Let’s face it – managing different personalities in the office is already difficult.
Everyone works differently, and managers are tasked with shifting their management style to accommodate each employee under their supervision.
Now, managers are getting a crash course in how to manage remote workers, but with user experience management software, managers can stay in touch with their employees without having to hound them about their productivity.
According to Brian Berns, CEO of management software company Knoa, managers can use this software to tell who is struggling and why they’re struggling.
How are employees coping with working from home?
For at least two months, employees in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world have been forced to work from home due to government-imposed lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Organizations are adapting well to the change. Initially, productivity was down, but it has started to move back up as employees get more comfortable and find their groove, Berns says.
“Business is not being conducted the same way,” Berns says. “For example, we have a client that runs a network of pharmacies, and they’ve seen huge demand. They have to order and they have to deal with stock levels. And they’ve been able to manage to operate in the new normal, with just a slight increase in user sessions required to run the business.”
How to tell when employees are struggling
With platforms like Knoa, managers can gain insight into their employees work habits and keep tabs on how well they’re doing at home.
Transaction time
Berns said one important metric to track is how long it takes an employee to complete a transaction now versus how long it took them to do the same task in the past.
“So I can tell you that it’s taking them longer to complete a transaction,” says Berns. “And that’s what we’re seeing today. We’re seeing that users, the systems that they’re using are not are not working as efficiently. They’re getting more error messages and they’re frustrated.”
Idle time
Another important metric, according to Berns, is idle time.
For example, say an employee is shipping a product. That process typically takes 20 steps, but after step 12, there’s a delay. If that forms a consistent pattern, you know there’s not an arbitrary reason.
Idle time can also be an indicator of personal struggles and an inability to adapt to such a big change.
Perhaps the employee is dealing with family issue or is having financial trouble that is causing them to be idle longer than usual.
When tech meets HR
Software like Knoa can help inform managers and HR leaders which employees need additional resources or support.
Many workers are now becoming familiar with video chat platforms and collaboration apps, but there may have been little to no training provided.
If you have insight into what platforms employees struggle with, managers can provide that support and offer additional training.
On a human level, employees’ productivity could plummet if they’re having other personal issues adapting to the change.
With software like Knoa, managers and HR leaders will be armed with that information to make a change.
“If you’re having a problem getting food shipped to you, you know, let’s help you, whatever it might be, but how what we’re providing is the information and the insight into where the challenges are so you can be proactive,” Berns says.
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