{"id":68895,"date":"2021-02-15T15:40:13","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T13:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=68895"},"modified":"2026-01-29T15:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:47:42","slug":"manage-a-remote-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/manage-a-remote-workforce\/","title":{"rendered":"How to manage a remote workforce with ease"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tManaging people<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to manage a remote workforce with ease\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tMarvin Opperman<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Making remote working adjustments at pace was probably high up on your list of priorities in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the coronavirus<\/a> pandemic, remote working was still new for most small businesses. The need to support business continuity now has moved remote working from \u2018nice to have\u2019 to \u2018essential\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know supporting a remote workforce is a lot more involved than just sending everyone home with a laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to replace your in-person processes with digital ones and find new solutions to manage your core people processes, while keeping your workforce engaged wherever they\u2019re based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things need to be authentic, effective and seamless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a lot to juggle for a small team, even more so for one person. But you need to get this right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your employees don\u2019t feel connected, supported and appreciated<\/a>, they\u2019ll be less likely to stay with your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cloud HR software<\/a> solution will help you stay in control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using one will allow you to stay on top of everything you need to monitor to keep your workforce working productively, with you operating smoothly as their fearless leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we break down the core people processes and how they translate in the remote world of work through digitalisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what this article covers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing schedules for a remote workforce<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onboarding remote employees<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engaging employees with communication<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing productivity within a remote workforce<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get regular feedback<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR technology for remote working<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Remote working: A guide for employers <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Managing schedules for a remote workforce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Digitalisation allows you to empower your staff with self-service tools<\/a> to make tasks such as managing schedules easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gone are the days where holiday forms were submitted, only for them to be rejected two weeks later because another member of the team got there beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cloud HR software has built-in scheduling systems that are accessible from any internet-connected device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your employees can plan their availability in advance on their own time, and you have a bird\u2019s-eye view of everyone\u2019s availability to easily coordinate coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also set controls to minimise your risk of ever being short-staffed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you can limit the number of requests for time off that your employees submit each day, or limit the number of times staff members can take off during peak seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onboarding remote employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Onboarding used to mean in-person introductions and the signing of paper documents. But in today\u2019s current climate, an alternative approach is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digitalisation through HR software puts everything new hires need in one place. You can house org charts, welcome videos, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) there for new hires to access on-demand at their convenience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The screening and interview process can integrate with onboarding so employee data can transfer from one phase to the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New hires can upload their own personal data, to reduce the risk of error, save you time from manually doing so yourself, and create a smooth and seamless onboarding experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engaging employees with communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Good communication is critical when managing a remote workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR software makes that easy with scheduled messaging via email and notifications directly from the software. With a cloud solution, your employees can stay up to date on important work information wherever they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can personalise your communications as well, by location, employee type (permanent, contractor, etc) and anniversary date, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This level of personalisation is important because in some ways it replaces in-person engagement, so it needs to feel sincere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Remote working: A guide for employers <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Managing productivity within a remote workforce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Part of your role as a people leader is to facilitate a productive work environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The implications here can range from making sure the physical office is conducive for work, to building a company culture that promotes your company values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automated data processing lightens the load for you and your workforce by streamlining the admin parts of people management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of pouring over sticky notes or emails to track employee absences, your employees can submit requests through a mobile app that\u2019s much easier to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get regular feedback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since you\u2019re not in an in-person setting, you\u2019ll need to be diligent about checking in with your workforce to gauge how they\u2019re feeling about working for your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuous feedback and regular pulse surveys give you insights into how your people are doing. This enables you to constantly improve your processes, and respond to and improve experiences for your staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can schedule these as frequently as you\u2019d like (without being intrusive during the workday) and coordinate a communications plan to share next step actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Survey tools embedded in your HR software can help you to be a better people company, one that puts its people first for the best business outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR technology for remote working<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No matter what type of business you run, HR tech can help<\/a>. And because it\u2019s cloud-based, app-driven and no longer needs a frighteningly expensive IT project to get it off the ground, you can start straight away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t let the fear of having to learn the ins and outs of a new system slow you down. Instead, it\u2019s helpful to start by exploring how, exactly, these new platforms and apps could help your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll be giving yourself more bandwidth to manage all the moving parts involved with remote working, and giving your staff the work experience they need to stay happy working with the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But where to start?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR tech has great potential to improve your employees\u2019 lives so they are better placed to work to the best of their abilities and help your business succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting with customer and employee experience is a great way to start to narrow down the type of technology you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some questions to ask yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On employees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n