The US Census Bureau last week released figures that show the number of Americans working at home increased by 4.2 million between 1997 and 2010.
But how do bosses monitor whether workers are actually working and not just fooling around on Facebook?
Many companies have thrown up their hands at the impossibility of monitoring.
As a result, demand for monitoring systems that allow head office to keep an eye on telecommuters has been growing. One of the leaders is a software system called TransparentBusiness.
ErnestoOlivares.com, a visual communications company in the US that has remote workers located in Spain, Argentina, and India, uses this system.
Ernesto Olivares, CEO and Founder of the company, says, “It provides total visibility of the entire project process. It also allows time flexibility for employees, so they can balance their work and family life.
“The geographical location of the employees is no longer a problem and we can incorporate talent from anywhere in the world.”
Miami-based online visibility agency Intuic.com has been using the system since 2008 to monitor and coordinate its employees and contractors in 17 countries, growing its business by 80 per cent despite the adverse economic conditions in the West.
“We offer an easy and economical solution to the problems of managing a remote workforce,” says Alex Konanykhin, the CEO of TransparentBusiness.
The software records everything that workers do on their computers during working hours, taking supporting screenshots every three minutes, so managers know who is doing what in real time, and can review past performance.
The software is free for contractors and teams with fewer than five remote employees. The company’s website is at transparentbusiness.com
– PRNewswire