The rise in popularity of remote working has created new challenges for employers and business managers when conducting employee appraisals. There’s more physical distance between them and the employee, which studies have shown can impact a manager’s ability to assess performance, and there’s also a little less trust due to it being more difficult to monitor remote employees compared to being in an office (Felstead et al, 2003). Not to mention lower trust levels from the employee’s side as well.
All of this makes giving an appraisal a managerial high-wire act, balancing the need to give direct feedback to ensure that the team member is aware of areas to develop and clear on performance goals, without having the same foundations to do it as you might if your contact time with them is much greater. That’s why it’s incredibly important for remote teams and managers have the right tools and training to conduct an employee appraisal virtually.
In this guide, we’ll discuss some of the key challenges facing team leaders and business owners, outline strategies to solve problems and provide step-by-step instructions to conduct effective performance appraisals for remote employees.
The challenges of carrying out remote appraisals
The swift transition to remote working, whilst having many advantages, has also brought about some challenges. Here are a few of the key challenges that Business leaders and managers need to consider when conducting remote employee appraisals:
- Loss of Non-verbal Cues: Physical meetings offer non-verbal cues that help gauge emotions and reactions. Remote settings can mute this nuanced communication, making it harder to navigate sensitive topics.
- Technological Glitches: Connectivity issues, audio disruptions, or video lags can hinder conversation flow. Crucial discussions can be disrupted, leading to misunderstandings or missed information.
- Potential for Detachment: Virtual meetings can make employees feel less engaged or connected. This detachment can affect openness and effectiveness during the appraisal.
- Environmental Distractions: Employees or managers may be in non-conducive environments, leading to distractions during the appraisal. Background noise, family interruptions, or even pets can distract from the core conversation.
- Limited Access to Resources: In-person appraisals often benefit from real-time access to documents, performance data, or other resources. Remotely, immediate access may be limited, making discussions less concrete.
- Potential for Miscommunication: Without the benefit of immediate clarification that in-person discussions offer, there’s a higher risk of miscommunication. Any key takeaways or goals from the meeting may be misconstrued, leading to potential misunderstandings.
12 quick tips to help conduct successful remote employee appraisals
- Embrace Video Calls: Utilise video during appraisals using tools such as Microsoft Teams to capture as many visual cues as possible.
- Practice Active Listening: Periodically summarise or paraphrase what’s been said to ensure mutual understanding.
- Conduct a Tech Test Run: Check both audio and video functionalities before the appraisal to ensure a smooth session.
- Have a Backup Communication Plan: Keep an alternative communication tool to hand, such as another video conferencing platform or a phone line.
- Engage Employees Regularly: Maintain consistent check-ins outside of appraisal times to foster ongoing connection.
- Start with Personal Check-ins: Open appraisal sessions by enquiring about the employee’s well-being to create a more connected atmosphere.
- Schedule Quiet Times: Ask employees to inform family or housemates about the appraisal time to minimise interruptions.
- Use Headphones: This can help reduce external noise and ensure better focus during the session.
- Utilise Cloud-based Tools: Tools like Google Drive or Dropbox allow for real-time collaboration and access to essential documents.
- Pre-send Necessary Materials: Share any relevant documents or resources ahead of the appraisal to ensure both parties are prepared.
- Provide a Follow-up Summary: After the appraisal, email a recap of the discussed points and next steps to avoid miscommunication.
- Encourage Openness: Make space for questions or clarifications throughout the appraisal to ensure clarity and mutual understanding.
A step-by-step guide to remote employee appraisals
Step 1: Preparation
Proper preparation sets the foundation for a successful appraisal. It ensures both the manager and the employee are aligned and understand what to anticipate.
Lack of preparation can lead to a disordered appraisal, misaligned expectations, and an overall sense of dissatisfaction for both parties.
How to properly prepare for a remote employee appraisal
- Inform the Employee: Send a formal email or notification well in advance about their upcoming appraisal to allow ample preparation time.
- Share Relevant Materials: Provide the employee with any guidelines, forms, or performance data they will need to refer to during the appraisal. Use cloud storage for easy access.
- Schedule Conveniently: Use tools like Doodle or simply email to pick a time slot that suits both parties. Consider time zones if you’re operating globally.
By dedicating time to prepare, both parties have the foundations for a constructive dialogue.
Step 2: Carry Out the Employee Assessment
The employee assessment should come before the meeting and will vary depending on the role and organisation. Most organisations will have some structure to their assessment which will act as your framework.
If you don’t have the above, then it’s really important to make sure that you have a systematic approach to it. A vague assessment can result in you missing important discussion points and leaving you without any clear takeaways or actions for their development plan.
