Performance management is essential in any workplace. But as many companies have already started to shift towards the new hybrid future, it’s time to adopt systematic changes to performance and learning management that will work best in a hybrid setup.
This blog will list the different ways you can design a performance management system and the best practices you should follow for successful implementation in your hybrid workplace.
What is a Hybrid Setup?
A hybrid work setup is a flexible business model that supports both on-site and remote employees. It anchors itself on flexibility and support, making it an excellent option for companies or industries that require on-site workers to keep operational.
In this setup, employees have the choice to work in the organization’s physical office or from home. They can decide when and where to work instead of following a designated office schedule.
Recent studies in the Philippines have shown that most Filipino workers strongly favor a hybrid setup. Consider the following statistics over the past year:
- In a recent Microsoft survey, 84 percent of employees in the Philippines want flexible remote working options.
- A Cisco survey reveals that 87 percent of employees agree that they don’t need to be in the same space to collaborate with their teams.
- Data from The Future of Work White Paper shows that 64.2% of HR admins currently working in the office foresee the future of work as remote or hybrid.
What is Performance Management?
If you’re wondering how a hybrid setup ties in with performance management, the answer is simple. Performance management is a continuous, systematic process for assessing work performance and productivity in the workplace. It involves clarifying expectations, setting objectives, identifying goals, providing feedback, and reviewing results.
Take note that performance management should go full circle with learning management. This means that performance management shouldn't stop with reviewing the results but provide actionable feedback and give employees the tools to act on it.
When working remotely or from the office, it can be hard to keep track of performance and productivity. But this system ensures that every employee's activities align with the organization's overall goals and objectives.
What are the Stages of the Performance Management Process?
The performance management process consists of five stages:
- Planning. In this stage, your organization will set a list of goals, targets, and expectations for individual employees, departments, teams, and the company at large.
- Monitoring. This step involves going over an employee’s performance and reviewing their progress towards the goals that had already been planned out beforehand.
- Rating. This step includes thoroughly assessing an employee’s performance based on their goals.
- Developing. This entails clarity of expectations for employee roles. Since it’s rare for employees to see clear paths for growth related to their regular assessments, it can be difficult for HR to provide individualized learning and development plans for each employee.
- Rewarding. In this stage, employees are commended for their performance (could include incentives).
How to Create a Performance Management System for Your Hybrid Office
The hybrid workplace requires a unique kind of performance management system so that everything runs smoothly. Jumpstart your performance management planning process for hybrid setups with these best practices:
Adjust Productivity Metrics
Gauging employee performance, whether individually or as a team, requires careful planning and thought.
- Company: Figure out what your core values are.
- Position: Define which competencies are necessary for each role.
- Individuals: Look into the career paths of each employee.
All these need to be addressed during evaluations, but, most importantly, every lacking aspect of these should be actionable in ways that lead to employee growth (not just promoting or firing team members).
Align Employees with Company Goals
Hybrid work has changed the way people achieve company-wide goals and how their managers monitor progress. And this is where a performance management system comes into play.
It helps to ensure everyone’s aligned with overarching company goals and strategies. Since hybrid setups offer greater flexibility, employees have more freedom to make sure that their current role is in line with the company’s goals.
Hold Check-in Conversations Regularly
Due to a lack of face-to-face interactions, open communication has become more critical than ever in the new workspace. In a hybrid setting, frequent and ongoing conversations between managers and employees are crucial for smoother day-to-day work operations.
It’s important for managers and leaders to regularly check in with their employees, both digitally and in person. Consider setting weekly, quarterly, and annual one-on-ones to provide meaningful feedback, discuss action items, and improve goals.
Ensure Effective Manager Coaching
Apart from conversations, it’s also vital that managers set aside time for coaching their team members. Mentorship is essential for improving individual skills, performance, and productivity — but it can also help leaders introduce their team members to new technologies and systems.
A McKinsey study shows that 68% of employees agree that regular coaching from managers positively affects individual performance. Moreover, teams that receive proper coaching outperform other teams without hands-on help in engagement, productivity, retention, safety, and profitability. Keep in mind that appraisals should have relevant feedback, and tools like Performance+ from the Sprout Ecosystem can help address this.
Reduce Bias in Assessments
Biases are different from manager to manager, and it's hard for HR admins to identify if a 5/10 for manager A means the same thing for manager B.
Analytics tools can help you measure manager bias to make better decisions for your organization. We’ve listed a few tips to help you overcome these biases:
- Conduct frequent performance appraisals and define ratings with clear descriptions
- Refrain from comparing the performance of employee A to employee B
- Consult your senior leadership and ask them to share any accounts or reports of employee performance
Best Practices for Performance Management in a Hybrid Workplace
Corporate leaders and managers play a key role in ensuring that performance systems are effectively implemented. Here are some of the practices to make performance management work in your hybrid office:
- Periodically review your goals and see how they need to be adjusted to meet the needs of the organization.
- Provide constructive, targeted, and meaningful feedback during your one-on-one checkpoint meetings.
- Invest in the right tools and equipment to smoothen out collaborative efforts within and among teams like Sprout’s Performance+.
Improve Performance Management Systems With the Right Tools
Performance management, when done right, can accelerate your business growth. However, given the lack of resources, only a few companies can properly implement effective performance management strategies that are actionable, simple, and scalable.
What would be most effective? Ideally, it should include learning plans for individuals that lack necessary skills or an easy way to cascade disciplinary forms. It could also be a better way to create training plans for current and prospective positions or using analytics that measure manager bias.
There are many ways you can improve the way Performance Evaluations are being done in your organization, and we are more than happy to help you get to the next level. Sprout offers a holistic, all-in-one people platform designed for the future of work. Our Performance and Learning Management System provides you with the tools to seamlessly integrate your performance management systems in one place. Visit our website to learn more about our comprehensive product suite, or check out the Sprout blog to stay in the know about recent workplace trends and hacks.
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