Rajeev is a senior leader who has to decide on performance ratings for two of his team members – Ashu and Steve. Ashu, is a shy introvert who does not speak much in virtual meetings or switch on her video. She designs excellent solutions aligned to customer needs and meets deadlines. Steve who has a great virtual presence, makes a good impression with customers during pitches, many times for solutions crafted by Ashu. Customers always remember Steve, and sometimes specifically ask for him.
What according to you would be a fair way to rate them? How do you think he should have managed them in a virtual environment?
Leaders and employees have had to act with agility and adapt very quickly for organisations to survive and even thrive, in the face of unprecedented uncertainty and volatility brought on by the pandemic. Technology has been a huge enabler and virtual working, which was not looked upon favourably by many has become the norm. The move towards virtual working has been facilitated by the pandemic, but the work from anywhere concept is becoming more prevalent and is here to stay for many organisations.
Virtual working however is not without its challenges and has brought in a new layer of complexity, mainly due to the absence of physical face-to-face interactions. This is the first year that many leaders have had to manage the complete performance cycle online, and many are grappling with issues like the one faced by Rajeev.
For organisations to succeed, Leaders have to inspire and lead high-performing teams. Irrespective of whether it is face-to-face or virtual, the core objectives of Performance Management remain the same. Performance has to be managed in a way that is perceived as fair, inclusive, and equitable by employees.
Here are the Top Ten Things that leaders and people managers can do to take care of the nuances involved in successfully navigating an inclusive performance management process in a virtual world.
- Alignment to Vision & Goals
Being away from the workplace, employees do not have access to many communication channels that connected them to the organisation’s vision and mission. Earlier, town halls, posters, announcements on notice boards, networking with peers, participating in the grapevine, and watercooler conversations were different ways in which information got disseminated. Many of these are now missing in a virtual world. Leaders and managers have the job of communicating frequently and disseminating this information. They have to ensure that their team is aligned to the vision of the organisation, know how it translated to their goals in the short and long term. Employees have to continue to feel a sense of alignment & purpose to bring their best to work.
- On-going feedback
Sharing ongoing feedback with employees regularly has been recognised as a best practice. While working virtually, the number of daily or weekly interactions with the team may get reduced as everyone is not physically in the same location. People managers must continue to check in frequently with feedback to enable employees to perform and get them to prioritise work that delivers the greatest value. While developmental feedback is important, Leaders should not forget to celebrate the wins and successes to keep their teams motivated and give them the recognition they deserve.
- Communication & body language
One of the challenges with virtual communication is that team members do not always switch on their videos when invited for a meeting or one-on-one discussion. Reasons cited could be- wi-fi is not working properly, they are just not dressed formally, their background is not appropriate, etc. Therefore, it is a good practice to let the team know in advance that they need to turn on their cameras when an important meeting or discussion is scheduled. It’s also important to share the agenda in advance for conversations where confidential or sensitive topics may be discussed to allow the team member to plan in advance.
Communication becomes especially tricky when the manager has to have a tough/ difficult conversation, share developmental or negative feedback and it is difficult to see or read the body language of the team member. To take care of this, communication has to be a lot more explicit with greater emphasis on choosing the right words and tone.
- Feedback from multiple sources
The virtual world makes it difficult for the leader to observe how the team member behaves with other stakeholders and team members. Collecting feedback from multiple sources can help to get a clearer and more comprehensive picture of the team member’s contributions and also to get feedback on behavioural competencies which are important for the job.
- Focus on empathy and support
Leaders have to bring an empathetic approach to individual circumstances. When employees work from home, they may face several challenges and constraints – elder care, young children at home, being a single parent, lack of private space, etc.
The leader has to enable performance by providing an environment with flexibility and the support needed to work from a home office. On a case-to-case basis, the support can vary and include investment in technology or equipment, emotional support, access to counseling, upskilling in terms of training, etc.
- Being Inclusive
Leaders must become self-aware of biases that can get amplified through virtual working. For example, introverts might start participating less, extroverts might struggle with a sense of isolation – creating a perception of not performing. New joiners might find it difficult to build relationships and networks – impacting the first impressions formed about them, it might also be more difficult for them to break into pre-existing “in-groups”. In a hybrid working model, some employees may no longer be as “visible” as before – allowing a recency effect to kick in and so on.
- Employee engagement
Traditional ways to engage team members – team outings, dinners, get-togethers, catching up over lunch, or a coffee break are no longer possible. These interactions allowed employees to build relationships, network, discuss ideas and explore avenues for collaboration. Without such opportunities, employees tend to work in their small teams or silos. Leaders have to make time for informal virtual team get-togethers and celebrations which can include birthday celebrations, virtual get-togethers over tea, wine or beer, etc. Leaders should encourage team-working on assignments, working in cross-functional teams can also help to break the silos.
- Being present
Leaders are no longer “visible” in a physical sense to their team as much as before. This might make it difficult for team members to approach them. Leaders must assure their team members that even though they are not in front of them, they are available when needed. Having fortnightly catchups when the agenda is not about day-to-day matters is important. Some questions leaders can ask in these catchups include: How are you doing? What is most important for you right now? How are you managing in the current circumstances? Do you need any support from me or the organisation currently? How can I help you to deliver on your goals?
- Setting boundaries
In a virtual world, the boundaries between work and life can blur very easily. Employees are connected to their digital devices and never away from their “desks”. Some of them may find it difficult to switch off from work even though the official working hours are over, leading to burnout in the long run. Leaders must be mindful of these challenges and help their team members set healthy boundaries so that they balance work and life priorities. This helps prioritise the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of their team members.
- Measuring outcomes
Finally, the most important element that successful performance management seeks to achieve is results. Leaders and people managers are no longer able to see efforts invested by their teams or behaviours demonstrated at close quarters. However, they can continue to track and measure progress and results and must continue to focus on achieving outcomes.
About the Author
Shubhashree Naldurg is a Human Resources professional with more than 16 years of experience. She has worked with large MNCs and Indian conglomerates across diverse industries and with multi-cultural colleagues. She is the Head of Interweave Institute of Inclusion at Interweave Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
