Как мы контролируем удаленных сотрудников / Блог компании Maxilect / ХабрОт перехода на удаленное взаимодействие с сотрудниками многие компании удерживает боязнь потерять контроль над ситуацией – непонятно, как убедиться в том, что специалист свои восемь часов действительно работает, а не просиживает в социальных сетях. Казалось бы, решение – в инструментах слежения за пользователем: в системах учета рабочего времени, в контроле присутствия, съемке веб-камерой и т.п. Но мы в «Максилекте» принципиально не используем такие инструменты, действуя на ином, управленческом уровне.

(на фото — известный стритарт от Banksy, фотограф — Niv Singer)

Как мы держим руку на пульсе, чтобы работа компании была эффективной, и почему это работает – под катом.

Мы доверяем своим сотрудникам. Довольно банальное заявление для рассказа о контроле, но это действительно так. Вместе с тем я согласен с известной пословицей: «Доверяй, но проверяй». И мы доверяем, но контролируем. Однако углубиться в детали этого контроля нельзя без некоторого введения в первоначальные договоренности и задачи, которыми мы занимаемся.

О чем мы договариваемся на старте

При приеме на работу с сотрудником оговариваются все условия – мы придерживаемся политики максимальной прозрачности. Никаких «я подразумевал» – все нужно обсудить.

По каждому из пунктов мы стараемся быть гибкими – учитывать особенности жизни ребят из разных регионов, их личные пожелания. К примеру, у нас есть некий стандартный график – с 8-9 до 17-18 часов по Москве с учетом часового обеда по рабочим дням, в соответствии с производственным календарем РФ. Но иногда у сотрудника есть личные обстоятельства, из-за которых он хочет закрепить за собой, например, двухчасовой обед или перерыв в нестандартное время. Свои особенности могут быть и у проектов, на которых будут работать специалисты (предположим, клиент, с которым надо держать связь, находится в другом часовом поясе). Все это мы обсуждаем на старте.

Подробно обсуждается не только график работы, но и другие аспекты взаимодействия, к примеру обязательства относительно релизов (тот факт, что вся команда должна быть доступна в оговоренное время), возможность командировок один-два раза в год и т.п. По сути, мы договариваемся о рамках, внутри которых будем сотрудничать.

У нас есть условия, которые необходимо соблюдать в случае нарушения этих рамок. Если возникают обстоятельства, из-за которых нужно начать позже, закончить раньше или вообще не выйти в определенный день, все должно происходить открыто: сотрудник должен предупредить свою команду. Теоретически пропущенные часы необходимо отработать, но в корпоративной политике у нас предусмотрен некий временной люфт, за который никто не накажет: двое суток в году каждый сотрудник имеет право потратить на свои дела, не объясняя причин. Если «разрешенные прогулы» закончились, всегда можно взять день от оплачиваемого отпуска или отгул за свой счет, ну или отработать по согласованию с командой. Главное – предупредить. Гибкими условиями мы стараемся свести к минимуму необходимость как-то выкручиваться и нарушать договоренности.

Нет слежке!

Изначально выстраивая процессы удаленной работы, мы не стали тратить усилия на введение практики контролирующих звонков сотрудникам или внедрение инструментов микроменеджмента – средств контроля присутствия онлайн или видеонаблюдения через веб-камеры. С моей точки зрения, для интеллектуального труда они бессмысленны. Сначала требуется вложиться в покупку инструментов, потом тратить время и силы на разбор отчетов. Но ответа на главный вопрос – решил ли сотрудник поставленную задачу – они все равно не дают.

Наша позиция объясняется еще и тем, что сотрудники, у которых с самоорганизацией все в порядке, негативно относятся к подобным инструментам. «Результатники» испытывают дискомфорт, когда за ними пристально наблюдают. Снижается мотивация, а мы не можем этого допустить.

Мы не «процессники»,
мы – «результатники»!

В первый год работы «Максилекта» у нас даже был проект на Upwork, где мы отказали клиенту во включении средств контроля, т.к. считаем, что наши сотрудники не должны работать под счетчиками (на уровне Upwork он требовал скрин экрана нашего сотрудника раз в 10 минут). Несмотря на наш отказ, клиент согласился с нами работать и остался доволен итоговым результатом. Тогда мы сошлись на том, что трудозатраты будем списывать вручную, высылая короткие еженедельные отчеты. Вопросов по ним в итоге не было.

Контролируем результат

До сих пор речь шла только о наших договоренностях с сотрудниками. То, как мы контролируем их соблюдение, зависит от особенностей проекта.

«Максилект» в большей степени ориентирован на выполнение сложных задач под ключ. При такой постановке вопроса мы сами решаем, как прорабатывать проект, и декомпозируем задачи на элементарные составляющие. А дальше идет обычная работа проектного менеджера или тимлида (в некоторых проектах – их совместное участие) в соответствии с agile-методологией. Как и у всех, у нас тоже есть недельные спринты и ежедневные созвоны, позволяющие координировать разработку.

Мы предполагаем, что все заявленное время сотрудник занимается полезной работой. Исходя из этого, распределяются задачи, назначаются видеоконференции и т.п. Ведь рабочий процесс – это не просто получение задач на неделю и их выполнение в гордом одиночестве. Команды постоянно взаимодействуют – при удаленном формате работы это даже важнее, чем в офисе. Незаметно «исчезнуть» из всего этого взаимодействия невозможно.

