4 Common Causes (And Solutions) for Underperforming Remote Employees

The trend toward remote work is unlikely to be reversed. But distance and virtual work limit what managers can see, especially when?employees aren’t meeting expectations. Minimal interactions and no drop-ins obscure why an employee isn’t making expected progress. Managers need new ways to connect with underperforming employees and maintain productivity.

It’s easy to assume that underperforming remote employees aren’t working enough hours. But that is often, at most, only part of the reason in a remote environment. Bosses should?consider other root causes?and their remedies and discuss them with underperformers, including:

1.?Poor employee communication.?Some remote employees do great work but don’t communicate their progress effectively. What was relatively visible in the office now relies on regular, well-articulated updates—a skill, or habit, that many individuals lack.?They’re not underperforming; they’re underreporting.

Grace, a director at a high-tech firm, was struggling to understand what three of her remote directs were working on. In the office, she’d been the initiator of spontaneous conversations that kept her apprised of progress. Ideally, an employee who is challenged by remote work will proactively address the problem with their boss. But instead of expecting her employees to magically improve their communication skills, Grace implemented structures to keep the team consistently connected. They started holding fifteen-minute team meetings every morning to tackle critical issues. Once a week, everyone completes a template to report on highlights, items needing attention and their most important priority for the coming week. This provides an easy accountability opportunity for employees and a pattern anyone can establish for themselves, if a manager does not impose one.

2.?Lack of structure.?Perhaps your employee lacks structure to work at home. Lax browsing habits, the proximity of the refrigerator, or sharing workspace with kids, partners and pets can undermine focus. Remote work requires observing clear boundaries between work and home. In the office, this discipline is externally imposed. At home,?effective self-management is a learning curve?for many.

To aid those who?struggle with motivation?when they only have their TV, bed and fridge for company, Grace’s employees sign up for time slots in which they turn on cameras and work virtually in the presence of others. They’re able to start conversations organically and see others while working.

3.?Lack of connection.?Some people blossom in office energy, but wilt at home without in-person connections. Creative juices that flow in spontaneous lunchtime or whiteboard brainstorms can dry up when working in isolation—yielding?boredom, stagnation, even depression.

Grace implemented a twice-weekly office hour for her reports to address smaller topics. These conversations help Grace stay current and they’ve become a clearinghouse for information sharing among co-workers. The goal is to virtually recreate the hallway conversations that foster creative thinking and lead to more efficient, frictionless work. For example, one employee was able to leverage research done by another through a chance discussion during one of Grace’s office hours. Inspired by additional interactions, employees on Grace’s team increasingly reach out to each other to work together virtually.

Mohan, a vice president at a health sciences company, was concerned about the impact of isolation on morale.?Even when employees were connecting with team members, they were walled off from collaboration with other departments. Instead of taking unilateral action, Mohan created connection by inviting his direct reports and two peers from other?groups to brainstorm, ultimately implementing three ideas. They created a forum called Trading Space for employees to dialogue across teams. Each person posts an accomplishment and one item they need help with. Individuals are encouraged to ask for assistance on a wide range of topics from book club suggestions, to programming needs, to hiring recommendations. Attendees leave these sessions energized, recognizing they share common struggles and have concrete support with their challenges.

Mohan’s second solution involves inviting members of other teams to present at his staff meetings. This helps efficiently share information about other groups’ work and how his team can better leverage it. While Mohan had sporadically invited colleagues in the past, building connections across teams is now vital to increase visibility among remote workers.

4.?Crisis management.?During crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, people can undergo a?grieving process, leaving them down and demotivated.?Personal crises, such as working from home while providing care to a sick family member can have similar consequences.

To?compensate for the emotional burden of the pandemic, Grace designates one Friday a month as a day off for the team and encourages her direct reports to fully utilize their vacation days.

Mohan organizes “talks over tea” where his direct reports rotate hosting 45-minute, bi-weekly sessions involving six employees. This is an agenda-free forum connecting managers and employees and an opportunity for greater insight into and support for their emotional wellbeing.

Once managers discern the cause of underperformance, they can articulate the appropriate solutions (if, of course, the problem is the remote environment rather than a lack of effort or expertise). Employees don’t have to wait for the boss to implement strategies like these; anyone can address the challenges unique to remote work and suggest these solutions to team members.

This article first appeared on Forbes in June 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sabinanawaz/2021/06/28/4-common-causes-and-solutions-for-underperforming-remote-employees/?sh=6a258006721e

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