Managing a workforce that isn’t there

In today’s world, especially in the knowledge-based industry, more and more people are working remotely.

A new study conducted by Robert Half Technology shows that telecommuting is becoming more commonplace, especially among IT professionals. This phenomenon is only going to grow as our world gets smaller and companies have employees dispersed around the globe.

From the pie chart below, we can see the reasons why this is so attractive to organizations… the top two reasons include increased productivity and happy employees. Sounds like a no-brainer.

The trick though becomes in managing and interacting with them. Sure we all have email, instant messenger, voip, etc. but what about the typical HR processes that every organization needs to have? Things like requesting time off, updating personal info, swapping shifts, communicating schedules, allocating time to specific projects, etc. All of these day-to-day activities take on a whole new meaning when you’re dealing with people who work remote. Plus, don’t forget the issue of compliance… knowing whether your employees are signed in or not, just how many vacation days they have taken or have left, etc.

Workforce management solutions today have been designed with these issues in mind. Utilizing a modern workforce management solution helps organizations manage remote workers while reducing effort for all parties. Plus, knowing how many vacation days an employee has left is a great benefit that helps protect everybody involved.