Поскольку все происходит внутри команды, контроль на удаленке фактически ничем не отличается от контроля в офисах распределенных компаний, когда, например, одна часть команды сидит в регионе, а другая – в столице. Возможные накладки по срокам, отставания отдельных сотрудников и прочие неприятности если и возникают, то становятся заметны примерно в течение недели, что позволяет оперативно реагировать на ситуацию. Иными словами, никаких принципиальных сложностей здесь нет.

На некоторых проектах у нас есть учет рабочего времени для внутренних нужд. Он, естественно, реализован не через автоматическую слежку, а через ручную отчетность («одну задачу делал столько-то часов, другую – столько-то»).

Мы не используем распространенные способы оценки коллектива и его вовлеченности, например метод 360 градусов, поскольку перед нами не стоит задачи измерить работу наших сотрудников по HR-метрикам – они не дают нам необходимой информации. Все проектное общение идет неформально, на человеческом языке. Но чтобы видеть ситуацию более-менее объективно, по каждому сотруднику у нас есть план на ближайшие несколько месяцев, где указываются задачи, которые он должен решить, и личные цели, например изучение новых инструментов, технологий, языков программирования. Этот план формируется сотрудником совместно с его непосредственным руководителем.

Защищаясь от «выгорания» технических специалистов, мы даем возможность сотрудникам перейти в другой проект, если, например, «приелся» стек технологий. Компания изначально заявляет, что это нормальная практика, которая не приводит к экономическим или иным санкциям, поэтому о подобных проблемах сотрудник свободно сообщает на ранней стадии и мы можем провести замены на проекте с минимальными потерями, проговорив все перестановки и предусмотрев время на обучение нового специалиста.

Есть у нас отдельные проекты, где часть команды «Максилект» работает бок о бок со специалистами заказчика. И головной боли с точки зрения контроля они доставляют больше. Разница здесь принципиальная. В первом случае мы имеем обычную внутреннюю команду, а во втором – к части команды у нас просто нет доступа, да и влияние на проект ограничено установленными на старте рамками. В этой ситуации спасают взаимоотношения с заказчиком, выстроенные совместными усилиями.

Наш основной инструмент контроля решения задач – сбор обратной связи от клиентов, на чьих проектах работают сотрудники. Аккаунт-менеджеры общаются с клиентом не реже двух раз в месяц, обсуждая, решает ли каждый отдельный сотрудник в команде и команда в целом поставленную задачу:

• качественно ли выполняется работа,
• вовремя ли она выполняется,
• есть ли недоработки,
• что понравилось или не понравилось в работе за последнее время,
• что нужно улучшить в работе конкретного специалиста.

Те же вопросы (только гораздо чаще) мы задаем команде – это позволяет менеджерам получить понимание того, в каком состоянии находится проект, как если бы это была внутренняя команда.
Выше я упоминал, что в рамках постоянных созвонов мы обсуждаем не только проект, но и личное развитие сотрудника. При работе сотрудника вместе со специалистами заказчика свои «пять копеек» в его личный план развития может внести и клиент, если, по его мнению, сотруднику не хватает некоторых технических компетенций.

В итоге получаем контроль на уровне ключевой метрики – качества (в контексте разработки – code style, сроки и т.п.) – без промежуточных и бесполезных для нас данных, вроде открытых на компьютере сотрудника сайтов или сотен фотографий его рабочего стола. А кроме того, все довольны. Пожелания клиента учитываются, работа идет. Сотрудник имеет определенный уровень вовлеченности в проект (не просто пишет код, а становится частью проектной команды) и получает необходимую ему обратную связь.

Все работает, но есть ограничения

Понятно, что не каждого сотрудника можно встроить в наш рабочий процесс так, чтобы его вклад был оценен участниками. Сотрудники должны быть организованными и обладать рядом софт-скиллов. Встретившись с проблемой, они не могут сидеть и ждать, пока она сама разрешится, а должны попробовать решить ее самостоятельно. Если же без стороннего участия решение невозможно, проблему необходимо озвучить. Это могут не все, поэтому мы учитываем необходимые нам софт-скиллы при найме (об этом мы недавно писали). И это еще один компонент нашей системы контроля: те, кто, по нашему мнению, не впишется в процесс, просто не пройдут собеседования.

Хочу оговориться, что какими бы софт-скиллами ни обладал сотрудник, у всех бывают моменты, когда голова не работает: во время болезни, семейных неурядиц и т.п. Для нас это не повод увольнять. Но мы ожидаем, что сотрудник сам нам сообщит о проблеме, и мы вместе найдем решение (например, предоставим незапланированный отпуск). Даже если явного разговора об этом нет, в ходе личного общения мы все равно видим изменения и пытаемся помочь. Контакт с сотрудниками важен еще и с этой точки зрения.

Бюджеты и сроки

Ошибки случаются у всех. Были промахи и у нашей системы контроля. Но мы строим все процессы так, чтобы цена ошибки была минимальной.

Любую задачу мы декомпозируем на фрагменты длительностью не более 32 часов. С одной стороны, это требует больших трудозатрат на этапе оценки. Учитывая это, мы не участвуем в конкурсах, тендерах и других оценках, где пресейл с малой вероятностью приведет к проекту. Но зато в тех переговорах, где дело дошло до расчета стоимости, стараемся получить на этом этапе максимальную детализацию. Дополнительные 8 часов, потраченные на детали, позволяют сэкономить бюджет проекта и уложиться в первоначально озвученные сроки. Это касается проектов обоих упомянутых типов.

Если по каким-то причинам сотрудник не справляется, мы узнаем об этом не через полгода, а через несколько дней, в самом худшем случае – через пару недель. Может быть, у сотрудника есть объективные проблемы или же он использует не самый оптимальный подход для решения – тогда мы подключимся и поможем.

