6 Tips for Managing Remote Healthcare Employees
Your organization may be moving workers off-site due to COVID-19 concerns or looking to make working from home a permanent option because of its many benefits. As you adjust to your new role managing remote healthcare employees, the following tips will be helpful.
1.) Set clear expectations and lines of communication.
If employees know what is expected of them at the start, you’ll save yourself a great deal of hassle down the road. Be direct about job duties and timelines, as well as how to reach you and when is best.
Communication is key. You don’t want your remote workers, who cannot simply drop by your office, to feel they have limited access to you. Be responsive to their calls and emails.
2.) Create a secure remote work environment.
Ensuring security entails both choosing remote work solutions that facilitate HIPAA compliance and instructing employees on their responsibilities regarding the protection of PHI. Supply employees with reliable tools that will allow them to work securely and effectively.
See our guidelines for creating a secure remote work environment.
3.) Establish a Remote Work Policy.
It is prudent to have employees sign an agreement stating they will follow all rules and regulations put in place for working from home and understand the civil and criminal penalties for improper handling of PHI.
4.) Monitor productivity.
Not only is this essential for security reasons, but also for maintaining high-performance standards, efficiency, and accountability.
HealthWare Systems’ remote work solutions provide managers with full oversight/review of employees’ work and complete audit trails.
5.) Keep remote workers engaged.
It’s important to make sure everyone stays connected to their team and the organization, even if they don’t work together in person.
Some ways you can improve employee engagement include scheduling an initial (or periodic) on-campus visit, getting to know your staff personally, conducting virtual team-building activities, checking in to offer support, and providing incentives to reach goals.
6.) Give regular feedback and recognize achievements.
Employees want to know how they are doing and how they need to improve. Be attentive to this to prevent remote employees from wondering if their hard work is going unnoticed.
Feeling appreciated by management makes a crucial difference to an employee’s motivation and loyalty, so strive to extend praise where deserved. Additionally, acknowledging employees publicly and/or to upper management will show them they are valued and not forgotten.
You may also be interested in - 11 Reasons to Enable Healthcare Staff to Work from Home
Managing Remote Healthcare Employees
Remote work may be new territory, but you’ll probably find that many of these tips are similar to those you’d follow when managing staff on-site. No matter their location, all healthcare employees need secure technology solutions, encouragement, direction, and investment from leadership in order to succeed in their work.
HealthWare Systems can assist you in your transition to managing remote healthcare employees. Learn more about our remote work solutions and schedule a phone consultation today.
