Here’s an unpopular opinion: all employees need some form of supervision. Yet, not all forms of supervision work.

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Are you interested in learning how to know if remote employees are working? Read on to find the top monitoring advice.

How Do Employers Monitor Remote Workers? The Most Efficient Practices

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Company leading styles differ from company to company—from the most flexible to the most rigid. Still, to be effective, managing and monitoring practices need to be tailored to the specific industry, team, and employee.

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So, how do employers monitor remote workers? How do they customize their tracking practices? Here are several proven strategies:

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1. Implement Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

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Establishing KPIs is necessary for tracking employee performance and aligning their goals with business objectives.

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Use the SMART framework to make them more suitable for your remote teams. In other words, make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. For example, you could set a target for the sales team—a minimum of 50 calls per day and one new qualified lead.

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Once KPIs are defined, communicate them clearly, and monitor progress regularly.

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2. Hold Regular Team Syncs

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Daily standups offer a structured way to connect remotely and maintain accountability. Keep the meetings short, around 15 minutes, and stick to a clear agenda. Ask team members to share progress updates and identify challenges. Having a “cameras on” rule can further improve communication.

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3. Introduce Daily Performance Recaps

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While standups emphasize future goals, end-of-day reports focus on completed work.

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Develop a standardized template for each role, and ask employees to submit daily reports before logging out. Review these reports regularly to identify over- and under-performers.

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In the process, always keep in mind that these reports mean extra workload for managers. Also, be careful not to turn this helpful practice into micromanagement.

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4. Review Project Tracking & Messaging Platforms

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Project management software and messaging apps can reveal how teams allocate their time and handle their tasks.

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You can also require employees to stay online during specific hours and respond promptly to messages. This is a good indicator if someone is at their workstation and at the same time ensures better workflow.

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Make sure you are transparent about key goals since this helps teams prioritize their tasks and stay focused.

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5. Gather Feedback from Colleagues

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In addition to direct monitoring, gather feedback from colleagues and supervisors for a fuller picture.

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Use specific questions about task completion times and project delays. Survey tools like Officevibe or CultureMonkey offer secure and anonymous ways to collect responses.

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This feedback complements performance data and helps identify areas for improvement.

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6. Monitor Workers’ Time & Productivity with Insightful

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Employee monitoring software, like Insightful, eliminates guesswork by automatically tracking logins and logouts. It provides a clear dashboard displaying employee hours as well as productive, unproductive, and idle time. This way, it provides proof of work and helps optimize productivity.

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How to Track the Productivity of Remote Workers? 

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Are you puzzled over how to track productivity of remote workers? Insightful is among the greatest allies you can have in finding the best productivity monitoring practices for your team.

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This software empowers employers with advanced productivity monitoring tools. It offers a real-time view of employee activities. 

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In addition, Insightful provides productivity scores based on app and website usage. This way it provides managers with clear insights into how tasks are managed and helps them identify potential distractions.

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Detailed online timesheets break down work activities, making it easier to pinpoint inefficiencies. Features like real-time screen monitoring and customizable screenshots enable immediate surveillance. Thanks to it, managers can promptly address productivity issues.

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This comprehensive approach helps teams stay focused on productive tasks while maximizing their potential and improving overall performance.

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How to Track Time for Remote Workers?

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Remote employee attendance is another concern for employers. Are you also considering how to track time for remote workers? Insightful has a solution. 

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This software enables accurate monitoring of remote employees' work hours and attendance. This way it allows you to ensure everyone adheres to schedules.

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Insightful offers automated time tracking, recording when employees start and finish their work, and manual entry options for flexibility. Employers can monitor attendance by tracking clock-in and clock-out times, breaks, and overtime.

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The platform ensures every minute is accurately recorded, streamlining payroll processing and reducing errors.

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Finding the best strategy to make sure your remote employees are really working takes time and experimentation. Try each of the practices, combine them, and all the while gather feedback from your team. 

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The majority of companies do turn to remote employee monitoring software since through practice, they learn that the most efficient monitoring strategies require help from these tools.

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Rely on a robust and customizable software like Insightful, and you too can start improving productivity and accountability in your team.

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