Tips to Conduct Remote Employee Review and Evaluation
The world is beginning to experience a shift in the work culture of major industries. Companies’ leadership is becoming more dynamic than ever, devising policies of the future, and evolving the work culture. With employees working remotely often nowadays, annual performance review needs some advance changes as well. According to research, approximately 90% of employees state more flexible work arrangements will boost their morale. Revolutionizing employee review and evaluation is as crucial as building new strategies.
Reviewing the employees based on their performance is not what all companies do. In fact, a lot of employees feel that reviews do not motivate them to work harder. However, reviews and evaluations are not hindrances. A company that has a distorted/distributed team, for it, the review is an essential element.
Annual reviews and evaluations play a crucial role in the journey of learning and development of an employee. As an employer, you should know the nuances of review metrics. the review should focus on the following points to give the employee a sense of motivation and inspiration:
- Upgrading skills/Learning
- Development
- Concrete achievements
- Feedback from colleagues
- Feedback from managers
- Feedback from self
For an authentic review, ensure it does not revolve around:
- Grapevine
- Personal opinions
- Employee’s lifestyle
Here is a list of tips to conduct remote performance reviews:
Set clear expectations:
Reviews and evaluations always take a toll on employees. These usually make the employees uncomfortable to such an extent that they will never discuss the same with their managers. Also, with remote workers being on the rise, doing the same over a digital platform looks scarier than doing it in person.
However, if the expectations are shared with the employees beforehand, it becomes easier to review them as they also get the nerve of the review. For a distributed team, communication is the only feasible parameter.
- Almost a month before the review, explain the team about the review process – what is it and how are they doing to be reviewed?
- Prepare a Q&A session with them.
- Email the team what is expected from them with a concrete agenda.
- To share the performance review through a video call, explain what was expected from him and how he can improve the next time.
Let achievements be the spotlight:
Gone are the days when warning formals, being at work desk on time, and attendance were the parameters for performance review. Now, with remote workers, the foundation of achievements has evolved. Being creative and getting the work done is paramount in dressing up properly for annual performance review.
To aid employees with reviews and evaluations, rate their performance based on client satisfaction and turnaround time.
Giving employees a chance to share what they think:
Reviews need to talk more about the future and past achievements rather than focusing on the flaws of the employees. The best way to encourage employees to build a great future is by asking them the following questions before reviewing them:
- What is your biggest learning achievement this year?
- How can you incorporate what you learned so far with your work?
- What areas you would like to work upon in the future?
- Could you provide suggestions on the skills needed to attain a certain work goal?
- What technologies and tools should the organization invest in for better communication channels?
Conceptualize with your remote team. Share insights with them regarding the learning and development of skills using e-platforms.
Encourage Team Reviews:
Working from remote locations can sometimes be difficult for an employee’s mental health. While working in an office, even casual feedback from a colleague can work wonders. Therefore, as an employer, you must ask for feedback too.
Usually, a lot of companies ask the employees to review each other. The same can be done in case of remote workers. You can ask an employee to pick any three of his colleagues to review him as per their understanding. Once he has picked his review colleagues, you can ask them the following questions:
- One thing that the employee needs to work upon immediately?
- One thing that the employee needs to stop doing right away?
- One thing that the employee should continue doing?
This review will give the employee an understanding of how his peers perceive him and how he fits in the organization. Remember, colleagues’ reviews matter more than yours to most employees.
Reviews should not be an annual thing:
Working in a cubicle and working from a remote location deliver every different experience. Therefore, for the remote team, reviews and evaluation should not be a one-time thing. The more informal your communication ways are, the better will be the review metrics.
It is not essential to follow the protocol every time you connect with your team over digital platforms. In casual conversations also you can share your point of view and generate feedback from them. It is essential to use digital tools that can leverage the communication chain for a distributed team to generate authentic feedback
To Sum Up:
For employees working remotely, receiving reviews and evaluations is an essential element for their wisdom and skill development.
