The Future of Remote Work: A New Normal
The remote working model is here to stay. The core of the model will likely remain the same, with a few modifications to accommodate different needs of different organizations. Looking at how different organizations have managed this transition, it would only be fair to say that lots haven’t been able to cope up with the challenges brought up by the remote working model. Many companies feel that the lack of interaction and increasing distance between managers and remote employees in this new world of work have resulted in several problems. Managers are not able to see what their remote employees are doing on a daily basis. And that is leading to employees not meeting expectations.
The Challenges of Managing Underperforming Remote Employees
Organizations believe that the reason for a dip in the performance of employees is the lack of one-on-one discussion between managers and remote employees on why the latter aren’t meeting set objectives. The need of the hour is tools and methods that can help managers to interact with underperforming employees on a daily basis so that they can set the employees on the way to higher productivity. One of the reasons that many organizations are behind this less than desirable performance of employees is that they aren’t able to focus properly for their quota of daily work hours. However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There are other reasons as well that managers need to find out and discuss with employees, especially the underperformers.
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The Role of Communication in Employee Productivity
Communication between employees and managers or the lack of it is one of the biggest reasons why employee productivity has suddenly dipped in the last one year or so. There are employees who are fully committed to their work but they aren’t able to communicate what all they are doing effectively enough. So, these employees are not underperforming but underreporting due to a lack of skill that was evident even when they were working from office. Organizations shouldn’t expect their employees to get better at communication and reporting just in a few days or even weeks. What they should do is come up with ways that can help employees to connect with each other as well as their managers on a daily basis. Meetings for shorter duration almost every day and fortnightly or once a week meetings to highlight achievements, targets for the coming week, and priorities could be a great start.
Overcoming Productivity Issues in Remote Work
Many remote employees are facing productivity issues because they are not aware of how they should structure their work on a daily basis. Working from home has its own challenges, which many employees who are used to working from office, are finding hard to deal with. This is where organizations need to support their employees by providing them tips on how they can self-manage work at home. It is important for remote employees to clearly distinguish between work and home, if they are to make progress.
References: 4 Common Causes (And Solutions) For Underperforming Remote Employees | Forbes | Sabina Nawaz | June 28, 2021