У нас уже были такие ситуации, когда «съезжали» сроки, – это было видно и по количеству решенных сотрудником условно-одинаковых по трудоемкости задач, и по отзывам клиента (проблемы были как раз на проектах, реализуемых совместно с сотрудниками заказчика). И как раз тогда отработали все механизмы контроля на ранней стадии. Еще до того, как клиент открыто заявил о проблемах, были заметны первые звоночки внутри команды. В одном из кейсов у нас даже оказался небольшой запас времени на то, чтобы дать человеку исправиться. Ну а когда он не воспользовался шансом, мы все равно справились с ситуацией так, что это почти не отразилось на проекте. С сотрудником пришлось расстаться. Хотя, честно скажу, для тех, кто какое-то время проработал в компании и показывал результат ранее, увольнение рассматривается как крайняя мера. До него мы стараемся найти какие-то точки соприкосновения и разрешить ситуацию иным способом.

Вместо итогов хочу отметить, что наша схема вряд ли может быть внедрена в любой компании. Здесь необходимо прорабатывать всю, как это называется, корпоративную культуру, меняя фокус с процессов на результат. «Максилекту» было сравнительно легко, поскольку компания строилась так изначально. Хотя многие вещи пришлось изучать на собственном опыте. И мы продолжаем этот путь, улучшая процессы по мере приобретения нового опыта.

Автор статьи: Сергей Марина

P.S.: Мы публикуем наши статьи на нескольких площадках Рунета. Подписывайтесь на наши страницы в VK, FB или Telegram-канал, чтобы узнавать обо всех наших публикациях и других новостях компании Maxilect.

