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This Five Step Management Plan Will Help a Remote Employee Who Consistently Fails to Perform
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This Five Step Management Plan Will Help a Remote Employee Who Consistently Fails to Perform

While it would be ideal if employee performance was never an issue, understanding the options enables managers to succeed when it is.

Susan Vroman and Barbara Larson
Fast Company, 2020
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Writing for Fast Company, management educators Susan Vroman and Barbara Larson outline five steps for dealing with unproductive staff working remotely. While your employees are working virtually during the pandemic, you may need to adjust your management style. Start with knowing your current performance policies and metrics, and evaluate team members based on their individual results. If someone is faltering, define your expectations and, if necessary, create improvement plans with a set timeline. Your last option after that may prove the most difficult: Fire staff members who aren’t fulfilling their job requirements. If you don’t, you risk the ire of more-productive team members. 

Summary

People will continue to work remotely, so adjust how you manage your staff.

Managing remote workers presents new challenges for leaders. With the prospect of the virtual office continuing, it’s time to adjust how you manage your team, especially if you have employees who under perform.

Management experts have found that due to the personal changes employees are experiencing during the pandemic, managers are less certain about how to handle faulty staff performance. Managers find it hard to believe that someone who is still currently employed wouldn’t commit to doing his or her job, but they remain hesitant to crack down on an employee whose performance may directly relate to COVID-19 issues.

Management and human resource (HR) professionals agree on a five-step process that covers how to determine a remote team member’s issues and how to handle the situation.

The first step is to check your company’s job performance guidelines, which should define job “expectations and requirements.” If your company has a policy in place for people who work remotely, follow it. If it doesn’t, contact your HR department...

About the Authors

Bentley University management lecturer Susan Vroman is a leadership consultant. Co-author Barbara Larson is a management executive professor at Northeastern University.

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