A mere five percent of HR leaders are satisfied with their current performance review structure — imagine how their employees feel!
Regular reviews and feedback are critical to employees’ success, but they need to be delivered appropriately to produce meaningful results. When dealing with remote workers, it’s even more important to take care when designing and implementing performance review strategies.
Are you gearing up for 2024 performance reviews? If so, this guide can help.
Learn some essential tips and tricks for effective remote worker performance reviews below.
Table of Contents
Key Considerations for Performance Reviews of Remote Workers
Working with remote employees differs in many ways from working with traditional in-office employees, and performance reviews are no exception. The following are some of the most commonly cited challenges associated with remote performance reviews:
- It can be tricky to get a true sense of how someone is doing when you’re not speaking to them in person.
- When you don’t see employees regularly, in person or virtually, it can be harder to build rapport and trust — which further interferes with your ability to communicate effectively.
- To produce significant results, performance reviews require direct communication, which can be difficult for some when speaking via video, phone, etc.
With these challenges in mind, it’s vital that managers of remote workers make efforts to build trust and communicate clearly when conducting reviews. They must use appropriate performance review phrases and language, as well, to provide workers with transparent feedback and actionable advice on how they can improve.
Steps for Conducting Effective Performance Reviews for Remote Workers
Remote worker performance reviews are generally more productive when they follow a carefully planned structure. Here are some steps to follow when conducting these reviews:
Start with Self-Evaluations
It helps to send remote employees a self-evaluation form, along with self-evaluation sample answers that they can fill out and return before their scheduled performance review.
Completing this form gives them a chance to start thinking about their performance and their goals for the upcoming year. It also allows you to identify potential discrepancies between their view of themselves and your perception.
Set Specific Goals
It’s not enough to share some uplifting performance review comments and send people on their way. Work with team members to set specific and measurable goals that they can work toward in the new year.
Break Large Goals into Smaller Ones
During the goal-setting process, look for ways to break large goals into smaller ones. Doing so makes it easier for workers to actually accomplish what they set out to do at the beginning of the year. It also allows for easier progress monitoring and measuring.
Schedule Regular Check-ins
Don’t wait until the end of the year to check in with your remote employee once more.
Remote workers particularly struggle, in many cases, when it comes to developing a sense of trust in their managers. Regular check-ins can help you build a stronger relationship and see how team members are doing regarding the goals they set during the previous review.
Seek Feedback
During performance reviews, it’s just as important to seek feedback as it is to give it. Talk to your employees about what you can do differently moving forward to support them and help them accomplish their goals (and be willing to implement suggested changes whenever possible).
Use Performance Management Software
Performance management software can help with goal-setting and progress tracking. It provides you with a centralized location to store valuable data and keep an eye on how your employees are doing all year long.
Additional Tips for Enhancing Performance Reviews for Remote Workers
Following the steps mentioned above can help you deliver meaningful overall performance comments and connect with your remote workers. If you need additional advice, consider these bonus tips:
Track Performance Throughout the Year
Use your performance management software to track employee performance throughout the year. Doing so provides more context and gives you specific things to talk about during performance reviews.
Offer Praise and Constructive Criticism
It can be easy to fall into the trap of talking about everything employees should do differently during performance reviews. When you only focus on areas that need improvement, though, you can significantly dampen employee morale. Make sure you’re offering praise for things workers are doing well, too.
Offer Advice on Improvement
When delivering criticism, offer advice on what employees should do differently moving forward. Give them actionable steps they can take to make progress and correct problems. If you’re not sure how to word your advice, look up performance review examples for ideas.
Conclusion
Conducting remote worker performance reviews doesn’t have to be intimidating if you know what to look for and how to communicate effectively with your employees. Follow the tips and best practices shared above to make your performance reviews more productive for everyone involved.
Author Bio:
Asha A, Senior Content Writer, Profit.co
In her current role as a Senior Content Writer, she seamlessly merges creativity with strategy, crafting compelling narratives that resonate and drive engagement. With a rich background in content marketing, she has refined her skills to produce insightful pieces that not only captivate audiences but also amplify brands, going beyond traditional storytelling and product marketing.
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