Staff Working from Home? Here's How to Manage Them

Now that we are slowly getting used to remote work a.k.a “working from home”, companies and employees are starting to accept this new way of life.

But for managers, they may notice that performance is still falling behind. We’re living in uncertain times and we can’t expect people to be as productive as under normal circumstances. So, how do we deal with this?

Here are some of the ways to adapt your performance management techniques to keep employee engagement and productivity high, while also understanding that things are far from normal.

When should you discuss lowered performance?

All you need is one team member with performance issues to quickly turn the whole team sour. It’s not hard to notice if a coworker:

isn’t around,
isn’t answering questions, and
isn’t being a team player.

Communication is vital when it comes to remote work.

When employees think that a teammate is slacking, they’d be inclined to do the same. This is when you start to address the issue.

To solve this issue, you need to create an environment where managers and employees can and will speak up in a way that is non-judgmental and honest.

Better communication is vital. Managers and teammates don’t need to keep up with a fellow employee 24/7, but the employee can easily update others when they’re unavailable by:

Blocking out time on their calendar, or
Messaging others that they will be focused on deep work and unavailable, or
Let others know that they’re taking a break

If someone’s not performing, the manager needs to decide if the workload is reasonable. Managers and employees can discuss the acceptable amount of work for their role, and if that work is being completed.

Re-check the employees’ priorities, determine the work that is most essential or rethink their roles. Create a work environment where people are comfortable owning their work and owning their shortcomings, so managers and employees can create a plan to get back on track.

What performance indicators should managers look for in remote employees?

A manager should be able to notice if their employee is inactive or unresponsive and if their quality or quantity of work has reduced.

One way to respond to an employee who isn’t performing is to teach them how to adjust their behaviour to fulfil their performance requirements rather than just tell them what to do. Most employees know what is expected of them, but they might not know how to get there.

Working from home can be equally as or more stressful than working at the office.

This is how you identify the problem. It could be productivity issue, communication issue or trouble coping with stress. Once you find out the root of their problem, you can work together to find solutions with these 5 steps:

Identify the issue
Engage in the conversation
Act as coach by helping create an effective plan
Execute that plan
Check-in with your employee.

What if the employee’s performance issues are caused by factors outside of work?

Your employees are dealing with a lot of additional stressors and distractions, so it might not be possible to achieve 100% performance due to the effects of the pandemic. However, managers and employees need to have open communication about expectations from the company and what the employee can reasonably deliver.

It’s okay to be flexible and accept that for a short period a good employee may only be able to give 75%. But be creative about getting as much as you can. Decide what rules and regulations absolutely need to be followed and what variables can move around so the employee can perform as well as they can. Make a plan together and follow through.

Though it may seem as if the pandemic and remote work have only caused problems for performance, crisis and change can become an opportunity for skill development. Try to find ways to be creative and allow employees to adapt. Take a step back and celebrate smaller performance wins. Your employees could definitely use a few wins right now.

Source: BambooHR

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