Covid-19 has encouraged many companies throughout the US and around the globe to allow their employees to work from home – that is, some of their employees. But those companies whose managers feel confident that their staff members will be just as hard working at home as they were in the office have truly embraced telecommuting; so much so, in fact that some have switched to a fully remote workforce. In other words, some company owners and managers have found that they can conduct business as usual with their entire workforce telecommuting. How do you know if your company is ready for a fully remote workforce? Here are a few things to consider before going fully remote:

• Is your business really suited for it? Some companies have no problem conducting business as usual with their entire staff working from home, but for other companies going fully remote just isn’t an option. If you’re in the manufacturing industry, for example, you’ll need your line workers onsite in order to produce your products. The same holds true for companies that warehouse and distribute goods, provide repair services at a storefront locations, run brick-and-mortar retail operations, etc. But if you offer products and services that don’t require some of your employees to work onsite, you could be well suited to a fully remote workforce.
• Is your staff prepared to work from home? It’s absolutely essential that every member of your remote team is equipped with the infrastructure required to perform their tasks at home. This includes remote desktop technology, access to cloud-based tools that allow them to work within secure yet shareable environments, video-conferencing capabilities, and IP phones if needed. And it’s a huge benefit if your staff members have been given the opportunity to work from home in the recent past. Those people who are accustomed to telecommuting are more psychologically ready to make the transition to working from home full-time.
• Are you, as a manager, ready to lead a fully remote team? Supervising a group of telecommuters is much different than managing a team of people who are all in the same physical location. You’ll need to remember the importance of checking in with your workers individually on a regular basis, and learn the nuances of how to most effectively run video conference meetings as opposed to in-person meetings. You’ll also need to trust that your employees will perform their duties on their own – even if you’re not physically there to supervise them.

Fortunately, there are tools available that are specifically designed to assist in managing a remote team. MySammy is one excellent example. Our cloud-based software allows you to measure the productivity levels of your telecommuting employees. Unlike other software tools that focus on monitoring employees through computer cameras or blocking workers’ access to certain websites, MySammy instead collects productivity data and presents that information to managers in easy-to-read charts and graphs. It allows you to establish realistic performance standards for your workforce, assess the individual performance of each employee, and encourage each staff member to perform at their most productive level. Are you preparing for a fully remote workforce? Then sign up for MySammy today!