How to prevent remote talent from working for multiple employers? | Lean Leverage #003

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This Week’s Lean Leverage Tip:
How to prevent remote talent from working for multiple employers?

TL;DR: Checking references and having a robust project management system is the best way to prevent a dreaded case of “over employment” 

We’ve all heard the horror stories on social media. A remote worker gets a good-paying remote job without good oversight. Seeing how easy it is to do the bare minimum, the employee then decides to get another job… and then maybe another after that. 

Obviously, this is a no-win situation for the employer. 

But what is the right solution? Should employers implement screen recording devices and random check-ins to keep remote workers accountable? 

In my opinion “overemployment” is a system of a problem, not the problem itself. 

You see, the problem is that remote workers don’t have clear expectations and accountability around their work products. 

Most companies, especially smaller ones, have no way to track recording or project-based work. This is ultimately what lets dishonest employees get away with working multiple jobs at the same time. 

Here’s what I think is the best way to handle this:

• Check for obvious red flags. Call up past employers during the interview process to confirm exit dates. Consider checking LinkedIn as well. 

• Institute end-of-day reporting for “standard work” (My good friend Jordan Ross has a great template for this.)

• use a project management system like notion or Asana and institute a culture of tracking and accountability. 

• Deploy informal time studies. Often ownership and management have no idea how long reoccurring tasks (such as onboarding a client) really take. Consider having your team track their time for a limited time frame to start creating benchmarks and quotas for reoccurring work. 

No system is going to be perfect, but the suggestions above will help create a culture of efficiency and accountability. Not having that kind of culture is ultimately what allows for employees to feel like they can get away with less-than-honest work performance. 

How can you apply this? 

• Institute a PM system like Asana 

• Institute end-of-day reports (use Jordan’s template) 

•  Check for obvious red flags on LinkedIn and from past employers 

PS: