Effective & Empowering Performance Management of Remote Workers

Thinking back to pre-COVID-19 times, how did you manage your employees’ performance? I’m sure it was much easier when you were in the same room as your staff, providing feedback or answering questions when you could make “real” eye contact and read their body language.

But when your workforce is at home, things get trickier. Managing and evaluating performance isn’t so straightforward anymore. Here are a few reasons why it’s difficult:

• There’s no face-to-face interaction.

  From daily or weekly check-ins to goal setting, everything you do is done virtually. If you aren’t proactive and prepared, it can lead to a lack of engagement and productivity.

• It’s harder to give not-so-great news.

  Many companies are struggling to stay afloat, and changing direction, cutting benefits or freezing salaries may be a necessity.

  Communicating this news while showing your employees that you’re empathetic and supportive isn’t as easy via video conference. They aren’t going to feel your virtual hug unless you put some effort into it.

• You have to dig for data.

  Data is a key component of performance management of virtual workers, but tracking KPIs (key performance metrics) such as someone’s readiness to help other team members, participate on critical projects, flexibility in taking on new assignments and maintaining good attendance is more challenging to gather from afar.

Now that we’ve covered some of the challenges of remote performance management, let’s look at solutions.

6 Ways to Make Remote Performance Management Easier on Everyone

1. Set clear expectations from the beginning.

   When people don’t know what’s expected of them, they will try their best but might be going in a completely different direction.

   • Now is the time for the Big Pivot! Ask them to look at the goals they set at the beginning of the year and provide feedback as to what is realistic considering COVID-19’s impact on your business. When employees help create their goals and know they will be held accountable, they’re more likely to be successful.
   • Put lots of effort into onboarding new hires or current employees new to the position so they fully understand the role and responsibilities.
   • Develop clear job descriptions for each position, so that each task belongs to someone.

2. Lean on internal feedback.

   Implementing an internal feedback process can give you an accurate snapshot of how a person’s peers feel about everything from their attitude to the quality of their work.

   For example, 360-degree feedback involves an employee’s self-assessment, peer review and manager’s feedback. (In some cases, customers or vendors may also weigh in).

3. Make feedback a continuous process.

   According to the Global State of Employment survey, 96% of employees want to hear feedback regularly. Ask them what’s working and where they can use some support.

   Many are balancing working from home with childcare and homeschooling while schools are either not open, or are splitting the students between in-class and virtual learning.

   Others may be grieving the loss of a partner’s job or even the loss of family and friends due to COVID-19. Have daily or weekly check-ins with your staff, and let them know your virtual office door is always open!

   Stats show that 25% of employees leave organizations due to lack of recognition, so be sure to recognize accomplishments and give praise where it’s deserved. If you have to give negative feedback, discuss it with the employee directly.

4. Take COVID-19 into consideration.

   It’s time to level the playing field when it comes to remote performance management of workers. That means not holding COVID-19-related absences against a certain employee during a review, nor poorly evaluating remote employees who needed more flexibility to take care of family.

   Recalibrate your business goals, and recognize that evaluating remote employees looks different this year. Obviously, this doesn’t mean excusing bad behavior or unexplained absences.

5. Ask for regular status updates.

   To keep employees accountable and management up to date on workloads, have employees share the top tasks they’re working on each week. Or, use a project management tool to keep everyone on the same page. Google Docs is a great resource where everyone can update progress on critical projects.

6. Trust your workforce.

   Above all else, have faith in your people! In this study by Harvard Business Review, researchers found that people at high-trust companies reported 74% less stress, 50% higher productivity and 106% more energy at work.

   If you’re communicating regularly with staff, providing continuous feedback and know what your people are working on, you’re less likely to be unpleasantly surprised by an unproductive or toxic worker.

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With some extra thought, clear expectations and continuous communication, remote performance management can be a really rewarding experience for both the manager and the employee.

Remember, one of your most important jobs as a leader is to build confidence in what they can do; not just in what you can do as their boss.

Want to learn more about the performance management of remote workers? I previously wrote a blog on managing a virtual workforce; you can read it here.

I specialize in helping business owners get the best from their employees, save time, increase effectiveness with less effort and improve company profits—all while loving their business and professional life more than ever.

I also help entrepreneurs and career professionals build the mental agility and skills they need to reach their dreams, feed their soul and do meaningful work that supports the lifestyle they desire.

To learn more about managing and evaluating remote employees, book a free consultation with me here or by calling (903) 245-2149.