By: David Mizne, 15Five

These days, employers are grappling with the dilemma of whether to let their staff work remotely or whether to insist on an in-office policy. With remote opportunities becoming both more common and popular among employees, it’s up to businesses to either overcome the challenges of managing a remote team or risk disengagement and dissatisfaction amongst their team.

Considering 43% of people worked at least some of the time from home in 2016, this is definitely a trend worthy of attention. Now, with the emergence of advanced employee performance management software and a better understanding of the benefits of remote work, businesses are starting to embrace this option.

Performance Increases

One of the areas in which remote staff efficiency is most apparent is in employee performance. A Stanford Business study looked at CTrip, a Chinese travel agency, and focused on 16,000 of their call center employees. Over 9 months, the study revealed a 13% increase in employee performance when staff moved from working in the office to working from home.

The most significant ways performance was measured in this instance was in calls made per minute and amount of time worked per shift; both experienced increases. Determine what the KPIs of your own employee performance should be, so that you can accurately measure the effectiveness of your remote work policy.

More Time Spent Working

Employees who work remotely also have been shown to take fewer sick days. Many remote workers choose to still get work done -- a full 57% admit to working through their sick days.

The ability for staffers working from home to log more hours stems from the flexibility that’s allotted in their schedules. They can choose when and where to work, and therefore have the ability to log time well before or after usual business hours. Also, they can work during the times at which they are the most productive, ensuring the highest level of efficiency and productivity.

The Economical Option

A recent report revealed that $11,000 is saved per person per year when a staff member works remote 50% of the time. The reason for this is twofold: One, office real estate is costly. In-office workers require a space large enough to work from, and that also means furniture. However, when your employees work from home, you’re able to save money on purchasing a large space and the accompanying decorations.

Additionally, working remotely prevents a situation of money lost due to an inability to get to the office. For example, in a snowstorm that inhibits people from coming into your office, you are losing money for each day (and hour, essentially) that they can’t work. When people work from home, inclement weather and other conditions that would otherwise prevent them from coming and doing their job are no longer obstacles.

Measuring Remote Worker Performance

There are quite a few ways a company can track the effectiveness of their remote workers. However, here are a few of the most effective and popular:

• Conduct 360-degree feedback reviews

• Set clear performance goals and metrics

• Complete consistent performance reviews

• Hold regular meetings with remote team members

• Request work screenshots and track levels of activity

Maybe all of these work for your company. Maybe none of them do. Play around with how you track performance and adjust your methods in order to get the most from your remote work strategy.

Working from home is a relatively new option affecting businesses everywhere, so it’s time your organization looked into how to adopt a remote system that improves employee productivity, engagement, and satisfaction.

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