Struggling with Remote Work Performance: How Can HR Ensure Accountability and Productivity?

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, like other sectors, my company has implemented work-from-home policies for all our employees. As an HR professional, my concern lies in maintaining and tracking employees' performance records. I have noticed instances where individuals clock in through our online portal but struggle to complete even basic tasks on the same day.

How can I prevent my colleagues from underperforming?

Some employees believe that the current situation of Covid-19 provides them with immunity from consequences even if they fail to meet their job requirements.

Are there additional measures I can take to effectively monitor and record performances while working remotely?

Managing this situation is becoming increasingly challenging for me.

Responsibility for Day-to-Day Tasks

Responsibility for daily tasks lies with the employee and their concerned departmental head or team manager. Why is the responsibility being placed on you?

Work-from-Home Expectations

For work-at-home arrangements, team managers need to clearly spell out what is expected from each employee, including time limits, etc. Team managers should conduct timely checks and rechecks to ensure the output meets the required standard and quantity/quality.

Building Trust and Communication

Employers and employees need to develop trust and communication to ensure that work-from-home arrangements succeed. HR can play an enabling role in such crisis situations.

HR Contingency Plans

Regular HR contingency plans should already specify key functions, roles, skills, and activities required to keep the organization operating—and which can be done remotely. In a sudden crisis, though, those boundaries may stretch and require you to offer different types of support and nontraditional work options.

HR's Role in Remote Work

HR needs to communicate, coordinate, and be available for all employees working from home and stay in touch with team managers who know the output required and tasks to be completed by each employee. Many companies are now suddenly adopting the work-from-home method. Shortfalls will occur, and HR can play a role in bringing these issues to higher-ups and trying to resolve them to the best extent possible.

The Importance of Coordination and Communication

Proper coordination, communication, and teamwork are the keys to achieving the desired output. It is essential to understand the employees, their capabilities, dedication, and responsibility towards the assigned tasks. Clarity in communication, providing proper feedback, and adhering to timelines are crucial for ensuring task completion. It is important to gauge the level of autonomy needed by an employee to complete a task, along with providing necessary resources at the ground level.

Considering the Human Factor in Remote Work

Nevertheless, the human factor must be considered when working remotely and entrusting the organizational commitment of employees.

Still, I need to keep their performance report card. How should I manage with Team Leaders because some TLs are quite senior to me.

If you have set KRAs and KPIs, please establish a performance matrix along with timelines and schedules for each departmental hierarchy. Prepare a daily report card and maintain a dashboard to track the status of assigned work online. Stay connected with all stakeholders to receive feedback and address any queries promptly.

Monitoring Employee Performance During Work-from-Home

To ensure that employees are working from home properly, you can monitor them by assigning tasks on a timely basis and asking them to provide regular updates on the task status. This practice ensures that your employees are working properly and productively. It is an effective workforce management method used by managers to monitor employee performance.

The Importance of a Performance Management System

A robust performance management system is essential for enhancing workforce efficiency and productivity, especially during crisis times.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, most employees have been forced to work from home. Working from home has not been productive for employees as there are many distractions while working remotely. Most companies struggle to figure out if employees are productive while working from home.

I started working from home during the first week of April 2020. The company I work for provided employees with different software to track our progress. With the software tracking my work, I had to ensure I completed my daily tasks successfully. It also motivated me to be more productive knowing that my employer was monitoring my progress.

Some of the leading software offered by the company included:

ZOOM - a communication software that allows face-to-face video conferencing, primarily for official purposes. Zoom helped me stay in touch with my employer and clear work-related doubts. It can connect up to 300 people simultaneously and was used for official meetings with employees and higher-level managers.

HRAPP Activity Tracker - a user-friendly software developed in India to track employees' work processes. Employees need to enter the start and end times of their shifts. Employers can take random screenshots of employees' screens during work hours. Knowing that my employer can access my screen at any time, I ensure I am working towards achieving the organization's goals.