Managing employee performance in a virtual environment

We are currently seeing many leaders challenged with how to address employee performance management in the virtual working environment.   Many leaders are pausing performance reviews, postponing conversations to provide employees performance feedback, waiting until it’s the “right time”.   It is difficult to predict when employees and managers may be again face to face, and even then, when it will be an appropriate time.   Closing down the feedback loop may only exasperate the stress on employees and teams to deliver within this business-challenged context. 

As leaders, we want to support employees by recognizing their personal circumstances and providing empathy.  So how can we be sensitive to the current situation while ensuring that we are not jeopardizing the team’s success?

First, we must ground ourselves in what empathy is.   Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.   In an effort to be empathetic, many leaders step in to cover performance gaps and/or avoid difficult conversations.  This just exacerbates the performance gap and closes communication.   The key is to consider how to demonstrate both empathy and transparency with employees.   We can do this by: 

·       Initiate more conversation and discussion in general.    Open the door to better understand the employee and check our own assumptions. 

·       Check and clarify expectations.  During periods of uncertainty and stress, it is critical to review priorities, answer questions, and remove barriers of our employees on a frequent basis.   It’s a good time to check in with yourself about expectations within the current context.   Are the expectations realistic?   If not, what adjustments can be made?    If so, is the employee clear about the expectations?   

·       Create a safe place for feedback.   Before engaging in a conversation about performance, ask the employee to identify a good time to discuss “this current project” or overall objectives.   Routine one on ones are often a good time, but it’s always helpful to provide employees with a heads up if you are looking to address what might be sensitive. 

·       Ask more questions.   In many cases, when we attempt to bring performance up, we become directive and take over.   If we use a coaching approach, then employees will be more apt to take ownership.   You will also gain more insight about the situation.  

·       Better understand route cause.   Did the performance trends existent before the pandemic and  virtual working conditions?   Are they new?  How does the current context contribute?   

In a recent HBR article, Ron Carucci says the leader’s greatest role is to support employees in being the best that they can be and that decisions about adjusting expectations should be made with the employee not for the employee.”    In addition, there is such a strong link between employee performance and engagement, not just for the individual employee, but for the entire team.  Expanding dialogue and transparency will better position employees and the overall team for success. 

Bree Ranieri

Cofounder Cotalent