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Follow us on social media. 90013 .90000 Top 10 Software To See If Remote Employees Are Working 90001 90002 Worried about whether your remote workforce is working or not? 90003 90002 Do not be! 90003 90002 With the right employee monitoring software, you can easily keep track of your remote workforce. These software track and monitor how much time a remote worker spends on a specific task, site or app. This helps you get a better idea of ​​what they’re up to during work hours. 90003 90002 In this article, we’ll give you 10 tools to monitor your remote employees and ensure they’re always productive.90003 90002 90003 90012 Here are the tools we’ll be covering: 90013 90002 We’ll be going over their features, integrations, pros and cons, pricing and customer reviews. Click on the links below to jump to a specific tool: 90003 90002 Let’s get started. 90003 90002 90003 90012 The Benefits Of Monitoring Remote Work 90013 90002 Before showing you the best tools to track your employees, let’s quickly go over the major benefits of having an employee monitoring tool for your remote workforce.90003 90002 Here are the benefits of a good employee monitoring system: 90003 90026 90027 Your employees will be held accountable for their output each day. This ensures that they’re motivated enough to produce results regularly. 90028 90027 With a good time tracking tool, freelancers and contractors have concrete proof of time spent when billing clients. 90028 90027 As there are records of time spent on each task, clients know exactly which remote work they’re being billed for. 90028 90027 Reduces the need for an office space as your employees can remain productive remotely.90028 90027 You’ll have fewer worries when hiring remote workers as the tool will ensure that they’re committed to your organisation. 90028 90027 A good remote employee monitoring software reduces the time spent on time-tracking and task management as the tool does it for you. 90028 90039 90002 Now that we’ve covered why you need a remote employee monitoring software, let’s go over the best options: 90003 90002 90003 90002 —————— 90003 90012 1. Time Doctor 90013 90002 90003 90002 Time Doctor is one of the most powerful time tracking tools for 2019.Used by companies like Apple, Verizon and PwC, it’s no surprise that Time Doctor is one of the best options for you and your team. 90003 90002 With Time Doctor, managers can calculate: 90003 90026 90027 The tasks your team is working on. 90028 90027 The time they’re spending on each task. 90028 90027 The sites they’re visiting. 90028 90027 The times they log in and log out. 90028 90027 Task management — task allocation based on how productive each employee is. 90028 90027 Attendance.90028 90027 Client billable hours. 90028 90039 90002 Time Doctor is the easiest way to keep your employees productive. Let’s take a closer look at some of the features that make Time Doctor special: 90003 90072 A) Simple Time Tracking 90073 90002 A major problem with most remote work tools are that they’re complicated to use. They require a lot of manual input which could be a big turnoff for most employees. 90003 90002 Luckily, Time Doctor is super easy to use. 90003 90002 All an employee has to do is start the timer before they start a task.TimeDoctor will quietly run in the background — calculating the time spent and sites accessed during this time. Your team does not have to manually enter anything — all they have to do is start and stop the timer! 90003 90002 Just because your employees are manually starting and stopping the timer does not mean that they can exaggerate their working hours! Time Doctor has features that make it nearly impossible to fake data. 90003 90002 Let’s take a look at them. 90003 90072 B) Poor Usage Monitoring 90073 90002 Worried that your employees maybe on social media and instant messaging sites when they’re supposed to be working? 90003 90002 With Time Doctor, you do not have to worry about that.90003 90002 Whenever an employee accesses unproductive sites like these, the app automatically sends them a pop-up asking them if they’re still working. This little nudge is usually enough to get them off the social media site and back to work. 90003 90002 90003 90002 Additionally, managers have access to a Poor Time Use report that details what sites an employee accessed and how long they spent there. 90003 90002 Time Doctor can also take screenshots of your employees ‘screen at random intervals to ensure that they’re on productive sites.This feature is optional and can be disabled at any time. 90003 90002 90099 Privacy Feature 90100 90003 90002 For privacy reasons, the employee can always delete a screenshot in case it contains any sensitive information. 90003 90072 C) Inactivity Tracker 90073 90002 Time Doctor ensures that your staff is actively working during their work hours through the in-built inactivity tracker. 90003 90002 When there’s been no keyboard or mouse activity for three minutes, Time Doctor automatically assumes that the worker is on a break and pauses the timer.90003 90002 This way, you’re employees can not pass off idle time as remote work. 90003 90072 D) Advanced Reports 90073 90002 Time Doctor gives you tons of detailed reports to make your time tracking process meaningful. Here’s a closer look at each of these reports: 90003 90116 90099 1. Timesheet Report 90100 90119 90002 90003 90002 90099 What does this show? 90100 90003 90002 This report shows you the total hours worked by your employees per day during a given time period — say a month or a week.90003 90002 90099 What is it useful for? 90100 90003 90002 It’s a good way to take stock of how many hours each employee is working per day and the total hours worked during a month or week. 90003 90002 You can also export this report as a CSV or XLS file for safe storage. 90003 90116 90099 2. Time Use Report 90100 90119 90002 90003 90002 90099 What does this show? 90100 90003 90002 This report is a breakdown of the time spent on all tasks by an employee in a given period. You’ll be able to see what tasks they worked on and how long it took them.90003 90002 90099 What is it useful for? 90100 90003 90002 Checking how each employee has spent their time on different tasks. For example, if you see that a task took too long, you could have a coaching session with that team member about how to do it faster the next time. 90003 90116 3. Timeline Daily Report 90119 90002 90003 90002 90099 What does this show? 90100 90003 90002 The timeline daily report gives you a complete breakdown of the time spent by all your employees in chronological order.You’ll know the sequence of tasks each team member was working on and how long each activity was for. 90003 90002 90099 What is it useful for? 90100 90003 90002 This is useful while evaluating unproductive employees. By looking into how they are spending their day, you can advise them on how to become more productive. 90003 90116 4. Projects Report 90119 90002 90003 90002 90099 What does this show? 90100 90003 90002 The projects report gives you a breakdown of the total time spent on a project-wise basis.You’ll also see who’s worked on different tasks in the project and for how long. 90003 90002 90099 What is it useful for? 90100 90003 90002 Useful for calculating how much time is being spent by an individual or a team on each task and project. It helps check if time estimates are being exceeded and even arrive at estimates for future projects. 90003 90002 Moreover, you can also use this for calculating billable hours for clients. 