How to Manage Remote Employees Effectively

Episode 27

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Remote work isn't a pandemic-era experiment anymore, it's a permanent feature of the workforce landscape. In this episode, Brandon Seigel shares what he's learned from years of managing fully remote teams, and gives private practice owners a practical framework for making remote work as productive, accountable, and culturally connected as in-office work.

The data is unambiguous: 98% of workers want to work remotely at least part-time, and 70% would accept a pay cut to retain that flexibility. Brandon has seen this firsthand, a baseball parent recently told him she took a $30,000 salary reduction to work from home full-time. This isn't a passing preference. It's a structural shift in what employees value, and practices that ignore it will consistently lose talent to organizations that accommodate it.

Brandon's own experience managing remote teams yielded a counterintuitive finding: his employees were more productive working remotely than in the office. Fewer interruptions, less water-cooler time, and greater autonomy over their work environment translated directly into higher task completion rates. However, fully remote employees without any in-person touchpoints reported feeling more disconnected from the team. His sweet spot: two days in-office, three days remote, a hybrid that delivered both productivity gains and team cohesion.

Effective remote management starts with crystal-clear expectations. When you can't observe behavior, you manage to outcomes. Every remote employee needs to know exactly what they're responsible for producing, what timelines apply, and what the communication protocol is. Ambiguity is manageable in an office where you can walk over and clarify; in a remote environment, it becomes a source of chronic underperformance.

Technology infrastructure matters enormously. Brandon recommends ensuring every remote employee has company-provided or company-approved devices, access to all necessary systems, and clear protocols for collaboration tools. He also emphasizes HIPAA compliance: any communication platform used by remote staff that involves patient information must be verified as compliant, many standard business tools, including some versions of widely used chat platforms, are not.

Finally, Brandon addresses culture: the biggest risk of remote work isn't productivity, it's connection. Intentional culture-building in a remote environment requires regular video check-ins, structured one-on-ones, virtual team moments, and occasional in-person gatherings. The practices that make remote work sustainable are the ones that replace the informal connection of shared physical space with deliberate, designed connection moments that keep the team cohesive and aligned.

Key Takeaways

• Remote work is a permanent workforce expectation, practices that don't accommodate it will lose top talent
• Manage remote employees to outcomes, not observable behaviors, clarity on deliverables is essential
• A hybrid model (2 days in-office, 3 remote) often delivers the best balance of productivity and team cohesion
• Verify HIPAA compliance for every communication tool used by remote staff who handle PHI
• Intentional culture-building, video check-ins, one-on-ones, in-person gatherings, keeps remote teams connected