Enterprise Nation

One of the greatest challenges of managing a home-based team is making the shift from measuring performance based on ‘time spent in the office’ to measuring outputs. This can only work if there is a strong bond of trust between you and your employee(s).

Fear and Flexibility
The benefits of homeworking are clear, with employers reporting increases in productivity and generally a happier and healthier workforce. But these benefits don’t come without their challenges.

To create a successful homeworking relationship, attitudes to measuring performance have to change.

As a home business employer, you have to develop the skill of ‘letting go’ It’s nerve-wracking but, so long as the work is being done on time and to the required standard, it’s down to the employee as to how they schedule their workload. For some, this will mean working from 6am until midday and then taking the afternoon off. For others, it may mean working through the night. 

Setting standards
To see this arrangement work for you and your employees, it’s useful to set some basic standards early on, such as:
• Deadlines should be met
• Quality is paramount
• If you are in a customer facing role, you have to remain accessible
• Performance will be measured and discussed at jointly agreed intervals

Outside of this, let your staff work from home, and hope for the best!