90003 90116 5. Attendance Report 90119 90002 90003 90002 The attendance report gives you a list of absentees in the week with their reasons for absence.It’s a simple way to keep stock of who’s been missing from work recently. 90003 90116 6. Web and App Usage Report 90119 90002 90003 90002 90099 What does this show? 90100 90003 90002 This report gives you a breakdown of each site and app an employee accessed during 90203 working hours only 90204. It also shows you how long they spent on each of these sites. 90003 90002 90099 What is it useful for? 90100 90003 90002 This allows you to check if people are wasting time on irrelevant sites like shopping or social media.90003 90116 7. Poor Time Use Report 90119 90002 90003 90002 90099 What does this show? 90100 90003 90002 The poor time use report is a periodic report that shows you any distracting sites and apps an employee accessed in a day 90203 during working hours only 90204. Time Doctor automatically categorizes social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as distracting — however, you can edit this list to suit your needs (this feature can also be disabled if you like). 90003 90002 Whenever a remote worker accesses these blacklisted sites, Time Doctor will calculate how long they spent there and it’ll show up in this report.90003 90002 90099 What is it useful for? 90100 90003 90002 It’s a good way to deter your employees from breaking your policies and spending too long on social media and instant messaging sites. 90003 90072 E) Privacy Controls 90073 90002 An average remote worker is usually suspicious of any remote employee monitoring software. 90003 90002 Why? 90003 90002 They’re worried that their security may get compromised and they would not be able to maintain a healthy work-life balance. They’re concerned that they’ll be monitored during non-work hours as well.90003 90002 With Time Doctor, they can rest assured that their work-life balance will not be disrupted. The app immediately stops monitoring employees once the timer is switched off. There’s no way for it to track the sites and apps they access during their breaks or non work hours — giving them a sense of security over this matter. 90003 90072 Integrations 90073 90002 90003 90002 Time Doctor can integrate with tons of different tools such as GitHub, Asana and Zapier for added functionality.For the whole list of integrations, click here. 90003 90072 Pros 90073 90026 90027 Powerful automated time tracking capabilities. 90028 90027 Great website monitoring features with an integrated inactivity tracker. 90028 90027 Detailed reports to keep track of your staff and what they’re up to. 90028 90027 Strict privacy controls to ensure the security of your employees ‘information. 90028 90027 Loads of helpful integrations. 90028 90039 90072 Cons 90073 90026 90027 The chrome extension is limited — it’s best to use the desktop app.90028 90027 The tool may be more suited to companies than freelancers and solopreneurs. 90028 90039 90072 Pricing 90073 90002 Time Doctor starts at $ 7 / month per user with volume discounts. You can always sign up for a free 14-day trial without a credit card. 90003 90072 Customer Ratings 90073 90002 90099 G2Crowd 90100 — 4.3 / 5 (100+ reviews) 90003 90002 90099 Capterra 90100 — 4.5 / 5 (200+ reviews) 90003 90002 —————- — 90003 90012 2. Toggl 90013 90002 90003 90002 Toggl is a great virtual software to see if remote employees are working.With features and plans suited to smaller businesses and entrepreneurs, it’s effective for simple task management and time tracking. 90003 90072 Features 90073 90026 90027 Powerful browser extension that can track time on hundreds of different tools. 90028 90027 Advanced reporting features to help you analyze the time spent. Each report can be exported as a PDF, XLS or CSV file for easy storage. 90028 90027 Automated virtual timesheet management for easy access to detailed records. 90028 90027 Keyboard tracking to monitor your employees ‘activity.90028 90039 90072 Integrations 90073 90002 Toggl can integrate with over 100 different tools across a range of industries. It can seamlessly integrate with a to-do list app like Todoist as well as a project management software like Asana. 90003 90002 There’s a Toggl Zapier integration to help you automate workflows and integrate it with tons of other apps. 90003 90072 Pros 90073 90026 90027 Simple, intuitive user-interface for an easy onboarding process. 90028 90027 Good customer service.90028 90027 Supports auto time-tracking for tons of tools. 90028 90039 90072 Cons 90073 90026 90027 Even though it can integrate with Zapier, syncing between tools can be glitchy. 90028 90027 Does not show you the sites your staff has been spending time on. This limits it’s distraction management capabilities. 90028 90027 The starter plan is very limited; you’ll have to go for their more expensive variants for all the features. 90028 90039 90072 Pricing 90073 90002 Toggl has three pricing plans, with each variant offering you a different set of features.Here are the pricing plans: 90003 90026 90027 Starter ($ 9 / user per month) — gives you basic features like time tracking and reporting. No advanced features included. 90028 90027 Premium ($ 18 / user per month) — gives you all the features in the Starter plan + team management capabilities and real-time views. 90028 90027 Enterprise ($ 49 / user per month) — gives you access to all the features in Toggl such as advanced reporting and timesheet management. 90028 90039 90072 Customer Ratings 90073 90002 90099 G2Crowd 90100 — 4.3/5 (450+ reviews) 90003 90002 90099 Capterra 90100 — 4.5 / 5 (800 + reviews) 90003 90002 You can also check out our review of Toggl if you want a more comprehensive look at the software. 90003 90002 —————— 90003 90012 3. RescueTime 90013 90002 90003 90002 Unlike the other tools in the article, RescueTime is not a time-tracking app per se. It’s a web-based employee productivity platform that runs in the background. 90003 90072 Features 90073 90026 90027 Tracks the time you spend on a particular tool or website during your work hours.90028 90027 Can block sites that are considered distracting. This list of non-productive sites can be customized by you. 90028 90027 Lets you specify your productivity goals and notifies you if you’re spending too much time on a particular task. 90028 90027 Gives you detailed reports about time usage to help improve employee productivity levels. 90028 90039 90072 Integrations 90073 90002 RescueTime can integrate with tons of different tools in the market today. 90003 90002 It can integrate with popular project management tools and team communication apps like GitHub and Slack.With the Zapier integration, you can connect it with 50 more tools. 90003 90072 Pros 90073 90026 90027 Software is simple and easy to use. 90028 90027 The goals and alarms feature can help you reach your productivity goals. 90028 90027 Weekly email updates about your team’s activity can help you take stock of their productivity. 90028 90027 Can block distracting sites easily. 90028 90039 90072 Cons 90073 90026 90027 Can not log billable and non-billable hours separately — this makes it difficult to provide clients with accurate records.90028 90027 Can not track time spent on projects and tasks — it can only measure time spent on a particular tool or website. 90028 90027 No invoicing capabilities. 90028 90027 You can not operate RescueTime when you’re offline. 90028 90039 90072 Pricing 90073 90002 RescueTime has two pricing plans: 90003 90026 90027 Lite (free): this plan is aimed at solopreneurs who need a limited set of features. 