What not to do. Here are five of the most frequent mistakes employers make when managing employees and remote workers they don’t see…

#1 Negativity. People won’t always perform as well as you hope when away from the office, but drawing attention to a persons shortcomings isn’t the answer. There needs to be a two way communication to not only ensure things are being done in the right way, but that the worker feels part of the team.

#2 Failing to communicate generally. Make sure you’re remote workers are always looped in on whats going on in your business. If you get a new client, send out an email to everyone making sure they are updated etc. It is also important that your remote workers are in touch with as many other employees as possible.

#3 Excluding people from work events. Don’t assume that remote workers wont want to attend office functions. Even if geography will prevent some from attending events, an invite goes a long way. Furthermore, have team building days where all employees can spend some time together in real life.

#4 Being picky about details. The remote working arena is not one to micro manage. There is a responsibility on both side, and standards and actions must be obvious and adhered to from either side.

#5 Send only the best to work from home. Not only will you lose your best from the office environment, but they may not be as productive from home. The best kind of remote workers are those recruited with that in mind, as they often have very sound reasons fro working remotely that suit their lifestyle.

by Sadie