Four top tips for effective performance management for remote workers

Effective performance management isn’t easy at the best of times. It requires a mix of skills to get the very best out of your people – everything from leadership, being able to build trusting relationships, getting comfortable delivering constructive feedback, and excellent teamwork.

When you’re in the same physical space as your employees – be that the office or on site – having those conversations is just a question of a tap on the shoulder or a chat at someone’s desk.

But remote working throws a significant spanner in the works. Whether it’s giving feedback or having a tough conversation about performance that’s falling short, not being with an employee in person can make those situations that much trickier.

With many businesses now keeping blended home and office work a more permanent arrangement, understanding how to effectively manage your employee’s performance remotely is essential.

Here, our HR experts have pulled together some of their top tips to help you start thinking about the best ways to manage the performance of your remote workers.

 

1. Immediately set expectations – When people know what’s expected of them, they often perform better. With everyone working from home, this can be a much steeper learning curve, especially for new starters. So, you should set all schedule and work expectations straight away, and make sure they’re understood.
2. Keep communicating with regular check-ins – Checking in regularly keeps both you and your people updated on progress and expectations. Consider whether a beginning of the week planning session gets best results for the team, or an end of the week wrap-up. Remember to take notes following each meeting, so you can action anything you need, and nothing slips your mind.
3. Get specific with feedback – Give constructive, practical feedback privately, being as specific as possible. If you’re feeding back on written work, try screensharing so you can refer to the original. Focus on how they can fix something. And remember… 20% of workers feel they now receive less recognition within the workplace due to the nature of remote working.
4. It’s a two-way conversation – Employees who feel their voices are heard are 6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work. Engage your employee with questions: “What would you change if you could?” or “How can we find an effective way of working?”

 

Learn more

If you would like to find out more about: how to implement these tips, examples of them working in practice, and the benefits of effective performance management, download this FREE guide. It’s a comprehensive, all-you-need-to-know overview of great performance management.

How Citation can help

Our team of HR & Employment Law experts have helped thousands of clients throughout the pandemic to make the adjustment to homeworking and futureproof their business with solid continuity plans and compliance.

If you’d like the backing of our expert team, simply give us a call on 0345 844 1111 and our team will be happy to discuss your business’ needs. Or get in touch with us online and we’ll call you back at a time that suits you. If you are already a client of ours, please call 0345 844 4848 to get in touch.