90028 90027 Premium ($ 9 / user per month): includes all the premium features that a team would benefit from.90028 90039 90072 Customer Ratings 90073 90002 90099 G2Crowd 90100 — 4.1 / 5 (50+ reviews) 90003 90002 90099 Capterra 90100 — 4.5 / 5 (50+ reviews) 90003 90002 You can learn more about the software in our RescueTime Review. 90003 90002 —————— 90003 90012 4. Hours 90013 90002 90003 90002 Hours is a great app for simple time tracking. If all you’re looking for is a simple time tracker to measure how much time you’re spending, look no further than this. 90003 90072 Features 90073 90026 90027 Simple virtual timer that can measure the time you spend on different tasks.90028 90027 Notifications for when you start or stop the timer to ensure that you do not mistakenly log time. 90028 90027 The Mac web app can sync your data across your mobile device and Apple watch for flexible work patterns. 90028 90039 90072 Integrations 90073 90002 Hours can not integrate with any other apps. 90003 90072 Pros 90073 90026 90027 Clean and simple interface. 90028 90027 Supports a graphical breakdown of your time usage to make it easier to understand. 90028 90027 Powerful syncing capabilities for work flexibility.90028 90039 90072 Cons 90073 90026 90027 No integrations. 90028 90027 Only available for iOS and MacOS. 90028 90027 Can not handle higher-order time-tracking tasks. 90028 90027 Not suited for teams and most complex business operations. 90028 90039 90072 Pricing 90073 90002 Most of the features on Hours are available for free. However, with their Pro version ($ 7.99 / month), you get access to some collaboration features. 90003 90002 Customer Ratings 90003 90002 90099 G2Crowd 90100 — N / A 90479 90099 Capterra 90100 — N / A 90003 90002 —————— 90003 90012 5.Timely 90013 90002 90003 90002 Timely is another software to see if remote employees are working. A unique Timely feature is that it can categorize your time based on tasks, websites accessed and tools used. 90003 90072 Features 90073 90026 90027 Strong automated time-tracking capabilities that eliminate the need for manual intervention. 90028 90027 Can easily capture billable activity through detailed timesheets and reports. It can track non-billable activities as well. 90028 90027 Has an advanced dashboard that can help your team collaborate through activity feeds.90028 90039 90072 Integrations 90073 90002 Timely can integrate with loads of popular project management, communication and video chat apps. However, most of these integrations are only supported on their premium variants. 90003 90072 Pros 90073 90026 90027 Powerful automated time-tracking capabilities. 90028 90027 Can capture data across web and mobile devices with powerful data syncs for flexible work patterns. 90028 90027 Good advanced reporting capabilities. 90028 90039 90072 Cons 90073 90026 90027 It is expensive.90028 90027 Most of the features are limited to their premium variants. 90028 90027 The dashboard can be confusing to work with initially. 90028 90039 90072 Pricing 90073 90002 There are three Timely pricing plans: 90003 90026 90027 $ 7 / month for freelancers and solopreneurs with basic features. 90028 90027 $ 14 / user per month for teams with some collaboration centered features. 90028 90027 $ 21 / user per month for advanced collaboration features for teams. 90028 90039 90072 Customer Ratings 90073 90002 90099 G2Crowd 90100 — 4.7/5 (10+ reviews) 90003 90002 90099 Capterra 90100 — 4.6 / 5 (600+ reviews) 90003 90002 —————— 90003 90012 6. Harvest 90013 90002 90552 90003 .90000 Understanding Employee vs. Contractor Designation 90001 90002 FS-2017-09, July 20 2017 90003 90002 The Internal Revenue Service reminds small businesses of the importance of understanding and correctly applying the rules for classifying a worker as an employee or an independent contractor. For federal employment tax purposes, a business must examine the relationship between it and the worker. The IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center on the IRS website offers helpful resources.90003 90002 Worker classification is important because it determines if an employer must withhold income taxes and pay Social Security, Medicare taxes and unemployment tax on wages paid to an employee. Businesses normally do not have to withhold or pay any taxes on payments to independent contractors. The earnings of a person working as an independent contractor are subject to self-employment tax. 90003 90002 The general rule is that an individual is an independent contractor if the payer has the right to control or direct only the result of the work, not 90009 what 90010 will be done and 90009 how 90010 it will be done.Small businesses should consider all evidence of the degree of control and independence in the employer / worker relationship. Whether a worker is an independent contractor or employee depends on the facts in each situation. 90003 90014 Help with Deciding 90015 90002 To better determine how to properly classify a worker, consider these three categories — Behavioral Control, Financial Control and Relationship of the Parties. 90003 90002 90019 Behavioral Control: 90020 A worker is an employee when the business has the right to direct and control the work performed by the worker, even if that right is not exercised.Behavioral control categories are: 90003 90022 90023 Type of instructions given, such as when and where to work, what tools to use or where to purchase supplies and services. Receiving the types of instructions in these examples may indicate a worker is an employee. 90024 90023 Degree of instruction, more detailed instructions may indicate that the worker is an employee. Less detailed instructions reflects less control, indicating that the worker is more likely an independent contractor.90024 90023 Evaluation systems to measure the details of how the work is done points to an employee. Evaluation systems measuring just the end result point to either an independent contractor or an employee. 90024 90023 Training a worker on how to do the job — or periodic or on-going training about procedures and methods — is strong evidence that the worker is an employee. Independent contractors ordinarily use their own methods. 90024 90031 90002 90019 Financial Control: 90020 Does the business have a right to direct or control the financial and business aspects of the worker’s job? Consider: 90003 90022 90023 Significant investment in the equipment the worker uses in working for someone else.90024 90023 Unreimbursed expenses, independent contractors are more likely to incur unreimbursed expenses than employees. 90024 90023 Opportunity for profit or loss is often an indicator of an independent contractor. 90024 90023 Services available to the market. Independent contractors are generally free to seek out business opportunities. 90024 90023 Method of payment. An employee is generally guaranteed a regular wage amount for an hourly, weekly, or other period of time even when supplemented by a commission.However, independent contractors are most often paid for the job by a flat fee. 90024 90031 90002 90019 Relationship: 90020 The type of relationship depends upon how the worker and business perceive their interaction with one another. This includes: 90003 90022 90023 Written contracts which describe the relationship the parties intend to create. Although a contract stating the worker is an employee or an independent contractor is not sufficient to determine the worker’s status. 90024 90023 Benefits.Businesses providing employee-type benefits, such as insurance, a pension plan, vacation pay or sick pay have employees. Businesses generally do not grant these benefits to independent contractors. 