Hybrid & remote workforce management software. For better visibility into how work gets done.

Remote workforce management is the process of managing remote and hybrid employees. This generally includes a combination of communication, software and processes developed specifically for distributed teams. At a minimum, these components should make it easy for employees to work from home — and across different time zones — while remaining highly productive. Managing a remote workforce often requires a flexible approach to accommodate flexible schedules, and involves the tricky balance of maintaining  oversight without becoming overbearing.

Remote workforce management is essential for businesses that want to implement or expand their remote work policy. A well-rounded strategy provides managers with insights about remote employees so they can provide more relevant support, resulting in better performance for the business. It also allows you to identify any employees who may be feeling disconnected from the team or even burned out, which can result in communication issues and turnover. By using remote workforce software, managers proactively address these issues by watching for signs before they become larger problems.

Using software to manage your remote employees can shed light on how your workplace policies are affecting your workforce. Other benefits of remote workforce management software include:

• Increase productivity and performance
• Reduce burnout and attrition
• Improve work-life balance
• Boost employee engagement
• Recruit from a larger talent pool
• Strengthen communication between managers and employees
• Inform hiring and workload decisions
• Identify and prevent off-site compliance issues

Remote team management software benefits both managers and employees. By gaining visibility for remote workers, managers are better equipped to provide coaching and encourage breaks if an employee starts to show signs of burnout. Remote team management software also helps identify inefficient workflows so managers can update processes and employees can work smarter instead of harder.

While proper oversight provides numerous benefits, it’s not without its difficulties. Common challenges of managing a remote workforce include:

• Communication issues: Most conversations must be planned in advance when done virtually. And unfortunately, video calls and virtual collaboration tools can’t replace the nonverbal cues of face-to-face interactions
• Lack of transparency: While trust is crucial to successful remote work environments, you simply can’t see what employees are up to when you’re not in the same physical workspace.
• Data security: From unsecure coffee Wi-Fi networks to the potential for a stolen laptop, remote workforce management involves risks that don’t factor in at the office.
• Availability differences: Whether it’s project management or team meetings, most remote managers struggle at some point to coordinate schedules. This is especially true for teams distributed across multiple time zones.

The best way to overcome these and other common challenges is with the right tools and practices. Remote workforces come with their own set of difficulties, which means leaders must take a remote-first approach to management.

Remote workforce management starts with setting expectations in the form of a remote policy that clearly outlines schedules and goals. Managers should also set up regular meetings, including one-on-ones with individual employees and team-wide syncs where people can share updates and discuss questions or concerns. It’s also important to ensure team members have the right technology for remote working, from video conferencing and communication tools to reliable remote workforce management software. The latter makes it easy to collect and analyze remote worker activity, allowing you to see when employees may need more support.

Managing a remote or hybrid workforce effectively requires clear processes, tools and strategies. Workforce management solutions help organizations understand how employees work across different locations and time zones. These tools provide insights into which team members may need additional support and what conditions help people perform their best, enabling managers to adapt policies to improve productivity and well-being.

Even for small remote teams, implementing workforce management practices early makes coordination easier and prevents challenges as the team grows. By establishing structured workflows and using technology to monitor activity in a responsible and transparent way, organizations support employee engagement, reduce the risk of burnout and maintain performance over time.

Workforce management tools also support hybrid and on-site employees, helping managers maintain visibility and provide guidance regardless of where people are working.

Once you’ve made the decision to invest in a solution, the next step is to narrow down your software options. When comparing remote workforce management solutions, be sure  to consider:

• Functionality: Identify the essential features for your remote teams, such as location insights and app usage. Choose a solution that has everything you need, with bonus points for extras.
• Scalability: Look at how the solution can scale as your remote team grows, including what it will cost to add employees or entire departments.
• Integration: Make sure the solution you’re considering integrates with your existing technology stack.
• Customization: Pick something you can customize based on the unique needs and preferences of your business.
• Usability: Get a demo to verify the software is easy to use, especially if there are features employees can use to track their own performance.
• Cost: Look at pricing for each solution to ensure it will fit within your budget as your hybrid or remote workforce grows.
• Customer support: Ensure the solution you choose offers customer support that’s helpful, responsive and fast.

Considering these factors will give you the information you need to choose the right remote workforce management software for your business.

If you want to manage your remote workforce productively, you’ll first need to collect data and establish a baseline for measuring improvement. This is exactly what ActivTrak is designed to do.

Our remote work management software continually monitors metrics such as work duration and app usage, with finely-tuned privacy controls that help you build trust with employees. We provide insights that make it easy to see how and when remote employees are most productive, what technology they need and even who’s at risk of overwork and burnout.

And we do it all without the need for trust-busting surveillance or heavy oversight. Our workforce management software provides all the insights you need to support both in-office and remote teams — and none of the details you don’t. Our powerful platform focuses on collecting contextual data while avoiding invasive employee monitoring technologies like keystroke logging and continuous screenshots.

All so you can build a remote work culture of trust and transparency while providing the support people need to do their best work from any location. Request a demo to see it in action today.

In addition to information about ActivTrak’s software, we’ve also created several resources about hybrid and remote workforce management to help you make an informed decision when choosing a tool for your organization.

• Workforce management: A complete guide
• How to unlock the benefits of remote work
• 3 key hybrid and remote worker monitoring metrics
• Remote work monitoring done right
• Looking toward the future of remote work
• The impact of remote work on productivity levels
• How to manage remote workers with success
• How to overcome common remote team challenges
• How implementing a remote work policy helps employees work smarter
• Remote workforce technology to maximize productivity