Not everyone is made for remote work. That’s not a bad thing, just like it isn’t necessarily bad to not work well in an office environment. However, when someone is working in an environment not meant for them, it can cause them to fall behind in performance. Evaluating an employee struggling with the remote work environment can be difficult. Here’s how to do it well:
Fall Back on Your Policies
Make sure employees understand your expectations. Refer to your remote work or performance policies when any problem arises. Following policies will give you direction on what you should do if an employee that has fallen behind. Additionally, using company policies will help you treat employees fairly and keep you in compliance.
Look at Results
It can be hard to tell if an employee is falling behind in performance when you can’t see them working. The body language that would let you know if someone is struggling is not available for you to rely on. Instead, you need to look at the employee’s work results. This will give you a clearer view of how far behind they are and where they need help the most.
Talk with the Employee
Because of the distance between employees it can be difficult for any individual employee to know if they’re falling behind. When you notice a remote employee having performance issues, make sure to clearly address the problems with them. This will allow the employee to know exactly where they stand and what needs to be changed. It would probably be best to use a video call to talk about the problems and how you would like them fixed. Also, allow the employee to ask questions for clarification and provide their own solutions for getting their performance back up to acceptable levels.
Use this advice to help get struggling remote employees back on track.