90024 90023 The permanency of the relationship is important. An expectation that the relationship will continue indefinitely, rather than for a specific project or period, is generally seen as evidence that the intent was to create an employer-employee relationship. 90024 90023 Services provided which are a key activity of the business.The extent to which services performed by the worker are seen as a key aspect of the regular business of the company. 90024 90031 90014 Consequences of Misclassifying an Employee 90015 90002 Classifying an employee as an independent contractor with no reasonable basis for doing so makes employers liable for employment taxes. Certain employers that can provide a reasonable basis for not treating a worker as an employee may have the opportunity to avoid paying employment taxes. See Publication 1976, Section 530, Employment Tax Relief Requirements for more information.90003 90002 In addition, the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP) offers certain eligible businesses the option to reclassify their workers as employees with partial relief from federal employment taxes. 90003 90002 The IRS can help employers determine the status of their workers by using Form SS-8, Determination of Worker Status for Purposes of Federal Employment Taxes and Income Tax Withholding. IRS Publication 15-A, Employer’s Supplemental Tax Guide, is also an excellent resource.90003 90002 Workers who believe an employer improperly classified them as independent contractors can use Form 8919 to figure and report the employee’s share of uncollected Social Security and Medicare taxes due on their compensation. 90003 90002 The IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center provides a multitude of resources for small businesses as well as self-employed independent contractors. 90003 90014 Additional Resources: 90015 .90000 How to Set Up Remote Work During the Coronavirus. Must-Have Solutions If Your Team Is Working Remotely 90001 90002 Telling your employees to work from home is a forced yet necessary measure during global pandemic. Many conscious executives understand that if even one office employee gets infected, it can paralyze the entire company for a long time. 90003 90002 But even that is nothing compared to the risk to people’s lives and their health, especially for those who’re over 45.90003 90002 We know a lot about transitioning employees to home office mode firsthand, seeing how we’ve been helping companies organize monitoring of remote employees for five years now. 90003 90002 Furthermore, over the past two weeks we had around a thousand organizations from all over the world approach us after they were faced with such challenges in relation to the events happening all around the world. 90003 90002 This article is our way to share our knowledge about transitioning employees to remote work and give some practical advice on how to make this process as painless as possible for your business.90003 90002 90013 90014 Note: 90015 In this article, we will be discussing the employees who work at the computer. 90016 90003 90018 How to organize the process of transitioning employees to remote work? 90019 90002 There are three main options for that: 90003 90022 90023 90014 Employees work on their own computers. 90015 It’s convenient if they do not need any specific software or if the software is located in the cloud. For example, sales manager only needs to have access to a couple of cloud bases, accountant — to 1С server; 90026 90023 90014 You give employees work computers.90015 This is a good option if they need specific software for work or if the worker does not have a computer at home. This approach is most convenient if your employees work on laptops, but over extended period of time (and, as you know, the quarantine can drag on) it’s not a problem to move even a stationary computer as well; 90026 90023 90014 You organize remote access to RDP via VPN. 90015 It’s a good intermediate option. Does your designer need access to corporate file storage and a computer with enough power? Run a remote desktop on their workstation and let them use it.90026 90035 90002 Keep in mind that if you provide employees with remote access to work servers or stations, you need to take care of corporate data security. This is especially true if you work with personal data that’s protected by law. Secure connection channels, filters by IP and MAC addresses, two-level authorization — by taking care of information security in the beginning, you insure yourself against many problems in the future. 90003 90002 Also pay attention to ensuring that the employee at home has quality broadband and high-speed Internet.If their Internet connection at home is not enough to complete tasks, you can suggest that employees connect a second provider with sufficient speed characteristics for the duration of their work. And it should be done at the expense of the organization, of course. 90003 90018 How to monitor remote employees? 90019 90002 Numerous studies suggest that employees work even more efficiently from home than they do in the office. For example, the Gallop study reports that when an employee gets switched to remote work, their performance increases by 20%.90003 90002 We have no reason to doubt such credible publication, but that study was focused only on the employees who transferred to remote work deliberately and willingly, knowing exactly what they will need and being sure they’ll find the strength for self-organization. 90003 90002 However, there is no research on the productivity of the employees who had to change their usual work routines and work from home because they were told to do so (for example, in the context of a global pandemic).In our experience, productivity of such workers will be significantly lower. 90003 90002 An employee who’s used to working in the office associates his home primarily with rest, so even the most motivated employees, while working from home, can start slacking and their productivity will inevitably get lower. Therefore, you should be prepared that transition to home office in your company will create an increased workload on management. 90003 90002 If your staff works on computers provided by the company — or through remote access to your own workstation — you have every right to download employee monitoring software Kickidler on these machines.Wherever a company-owned computer is, it remains the property of the company, and it’s meant to be used strictly for work. And you, of course, have the right to monitor how your equipment is being used. 90003 90002 As for the case when an employee works on a home computer, we recommend that the staff be offered the following framework: 90003 90022 90023 A person creates new user account that’s used exclusively for work; 90026 90023 They install all the programs they need and Kickidler module that tracks work activity — which is meant to be the same as on the office computer; 90026 90023 Employees work under work accounts and use personal accounts for private matters.90026 90035 90002 In this case, our program will monitor only the actions during the employee’s work hours without interacting with their personal data. That way, there’s no violation of privacy. 