Keeping track of remote workers is a challenge. Not only do you have to manage employees in different time zones, but you also face the challenge of having so much physical distance between you and your workers. These factors can make it feel impossible to properly lead and manage your workforce.
As a manager or business owner, you want peace of mind that your remote workers are working when they should be. You also want to know that everyone on the team is most efficiently using their time. But let’s face it, remote work does have its pitfalls. Working from home or while on-the-go opens the door for all sorts of distractions and work/life balance issues, which can impact time management.
The good news is that time tracking software can be used to keep everyone on track and working towards completing all of their daily tasks. Here’s what you need to know about these apps, so you can track your time wisely while also keeping tabs on your workers.
Benefits for Remote Workers
Remote workers need a dependable and streamlined way to accurately log all of their tasks, to include the amount of time they spend working on certain things throughout the day.
By giving remote workers access to a quality time tracking app, you can ensure that they are accurately invoicing for all of the work that is completed each day. This way you can ensure that clients are being billed correctly, based on the actual hours worked.
These apps are also beneficial in that they can help workers to better estimate the time that they will need to complete certain tasks. Many time tracker apps can calculate the average time spent completing certain tasks, which makes it much easier to project timelines.
Remote workers can also benefit from a time tracking tool as they:
- Make it easy to share information and task updates with teammates
- Enable effective scheduling to prevent under and over-working
- Allow for absences to be easily communicated
Most importantly, these tools enable workers to identify problem areas in regards to their time management skills. When remote workers are able to see exactly how they’re spending their work hours, they can work on streamlining their processes or spend less time being idle or distracted.
Benefits for Managers
Time tracking apps are also greatly beneficial for managers. A quality time tracker gives managers the transparency that’s needed to effectively manage remote workers. One of the biggest benefits for managers is that they’re able to track and analyze key performance indicators in a single location.
For example, using a time tracker app a manager can make sure that workers are working tasks by highest priority and that workers have an equal workload. Being able to track these indicators ensures that your remote team is efficient and that the workload is balanced so that no one is over- or under-working.
Want a clear-cut way to be able to see what your remote team has completed by close of business each day? Most time tracker apps offer this functionality. Daily reports are extremely helpful in ensuring your team is on track.
Managers can even use this software to determine which workers are top performers. This data can then be used to determine which workers deserve a promotion or some sort of recognition. On the flip side, the data can also be used to pinpoint which workers may need more guidance or training to improve their efficiency.
Choosing the Right Time Tracking Software
In order to get the most benefit from time tracking software, you’ll want to take the time to research your options. There are dozens of different software to choose from, including mobile apps, desktop apps, and browser extensions.
There are many general factors you’ll want to consider when choosing the best time tracking software for your remote team. For example, you’ll want to determine your workflow as well as supported devices and platforms.
You’ll also want to determine which capabilities are most important to you and your team. Time tracking software offers all sorts of features including:
- Automatic time tracking
- Billing and invoicing
- Integration with project management software
- To-do lists
- Metrics and analytics
Knowing what capabilities the software must offer makes it much easier to narrow down your options. Features and functionality are some of the most important details to consider.
You’ll also want to determine how user-friendly the software is as well as the cost to deploy and use it. Obviously you don’t want to go over budget, but at the same time, you don’t want to go the cheap route and invest in a sub-par app that doesn’t meet your needs.
Conclusion
It’s much easier to manage a remote team when you have access to top-notch time tracking software. Keep these benefits in mind when determining which time tracker app is worth investing in so that you can more efficiently manage your remote team.
