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Many organizations believe that one of the biggest challenges they face when implementing a virtual office is managing mobile or remote workers. It is unfortunate that they let this perception stop them from reaping the many benefits of a more flexible workplace.

Remote management is not radically different from managing people on-site. The biggest difference is a shift in management style from "eyeball management" (assuming workers are being productive because you physically see them at their desks working) to managing by results.

By learning to mange by results rather than activity, improving communication, and nurturing trust between managers and employees the whole organization benefits. In fact, virtual team managers have reported that their overall management skills increased for both on and off-site workers.

MANAGING BY RESULTS, NOT ACTIVITY One of the most common fears that managers and executives have when considering virtual teams is, "How do I know my employees will be working if I'm not there to watch them?" Well the simple answer is that you won't, not every minute. But realistically, you can't be sure they are really working every minute you see them in the office either; it is easy to confuse activity with productivity.

A manager's job is to provide specific, measurable, and attainable goals for the remote employee so that he or she knows what must be done and when. These can include reports completed, number of calls made, and number of support issues resolved - or any other appropriate measure of job productivity.It is important that the employee and manager arrive upon a shared definition of the deliverables and timetable together. This ensures that everyone is on the "same page" and prevents miscommunication. It also ensures that the goals and expectations are realistic.

A manager's value to an organization is as more of a coach and mentor, not an overseer. This move away from "eyeball management," and the resulting clearer definition of employee job responsibilities, is one of the major contributing factors to the improved productivity normally experienced with virtual teams.

Shifting your focus to performance based management will help you build a more productive mobile workforce.