. employees who worked remotely at least one day per month increased 39 percent to 17.2 million in 2008, according to the latest survey available from WorldatWork, a global human resources association in Washington, D.C.
Employers that go this route typically like the reduced rents and technology savings telecommuting affords, while employees appreciate spending less time commuting and lower transportation costs. Despite these benefits, however, many employers remain concerned about whether they’re getting the most from employees, says Rieva Lesonsky, the founder and president of GrowBiz Media, a small business consultancy in Costa Mesa, Calif. “It’s a loss of control thing for them,” she says.”