রিমোট অফিস ম্যানেজমেন্ট এর সমস্যা, সমাধান ও সম্ভাবনা

What is remote office management or remote office administration?

The COVID-19 pandemic has confronted us with unprecedented challenges worldwide. In search of solutions, we have explored new paths, one of which is the concept of remote office or remote work. Even in the post-pandemic era, the popularity of remote or home offices remains intact. Let's first gain a clear understanding of what a remote office entails.

Remote office or remote work:

Remote office or remote work refers to the method of working where employees or workers perform their tasks without physical presence in the office of an organization. In this approach, employees are committed to working from any location according to the office hours of the organization. Being professionally engaged with an organization or performing tasks remotely is termed as remote office. Additionally, it is also referred to as home office or work-from-home.

Remote office management or remote office administration:

The process of working without the physical presence of employees at the office or workstations of an organization is termed as remote office management. This is facilitated by an HR manager or business owner who utilizes various digital tools and employs different skills to manage operations. Consequently, a company can hire employees from anywhere in the world!

রিমোট অফিস ম্যানেজমেন্ট এর সমস্যা যেমন আছে, তেমনি উদ্ভাবন হয়েছে সমাধান। আর বর্তমানে  দূরবর্তী অফিস পরিচালনায় উদ্যোক্তারা দেখছেন নতুন নতুন সম্ভাবনা। বাংলাদেশেও এখন ভার্চুয়াল অফিস ধারণাটি খুবই জনপ্রিয়তা পাচ্ছে। এবার জেনে নেবো, রিমোট অফিস ম্যানেজমেন্ট এর সমস্যা, সমাধান ও সম্ভাবনা কেমন ও কতটুকু?

Challenges in Employee Management in Remote Office Management

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, remote office management has become a crucial subject. Many companies are now allowing their employees to work remotely. However, there are several common problems in employee management in remote office management:

Impact on Communication Distance:

While technology has brought transformative changes in our communication, physical or face-to-face communication is always more effective. Sometimes, working remotely can make employee management challenging. One of the main reasons is the inability to maintain effective communication.
One major challenge in remote office management is that sometimes some employees may skip certain aspects due to the distance in communication and it affects the quality of work. If this happens frequently, it can be detrimental to the company.

Risks of Information Security:

দূরবর্তী অফিস পরিচালনার অন্যতম প্রধান সমস্যা হলো প্রতিষ্ঠানের স্পর্শকাতর তথ্যের নিরাপত্তা বিধান করা। কারণ, রিমোট অফিস হওয়ায় তথ্য, ডকুমেন্ট ও কাজের ফাইল বিভিন্ন মাধ্যমে লেনদেন হয়ে থাকে। এখানে নিরাপত্তাজনিত ঝুঁকির ব্যাপার থাকতেই পারে। অনেক সময় ভুল মাধ্যমে বা চ্যানেলে ফাইল শেয়ার করার ফলে কোম্পানির অনেক গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ডেটা বেহাত হয়ে যায়। যেটা বিরাট ক্ষতির কারণ হতে পারে।

Technological Issues in Remote Employee Management:

Despite the promise that technology holds, it can also be a double-edged sword. For example, ensuring uninterrupted internet service is essential for remote employee management. If, for any reason, the internet goes down or is disrupted due to a disaster, the entire process of remote office management can fail.

Monitoring Employee Work Can be a Bit Difficult:

A big challenge in employee management is monitoring the quality and quantity of their work. When managing remote office management or remote office, you may face some complexity in monitoring employee productivity. In this regard, a little more awareness from the employer's side might be required.

Maintaining Employee Engagement in Work:

Keeping employees engaged in work can be somewhat challenging in remote office management. However, this problem is not difficult to overcome if employee management is done correctly.

Solutions to Employee Management Challenges in Remote Office Management:

In remote office management, just as there are problems, there are also solutions. Various steps can be taken to address these problems. Let's explore some common issues and their straightforward solutions.

Use HR software for employee management:

Use high-quality HR software for employee management that allows setting daily work goals according to their capabilities, providing regular updates on tasks, and more. Using such HR software ensures that managing employee tasks becomes much easier.
For Bangladeshi companies, one of the best HR software options is Hazira। হাজিরা’য় কর্মী ব্যবস্থাপনা অনেক সহজ ও সাশ্রয়ী। 

কেনো হাজিরা?

• As a cloud-based HR management software, Hazira ensures that all data for both companies and their employees is securely stored, eliminating the risk of data loss.
• The Hazira app is available separately for Android and iOS versions for mobile devices, and a web version is available for web users. Additionally, the HR management software is available in both Bengali and English languages for ease of use.
• Hazira offers shift planning facilities for small, medium, or large businesses. Shift planning using the web application of Hazira is now very easy.
• Use Hazira to maintain accurate records of employees' daily office time and work hours. The 'In-Out Time Clock' feature in the Hazira app includes the convenience of sharing office notices and instructions alongside employees' attendance.
• From the leave management feature of Hazira, you can get one-stop service for the general leave, paid or unpaid leave, leave balance, leave application submission, and leave approval status of the organization's employees.

In addition, tools like Toggl Track, WorkVivo, Telemetry, etc., enable remote employee management by allowing tracking of their work hours and tasks.

Reducing Distance through Advanced Communication:

To overcome the biggest challenge in remote office management, it's essential to utilize advanced communication mediums and provide regular updates on everyone's tasks. Regular meetings, video conferences, and instant messaging should be used to maintain communication with remote employees.
Additionally, advanced virtual communication technologies like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, etc., should be employed for effective communication, video conferencing, and instant messaging, offering excellent options for remote or distributed workforce management.

Increasing Employee Engagement:

To enhance employee engagement, regular meetings should be conducted, specific goals should be set, achieving those goals should be encouraged, and supportive technology and facilities should be provided to keep them motivated. Moreover, apps like FocusMate and Forest can help maintain focus and attention during work.

Mitigating Information Security Risks:

For remote office management, strong passwords must be used for document storage, and data encryption should be implemented. Furthermore, providing training on information security to employees is essential to ensure the security of information.
Platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc., provide encrypted data storage and access control.

Addressing Technological Issues in Remote Employee Management:

It's crucial to provide necessary technology and support to resolve technological issues for remote employees. Ensuring uninterrupted internet service for remote employee management is vital. Additionally, tools like TeamViewer and Jira Assist are excellent for providing remote technical support.

The potential of remote office management in employee administration.

The potential for remote office management in employee administration in Bangladeshi organizations is immense! Let's see how:

• Remote office management reduces costs in employee administration.
• It creates a better balance between work and personal life for employees.
• It can reduce employee dissatisfaction.
• It increases productivity.
• It reduces overhead costs for employers.
• It liberates us from unwanted office politics.

It is evident that the potential in employee administration through remote office management is substantial. This is because remote office management is now popular and proven worldwide. Moreover, in the context of Bangladesh, it holds even more promise. Given the excessive traffic congestion, the number of working hours lost due to traffic is immeasurable!