5 Biggest Challenges to Managing a Remote Workforce

By Jordan McDowell

Remote work has proven to be a win-win for all parties involved. Business owners are able to select from a wide and global talent pool, cut operation costs, and work with more productive employees. On the other end, employees and freelancers can enjoy a better work-life balance, reduce lengthy commutes, and work from anywhere. This doesn’t mean, however, that this new arrangement doesn’t come with challenges. Managing a remote workforce requires a new way of doing business.

While remote work was steadily growing even before the pandemic, Covid-19 played a huge role in its acceleration. In an attempt to flatten the curve, most companies were forced to embrace this new way of working. The world has had to acknowledge both the perks and challenges presented by remote work.

With time, both businesses and employees have been leaning on these benefits and looking for ways to mitigate, if not eliminate, the challenges. The fact that remote work is here to stay makes addressing the underlying challenges of managing a remote workforce essential. 

Challenges to managing a remote workforce

1. Businesses must find new ways to assess employee performance

Performance reviews have changed a lot with so many companies working remotely. The fact that employees and managers are not in the same room adds a layer of complexity to tracking performance. If an organization doesn’t have the necessary tracking tools, it can be easy for it to fall prey to productivity killers like time theft and monotony.

During reviews, communication can also be tough since employees may miss non-verbal cues from their managers. It also can be easy for biases to take center stage during performance reviews since managers have limited visibility of their employees' performance. Worst of all, being out of reach means managers may have limited control over the challenges employees face.

To adapt, many organizations have embraced self-evaluations, and internal and peer reviews. This gives managers a better understanding on how their employees are faring, while promoting healthy internal communication and trust. Businesses have also been forced to create new performance KPIs and find the right tools for tracking them.

2. Cybersecurity must be a necessity—not an afterthought

Remote work has moved most business interactions online. Everything is now being done on the internet, from project collaboration to employee onboarding. While today’s technology is more formidable against cyberattacks, hackers are constantly looking for security loopholes. Small businesses are much more vulnerable to attacks than most people think—two-thirds of SMBs have experienced a cyberattack.

A single cyberattack could easily suspend business operations; in fact, some businesses have had to close shop completely after a cyberattack. Successful attacks can result in data breaches, expensive lawsuits and fines, high customer churn rates, and even the loss of trust from business partners.

Businesses need to think about cybersecurity as a necessity instead of an afterthought. Investing in security tools and auditing corporate networks’ security is no longer a luxury. Most important, key stakeholders will have to educate themselves about cybersecurity and the impact their actions have on data security.

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3. A strong company culture is more important than ever

Company culture is an important productivity driver in both remote and in-office workforces. The right culture ensures employees feel heard, happy, protected, and that they belong to a community. The thought that they are contributing to a cause greater than themselves makes them more motivated to show up for work. In fact, 57% of employees consider company culture as vital as pay when looking for work.

Regardless of whether they have defined it or not, every business has a culture. With most employees having to work remotely, developing a strong, healthy culture is important to help employees feel they belong to something of value, and a positive company culture is a key component to successfully managing a remote workforce. Consistently communicating the company’s mission and vision and working towards it as a group can foster a healthy, collaborative culture.

For most businesses, the onus of building a strong culture lies on the shoulders of the leaders. Leaders should:

• Set, communicate, and celebrate milestones.
• Set high performance standards by leading by example.
• Respond to employee requests for feedback, help, or input in a timely manner.
• Build strong relationships with employees and encourage their participation.
• Encourage a culture of accountability in the workforce.
• Respond to employees’ concerns about their growth and development and that of the company.

4. HR departments will have to adapt

Unfortunately, perks like gourmet cafeterias, onsite gyms, unlimited snacks, nap pods, and game rooms lose their appeal when nobody is going into the office. Remote workers are more focused on health benefits, remote work opportunities, and flexible working policies. From the employer’s perspective, HR departments must look for recruits with the soft skills that can help them thrive in a remote workforce: communication, collaboration, teamwork, and adaptability.

In addition, HR departments will have to look for tools that make their own jobs easier online. Most of their core operations will be done remotely, including hiring, learning and development, and performance reviews. From having a great scheduler to using a reliable time-tracking tool, picking the right tools will be essential to building a thriving workforce. The tools should help employees stay engaged and ensure their workdays are as seamless as possible.

5. Work-life balance and employee mental health must be prioritized

Remote work promises a healthier work-life balance than in-office work; however, it is easy for the line between work life and home life to get blurred when working from home. Remote work can be invasive, especially if managers think that their employees will always be online and ready for work. This may not only cause burnout, but also lead to a decline in the worker’s mental health.

Employers and managers need to take the responsibility of promoting a healthy work-life balance for their workforce. Most businesses have developed policies that promote a good mixture of work and time off for employees; some companies offer employees mental health support via third-party services, such as an online mental health service like Ginger or Headspace.

Managing a remote workforce requires new way of working

For many workers, remote work has become the new normal. It offers benefits that make it worth embracing by all members of the organization. The more that businesses can eliminate or reduce common remote working challenges, the sooner it will be the standard way that all modern companies operate.

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