The new emphasis on a mobile workforce can result in a variety of benefits for business owners and HR managers. However, it can also present a number of challenges. When attempting to manage employees who work at remote offices, travel often, or work from home, HR managers often find that a lack of communication and an inability to bolster team collaboration are the unfortunate downfalls.
One of the ways to mitigate these pitfalls is to incorporate a system that helps them improve mobile workforce productivity through mobile attendance tracking, remote clock-in ability, and mobile scheduling and communication tools. When your team begins using an effective mobile system, you can implement the following strategies to reduce problems and increase productivity.
Strategies to Improve Mobile Workforce Productivity
Most productivity issues with a mobile team stem from communication errors and a lack of cohesion. Traditional teams are used to being able to walk into each other’s offices to talk or rely on weekly boardroom meetings to deal with issues or communicate about projects. As the workforce evolves to one based more on technology and less on personal interaction, HR managers need to put strategies in place to keep employees in sync with each other and with management.
Emphasize Team Collaboration
When your team consists of a variety of people who rarely see each other in person, collaboration can often fall by the wayside. One of the reasons team members fail to collaborate is due to the fact they do not have a consistent and easy way to communicate. With a mobile system based on HTML 5 software, your team becomes more cohesive. With instant feedback available on projects, a quick and easy messaging system, and real-time access to project information and schedules, your team will feel like they are all in the same office.
Consolidate Workflows and Procedures
Does your HR team often feel like it’s trying to piece together a complicated puzzle when managing workflow, schedules, and procedures for remote workers? This can easily harm productivity on the parts of your HR managers as well as the employees they’re attempting to work with. When you give them a system that includes mobile attendance tracking, employee schedule management, and time tracking, workflows and procedures become streamlined and everyone feels like they are on the same page.
Focus on Company Culture
Company culture is often based on the mood that is set in the office by owners and leaders. It can include mandatory recreation time, encouragement to work together, and a focus on being part of the community. Unfortunately, having a widespread workforce that is rarely in the same office together can create a fractured company culture that never fully forms or benefits the team. Though building a company culture through mobile strategies will probably look different than one built on in-person interaction, you can still facilitate this through an effective mobile management system. Have your managers and leaders set communication standards with remote workers and provide them with ongoing feedback and encouragement as they work through the steps of a project.
Offer Easy-to-Use Technology
It’s difficult to be productive when you are required to use complex technology you don’t understand. An easy fix is to incorporate a solution that allows employees to access it from their personal smart devices. Offer remote employee time tracking through an easy clock-in and out system and encourage remote employees to manage their own schedules straight from their tablet or smartphone. There’s nothing easier for your team members to use than the device they’ve already mastered. When you incorporate a mobile-based system, you can save time and money by avoiding costly new equipment and training.
Increase Feedback
When remote workers rarely hear from colleagues or managers, it can impact their work. Improve mobile workforce productivity by increasing feedback through an easy-to-use system. Easy messaging, regular communication, and frequent check-ins on project progress is a highlight of many mobile systems and allows your HR team to be in regular contact with every employee. You can also put a policy into place that encourages or requires other remote workers to provide feedback to their colleagues on a regular basis.
Provide Training and Development Opportunities
Training and development opportunities can easily go out the window when you are constantly trying to keep track of remote employees. With a mobile system that allows for easy communication and group learning, you can schedule training and other development opportunities that remote employees can take part in via video or conference call. When you consistently offer improvement opportunities for your team, their engagement and morale will naturally increase.
Having a flexible workforce that incorporates remote workers and mobile technology has plenty of benefits and will be a growing trend as technology becomes more and more crucial to our economy. To better manage the mobile workforce you need to make your business a success, consider implementing the above strategies to help keep your team motivated, engaged, and productive.
