One of the concerns of some organizations have about their workforce going remote is a drop in productivity. Instead of engaging in focused work for 8 hours a day within a controlled environment. One of the unspoken fears is that workers might become distracted from work and engage in developing their culinary prowess and instead of preparing for a meeting, they make themselves busy perfecting a blueberry scone recipe or finally get a spot on the leader board in their favorite online multi-player game.

The fact is remote work, with a trained workforce, can enhance productivity and increase employee morale.  Often a workforce is held captive in a traditional office environment, but they take time for visits to the break room, restroom, celebrating co-workers achievements or birthdays, walks around the grounds, chit chat and other non-work related activities. Professional standards (norms of behavior) can be established to ensure employees understand how they are expected to perform and operate in a remote environment.

For managers who are accustomed to having all employees in the building, the transition to remote work can be unsettling and frustrating. They have legitimate concerns about the productivity and accountability of their remote employees. However, most lack the knowledge, tools, and support that they need to maintain employee productivity from a distance.    

To address the needs and concerns of your managers, we at WorkforceRemote.org have created a three-step process that we call Remote Control.