Clearview® Performance Systems brings you ... ® ... a Culture of Results & Engagement®
Here's the next in our series of weekly managerial TIPS (Techniques, Insights, and Practical Solutions)
to help you better engage your team in the activities that lead to higher performance.
CORE Bites Issue #71
All of my in-person client work—whether consulting, facilitating, training, or keynoting—has been postponed, modified into virtual, or cancelled altogether, due to the current mandates on physical distancing. But these physical constraints haven't adversely impacted my ability to keep in-touch (and in-tune) virtually with what my executive clients are dealing with right now to keep business strategy, operational excellence and goal-attainment a strong focus for their people.
A common theme woven into these discussions is the level of productivity for newly remotized-employees. On the one hand, there's concern that certain employees risk burnout when working remotely due to a lack of boundaries and workdays that never end—and this is a legitimate concern. On the other hand there is a concern—and how do I put this politely?—that in an environment without day-to-day oversight, some team members may not "use their time wisely." Today, we will focus on the latter.
As a manager of remote workers, you walk a fine line as it pertains to performance expectations. You certainly don't want to micromanage employees because that will leave the impression you don't trust them. At the same time, however, you understand the need to monitor employees closely enough to catch potential problems early—before they affect the rest of the team or the organization's deliverables.
The challenge we have today is very real; we need to balance our concern for the well-being of our employees with the need to keep our organizations running. And this is a challenge for many managers because of a pre-existing condition ... not the type of pre-existing conditions you've been hearing about lately ... but one equally as deadly ... it's a pre-existing condition I refer to as "conflict-averse-itis."
With some managers, the fear of conflict and the disruption that it can engender—especially during these tumultuous times—is even stronger than the fear of leaving damaging problems or attitudes unaddressed.
But confronting performance, while still being compassionate and understanding of the unique circumstances employees are now working in, is not only doable—it's necessary—to keep everyone's eyes on the ball and to come out stronger once we emerge from this crisis.
The HVAs listed below will help you deal with (proactively) someone who may be taking advantage of the flexibility you've provided, someone who is not making himself available at appropriate times, someone who is missing deadlines without explanation, and/or someone who isn't completing her assigned tasks in a timely manner or with the quality you expect:
I'd love to hear how these HVAs work for you!
Neil Dempster, PhD, MBA
RESULTant™ and Behavioral Engineer
"If you don't pay attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves."
— David Allen —