In traditional office workplaces in the past, keeping track of attendance was as simple as punch-in and punch-out systems. This has become much more difficult in today’s working world where employees work different schedules and managers can’t be in the office at all times.
Managers often have trouble delegating tasks and monitoring employees whilst simultaneously working towards a company’s growth.
However, there are several methods, tools, and services available to assist managers in all industries, regardless of their line of work.
Fingerprint Scanners, FOB Systems and Card Scanners
If you have workers who split their time between their home offices and at work, consider a few options; fingerprint scanners, FOB key card systems, and card scanners are some of the most popular choices. Using any one of these provides a great way for managers to gain insight into the attendance of all employees, not just those who are scheduled full-time. With these systems in place, you are able to truly understand and work with the habits of all employees. If someone isn’t meeting their hours, you can intervene.
Utilising Workforce Management Solutions
There are also workforce management systems available for managers who simply do not have the time to keep track of employee attendance on a day-to-day basis. Using these solutions can be useful for mangers who consider themselves always “on the go”. Workforce management services are ideal for managers who travel frequently or who wish to check up on employees and their productivity at any given time.
With this software, you can take hold of the power you have to best determine your most efficient and hard-working employees, along with those who are not as active. The more you know about each employee differently (including the best time for them to complete work), the easier it becomes to gauge what type of work is best for them and if they are the right fit for your company based on demands and whether or not tasks are being completed in a timely manner.
Requesting Calls, Emails, and Other Forms of Check-Ins
If you don’t have the time to visit the office every day, you need to find an alternate way to get in touch with your employees effectively. Schedule regular “Skype” or “Google Hangouts” meetings to catch up with your employee’s progress while delegating new tasks and creating goals to hit each week or month, based on the work industry you are in and represent.
Giving workers a call yourself personally (or delegating the task to another) during businesses hours is helpful to check up on work progress, while also getting feedback or questions that may be on their minds. Speaking with your workers daily should be a priority. Having the ability to quickly communicate with ease and “on the fly” is a way for you to also learn more about your worker’s habits and to determine their best work schedule, based on productivity levels and when most creativity is shown in their work and presentations.
Use Communication Applications
Using communication applications for teams including GoToMeeting and Slack is another method of keeping in touch with your employees when away from the office. Scheduling meetings ahead of time or having meeting times set in place each day or week is another way to connect with larger groups of your employees without micro managing and checking on the progress status of each of those working with you repeatedly.
As messages through programs like Slack are sent instantly, you can drop-in unexpectedly with employees. If someone repeatedly takes too long to reply, it may be a sign that they aren’t focussing on their screen.
Comparing options available to you as a manager is the first step to monitoring performance effectively. Although there are stellar workers who simply enjoy spending their time working in various areas, it is essential to implement a few tools to keep you informed of their productivity and passion for the work they are completing at all times.
The more you know about the workers you have hired, the easier it becomes to pinpoint work schedules and how much effort is being made for each individual task or project you assign, whether it is a solo project or a project for a group of employees to work together on.
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