90003 90018 How to organize work with remote employees, and what should the manager be able to do? 90019 90002 Earlier we’ve discussed the technical side of transitioning to remote work, but what about the organization of the workflow itself? According to statistics, during the process of switching to remote work, workload on management almost doubles.We believe the most important thing here is to follow these three key tips: 90003 90068 Tip 1. Individual approach is the foundation of everything 90069 90002 While in the office, the person automatically adjusts to its rhythm, but at home they live the way they want to. Some people are more comfortable working precisely from 10 am to 6 pm, others prefer to approach work in several sittings a couple of hours each, still others become productive only around 8 pm. We are all different, and hence the main rule of remote work is as follows: 90003 90072 90002 If an employee’s habits do not interfere with work, do not ask them to change these habits 90003 90075 90002 Of course, sales manager should work according to a normal schedule, from morning to evening — the way most companies work.But programmers, accountants, engineers are not obliged to adhere to such schedule if the specifics of their work do not require it. Schedule a couple of staff meetings when it’s convenient for everyone — in most cases that’s enough to control your team remotely — and after that monitor not the amount of time a person spends working, but the results they achieve. 90003 90068 Tip 2. Create an atmosphere of trust and engagement 90069 90002 By offering employees an option to work remotely, you automatically give them certain benefits.More flexible schedule, more comfortable working conditions, less control — all these factors will work only if your subordinates are actually interested in carrying out their duties. 90003 90002 By experiencing a bit more freedom, a person quickly gets used to controlling their own schedule, but at the same time they begin to react more strongly to the acts of despotism. Unjustified (emphasis on that word) changes in work conditions, constant emergencies, tasks that have to be done right at the moment — all these things seriously strike at the motivation of remote employees, and with that their efficiency decreases as well.90003 90002 Try to perceive the remote worker not so much as a subordinate, but as a contractor or a partner. Explain to them the task and outline their KPI and then show them that you trust their ability to solve business problems. Yet … 90003 90068 Tip 3. Trust but verify 90069 90002 Motivation and trust — these things are obviously important, but you still need to track the amount of time your remote employees spend working. That will help you see at least who’s handling their tasks well.Here’s a simple example. Let’s say you have a programmer, James Brown, who handles his job well. He pushes the code on time, does not miss deadlines, and at a glance it seems that everything’s fine … Except James spends 12-13 hours daily on work tasks instead of scheduled 6-8 hours. At this rate, your employee will burn out in a month or two, and you’ll have to look for replacement — and that brings unnecessary hassle and unplanned expenses. 90003 90002 The problem with remote employees is that you do not see exactly how they work.In the office, the team leader would notice that James does not finish his tasks on time, and he would realize that this employee needs to be transferred to another task that matches his skills more. Yet when it comes to remote interaction … Well, trust us, you can notice such things remotely as well! 90003 90002 To do that, use time managers that help calculate the number of hours spent on a task. We have an instrument like that. It’s called Autokick, and it’s part of Kickidler’s functionality.This module tracks activity at the computer and automatically generates reports, helping you stay on top of everything. It’s definitely useful for both the manager and the employee. 90003 90018 What problems do employers of remote workers face and how to solve them? 90019 90002 So we’ve shared with you the ways you can organize remote work in your company, and now let’s talk about the problems you are likely to face. There are only three main ones: 90003 90068 Problem 1. Declining productivity 90069 90002 Previously we’ve talked about what advantages an employee gets from remote work.Individual schedule, comfortable work conditions — it’s all great, but … Unfortunately, practice shows that many people in an environment of independence quickly let their discipline slip. Not everyone is used to self-control. If a person worked all his life in the office, where they were under somebody else’s supervision and surrounded by colleagues, at home they will automatically be less productive. 90003 90002 There’s only one solution — do not weaken oversight. Your employees should know that work is work — no matter where they are, at home or in the corporate office.Monitor the KPI of each employee, try to figure out the reasons for any delays or errors as soon as possible and always keep the upper hand. Did you notice in Kickidler that manager’s lunch got extended over several hours? Call them; ask them what happened and why they are not doing their job. A couple of such calls, and the person will do better. 90003 90002 After transferring your office to remote work, control should become tighter than it was in the office — at least in the beginning. That’s why we recommend you use time management modules.If your people know that you’re monitoring all their workdays, it will be much easier for them to overcome procrastination and focus on their tasks. 90003 90068 Problem 2. Communication trouble 90069 90002 Even in the office environment, interaction between certain employees can often become a problem. Meetings where several departments are involved can be a real headache. You definitely know how hard it is to schedule such meetings so that it’s convenient for everyone. And then, when it comes to remote work, the simplest correspondence between teams can drag on for weeks.90003 90002 In order to avoid such problems, draw up a detailed description of all the standards, create a schedule and make sure that all employees adhere to it. Here’s an example for one week: 90003 90112 90113 90114 90115 90116 90023 Every day at 1 pm I’m expecting everyone to connect to the staff meeting through videoconferencing; 90026 90023 By Wednesday, by 6 pm, all Project A materials should be uploaded to the repository; 90026 90023 On Thursday, at 2 pm, I need a report on Project B, the presentation should be done; 90026 90023 I’m expecting replies to emails sent in the interval from 10 am to 6 pm within no more than an hour.90026 90125 90126 90127 90128 90129 90002 The more transparent and understandable all your requirements are, the easier it will be to manage a remote team. Sure, you’ll still have to plan the time for joint events by taking into consideration work schedules of the participants of such events. But once everything is settled, there can be no discussion. There’s a staff meeting planned? Everybody should attend it. 90003 90068 Problem 3. Decreasing involvement 90069 90002 When a person is working from home, alone with a computer, they quickly lose contact with their team.It’s especially true for people who are used to actively interacting with colleagues — communicating, generating ideas, creating something. Being in forced isolation, they quickly lose vitality and start moping around. 90003 90002 To avoid this, you need to maintain intra-corporate communication: 90003 90116 90023 Voice calls; 90026 90023 Videoconferences; 90026 90023 Group chats with emoji, stickers and other ways to express emotions. 90026 90125 90002 Remember that every person — wherever they are — is part of your company, an important member of your team.Be attentive to your people, stay in touch with them. That way, problems with remote employees will bypass you! 90003 90068 Kickidler Employee Monitoring Software 90069 90002 90151 90152 90003 90002 90151 90152 90003 90068 Did you like this post? Follow us on social media. 90069 .