Unless they are called Netfilx or Spotify, companies all over the world will have been severely tested by the health crisis ... For those who have not been simply wiped out, we will talk about survival. For a few others, we will still use the term "performance management", which means, let's be honest, "limiting the damage"!
So what are the secrets of these companies that continue, against all odds, to manage performance remotely, and what lessons can be learned from this ordeal?
The advent of telecommuting
The post-crisis period could precipitate a revolution that was just beginning...that of telework. The confinement has, in fact, imposed it in a forced march! On March 17, while thousands of employees were fighting to obtain a few days of home office per week, it is one worker out of five, that is to say about 6 million French people, who, from one day to the next, received the injunction to work from home... Prepared or not; equipped or not...!
The telework floodgates have thus been opened... Will they close again? Not sure, even though studies affirm that 4 million employees in the private sector and 6 million in the public sector could practice this form of work. This period of confinement will at least have had the advantage of showing that telework is technically possible. It is therefore very likely that it will really take off in the "post-crisis" period. This fundamental trend implies having an ergonomic HRIS tool, i.e. one that accelerates the adoption of new behaviors through its quality design.
We recommend our Guide on this essential aspect.
What adaptations for management?
Managers have had to adapt and come to terms with these remote working methods, which overturn the usual codes of "hierarchy" and "control". Pyramidal supervision is giving way to cross-functional management and continuous performance management. Faced with employees who are gaining in autonomy and freedom of action, the manager must, more than ever, demonstrate leadership. He or she must learn to build trust and inject more dynamism than authoritarianism.
Organizations, for their part, have had to rethink things systemically, organizing workspaces, computer and telephone supplies, human resources management.... And, above all, to educate employees and managers alike, at the risk of failing to manage performance, and losing precious skills.
The challenge is immense. What are some examples of the managerial changes brought about by Covid?
Here are a few illustrations of the managerial challenges:
- The relationship between the manager and the team members is established via a digital tool, thus eliminating the elements of context, the non-verbal and the informal. Communication therefore suffers from a loss of quality.
- Adjustment, at a distance, is more difficult to implement with dispersed team members.
- The moments of conviviality which, in the face-to-face environment, are federative and facilitate relations become non-existent at a distance (the "apéroskype" which has been a great success between friends is more controversial between colleagues during working hours! )
- When the context is international, it is customary to exchange in English. This, added to the time difference and cultural differences, does not facilitate remote meetings.
What are the keys to success?
Many companies have dealt with remote working on an "ex post" basis, i.e., by trying to adapt and rationalize it as quickly as possible. These are not, of course, the most favorable conditions for the implementation of a new way of working, which, however, when part of an "ex ante" (i.e., anticipated) policy, is particularly virtuous... Less travel (therefore, less CO2 emissions), less premises to occupy and maintain (therefore, less rent and logistics costs); less distance to travel for employees (therefore, less fatigue, more well-being)!
In short, teleworking needs to be seen as a global solution for reorganizing work, and the role of the manager reviewed. As for the tools, they are crucial. They consist of:
- Information and communication technologies that integrate tools for collecting, storing and presenting information,
- Communication support tools,
- Support tools for decision-making, problem-solving and brainstorming processes,
- An evaluation and feedback system,
Only then can performance management be considered from a distance!
