One of their managers has approached them with a concern, however. They want to know what happens if a worker is struggling with their performance. What can they do to manage this, other than remove hybrid working?
Hybrid working is on the rise. According to the Office of National Statistics’ (ONS) Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) (27 April to 8 May) 38% of working adults reported having worked from home at some point over the last week, compared with 18% before the pandemic. This means we all must learn new skills and find ways of motivating ourselves in different work settings.
Managing hybrid workers
It may be tempting to think that managing hybrid workers is the same as for those working in the office. The manager will, after all, see them, usually at least once a week. This is however not always guaranteed, and the situation will need managing carefully.
This is an opportunity for your client to address their capability processes and limit issues arising in the future. We recommend considering the following:
Design a capability process with employees
Acas recommends discussing the following points with employees:
- how employees will be managed when at home,
- if monitoring is needed,
- what could be monitored and how (ensuring consistency between home and office), and
- data protection.
Set goals expectations
Your client needs to set out what standards are expected and establish reasonable goals with staff. Whilst not an unusual exercise, this is an essential step for hybrid working. Otherwise, measuring performance will be difficult down the line.
Be pro-active with contact
Managers should not wait to speak to the employee until they are face to face. Tackling issues directly, and early, will build trust and help develop an effective working relationship.
Establish context through cohesive teams
The context of plans, instructions and ways of working can be missed when working remotely, as passing work conversations that may happen when in the office, that sparks ideas or explains a situation, is missing. This needs to be replicated in some way to avoid those at home missing out.
This can be done through team meetings, lunch sessions, or a group chat – keeping the conversation about work, of course!
Avoid a ‘two-tier’ workforce
Proximity bias can arise when managers have limited face to face contact with staff. This affects performance management, and without care, can mean that an employee’s full potential is not realised, and assumptions are made subconsciously because of the absence of the employee’s physical presence.
To avoid this, managers should seek a genuine connection with employees, through regular formal and informal meetings. This will enable managers to form an accurate view of the individual employee.
Training
The success or failure of performance management during hybrid working is going to hang on the ability of the manager in charge to connect properly with their employees and find a way that works for both. Training will be essential in developing these skills and adapting existing skills.
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