How to carry out a remote employee assessment
- Highlight Key Points: Draft a list of key achievements, areas of improvement, and any specific incidents or projects you wish to discuss.
- Prepare Notes: Organise your thoughts on the employee’s performance, contributions, and areas where growth is needed.
- Suggest New Targets: Think about potential new objectives for the employee that align with both the team’s goals and their personal development.
A comprehensive assessment ensures focused and purposeful conversations during the appraisal.
Step 3: Self-assessment
Whilst you’re conducting the employee assessment before the meeting, it’s important that they reflect on their performance with a Self-assessment.
Self-assessment offers insight into the employee’s own perceptions of their accomplishments and growth areas.
If not carried out, you risk not getting a gauge on how self-aware the employee is as well as getting a steer on their aspirations and goals.
How to have remote team members carry out self-assessments
- Clarify Purpose: Ensure that the employee understands the objective of the self-assessment. It’s not about criticism; it’s about growth, recognition, and future planning.
- Provide a Self-assessment Form: Share a template, quiz, or questionnaire for the employee to fill in. Tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey can help.
- Provide Guidelines: Offer guidance on how to answer questions effectively, what areas to focus on, and any specific performance indicators they should be considering.
- Encourage Reflection: Ask the employee to think deeply about their contributions, setbacks, learnings, and aspirations.
Through self-assessment, a holistic understanding of the employee’s goals, ambitions and growth areas is achieved, which can help to facilitate a more well-rounded appraisal conversation.
Step 4: Performance Evaluation
This is the key stage where you can objectively gauge an employee’s contributions and performance against the standards that have been set previously.
How to carry out a remote employee performance evaluation
- Review Metrics: Using the set performance metrics, evaluate the employee’s achievements against the objectives set during the last appraisal.
- Offer Constructive Feedback: Praise strengths and achievements. Then, delicately address areas needing improvement, ensuring feedback is constructive and actionable.
- Highlight Achievements: Point out areas where the employee excelled and met or exceeded the objectives.
- Be Specific: Instead of vague statements, provide specific examples of what they did well and where they can improve.
- Actionable Feedback: Ensure your feedback is not just critical but also provides suggestions or resources for improvement.
An objective performance review ensures fairness and clarity, solidifying the trust between manager and employee.
Step 5: Goal Setting and Development Planning
Goal setting harmonises expectations and offers a clear trajectory for the employee’s growth and contributions.
Without setting clear objectives and goals on how the employee can improve they could feel that they are left without any direction, leading to low motivation and diminished output.
How to set goals during a remote employee performance review
- Jointly Discuss Goals: Allow the employee to suggest their goals first, then share your insights, ensuring a collaborative approach.
- Establish Timeframes: Set clear deadlines for each objective, ensuring clarity on how success will be measured.
- Plan for Growth: Discuss training, workshops, courses, or mentoring that could aid in achieving the set goals.
- Milestone Tracking: Consider breaking down larger goals into smaller milestones, which can make the process more manageable and less overwhelming.
- Regular Updates: Set periodic review meetings to track progress, address challenges, and recalibrate goals if necessary.
- Feedback Loop: Encourage a continuous feedback mechanism, allowing the employee to share updates and seek guidance whenever required.
Collaborative goal setting ensures mutual agreement, nurturing motivation and a distinct sense of direction for the employee.
Step 6: Document and Follow-Up
By creating documentation that collates everything into one place you establish a concrete record of discussions and any key decisions made during the meeting. You should also look to plan clear follow-up meetings and discussions in order to ensure continued support.
The absence of proper documentation might lead to future disagreements or confusion, and a lack of follow-up might make employees feel overlooked.
How to send an actionable follow-up after a remote employee appraisal
- Document Everything: Ensure every discussed point, agreed-upon goal, and provided feedback is documented.
- Share the Appraisal Document: Send a copy to the employee for their records and potential feedback.
- Set Check-in Dates: Use calendar tools to schedule quarterly (or as preferred) check-ins with the employee to track progress, address challenges, and offer support.
Through diligent documentation and regular follow-ups, the appraisal becomes an ongoing initiative, ensuring sustained engagement, clarity, and backing for the employee’s journey.
Conclusion
Remote working brings challenges for employers in assessing employees. Issues include missing out on body language, tech issues, feelings of disconnection, distractions, and limited resources.
But, by using tools like video calls and adopting methods such as active listening and regular check-ins, these challenges can be managed.
A great remote employee review needs thorough preparation, clear assessment, self-reflection, honest feedback, joint goal-setting, and proper record-keeping.
In short, with the right approach and tools, businesses can successfully review remote employees, fostering growth and understanding.
