How to track employee performance in remote organizations?
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Countless workers across the globe have already shifted to remote and hybrid working models and many more are to follow. Recent surveys have shown that the vast majority of companies are now labelling this transition as a success. Having this in mind, employers and team leaders are now facing the challenge of properly tracking and assessing their employees’ performance. In this article we will be suggesting ways for you to effectively track employee performance in remote organizations.
💡Why does it matter?
Remote working has many advantages. However, it also comes with a number of challenges. Sometimes remote employees can find it difficult to focus and stay connected. The last thing you want is a disorganized and disjointed workplace. Finding a way to assess how work is done and the delivery of your employees is essential for the success of each company. To be able to do so, however, you have to identify goals, communicate clearly and use the right tracking tools. This will allow you to create an overall structure for planning and analysis of activities for each individual.
Don’t go overboard with monitoring
Before we get to the actual ways of tracking, it is important to approach this with the right attitude. Remote work is here to stay. And therefore, employers should be able to provide flexibility in order to keep their best talent. The real challenge here is to find the right balance between tracking your teams’ performance while still encouraging their independence and autonomy.
No one likes the feeling of constantly being watched and analysed. If you take that over the line, it can throw your employees off and affect the overall atmosphere in the company. This could also lead to demotivating your teams.
Set clear expectations and deadlines
It’s each employer’s and team leader’s responsibility to define and communicate expectations to their employees. And this shouldn’t be seen as a one-off conversation. Continuous discussions throughout the working process are required in order to make sure employees are constantly onboard with what’s expected of them.
It’s important that your guidelines are as clear and as detailed as possible. The more concrete you are, the better. When you set clear expectations and SMART goals you will not need to constantly monitor your remote teams. This will save you precious time. Make sure that employees also understand how their performance will be measured.
Provide regular feedback
Regular check-ins and constant feedback will provide your employees with security and confidence. Don’t wait until it’s time for their next performance review. Having such conversations regularly will solve problems at an earlier stage and will allow employees to get through whatever difficulties they are facing and continue with their tasks in a more productive and efficient manner.
Choose the right tool for your needs
By using a tracking software, employers can monitor their employees’ performance and define any areas that need improvement. There are countless tracking tools out there. How do you pick the right one for your business? By considering your needs. What is important to you? We suggest that every tracking tool should include the following capabilities:
- Track attendance
- Manage PTO
- Manage sick leave
- Manage overtime
- Track employee activity
This will allow you to better understand what your employees are actually doing during work hours. Tracking can include time spent on different apps, websites, files and even idle time. When tracking each individual’s performance, it’s essential that you are not obsessing solely over the numbers. Each worker has a unique set of soft skills that also need to be taken into account when analysing their performance.
