From the desk of Caspar:
During this pandemic, 88% of organisations have encouraged or required employees to work from home (Gartner).
There are positives and negatives to this:
73% said they were more efficient when working from home (Statistica)
Almost half of the employees surveyed (47% and 43%) said they appreciated the lack of commute and a more flexible schedule.
On the other hand, since working from home 75% of employees said they feel more socially isolated, 57% are feeling greater anxiety and 53% said they feel more emotionally drained (Forbes)
According to Human Resources Online, 66% of leaders say it has been challenging for them to identify when staff might be struggling with mental wellbeing, burnout, and the pressures of work.
44% say they are having trouble assessing their teams’ performance based on outcomes instead of hours worked, however, this is exactly what we must do.
Remote work can be demanding. According to HBR, employees may experience a decline in job performance and engagement when working remotely, especially in the absence of preparation and training.
Some challenges include:
Lack of face-to-face supervision
Lack of access to information
Social isolation
Distractions at home
What’s your experience?
How can you be a better leader and help those around you even if you’ve not “leader” in your official title?
These are times to listen carefully and find the best ways to deal with these challenges.
In the coming weeks, we will be sharing some ideas and best practices around this subject, as well as discussing these challenges with our Big Bold Goals community.
Here are some of the ideas that we suggest:
Best Practices for Managing Performance Remotely
Set clear expectations and standards
Provide ongoing feedback and coaching
Be clear about outcomes - benefits and consequences
Encourage all levels of leaders to provide regular FEEDBACK AND COACHING to their employees. This not only improves performance but sends the message that employees are important. Working virtually means we need to actively focus on scheduling more frequent coaching and feedback sessions with employees
Why?
Companies that practice providing regular feedback (both re-enforcing and constructive feedback) experience 14.9% lower turnover rates (Hubspot)
98% of employees will fail to be engaged when they receive little or no feedback (Hubspot)
According to the International Society for Performance Improvement providing coaching has a 221% ROI
51% of companies with a strong coaching culture report a higher revenue than their industry peer group (Human Capital Institute)
Encourage MENTORING.
Assign a “buddy” to new employees.
Why?
Working virtually means employees no longer have access to ad-hoc mentoring. They are missing the opportunity to ask questions and receive support from colleagues and managers. This enhances the sense of isolation. industry peer group (Human Capital Institute)
67% of business reported an increase in productivity due to mentoring (mentorsme)
55% of business felt that mentoring had a positive impact on their profits (mentorsme)
Let your employees know you VALUE THEM.
Why?
39% of employees said they don’t feel appreciated at work (Hubspot)
Employees are 2x more likely to be disengaged if they feel ignored by their manager (Hubspot) According to a 2021 study by McKinsey, the three most important things that employees want right now are:
To FEEL VALUED by their manager
To feel valued by their organization
A sense of BELONGING
We provide these things through communication, feedback, coaching & mentoring. If you or your managers needs any development or support in this area please let us know. It is the most important thing you can engage in right now