Continuing Performance Management Training During Coronavirus

The sudden and dramatic onset of Coronavirus has obviously had an enormous impact on managers, and the way they manage their teams. Confusion is widespread in a time when so many people are now working from home. Previous systems and models for performance management may no longer be relevant, or certainly not as useful as they were in the pre-coronavirus times. How can managers continue to monitor and improve performance management? Is a new approach to performance management training required?

According to insights from Forrester Research, employee performance is being significantly affected by the impact of Coronavirus. Fifty-three percent of respondents to the Forester survey said that they are afraid of the virus and sixty-seven percent say that the regularly stay informed about it. However, of much greater concern is not only do forty-five percent of respondents believe that work life will be disrupted by the virus into the future, but most tellingly, almost thirty percent are afraid to go to work for fear of contracting the virus.

This new switch to remote working, whether based on legislative restrictions, employer instructions or the employees own choice will have a significant impact on employee performance and how employees are managed and evaluated. Many companies will need to develop a completely new performance management training course in order to better align performance management with new remote working practices. As with the modern approach to performance management, coaching will become more important than ever. At the same time, remote and virtual coaching skills will need to be developed by managers, and this in turn may require additional training for them.

A cornerstone of the success of the new paradigm for performance management will of course be communication. Both the style and channel of communication will play a big part. Managers need to be supportive and flexible in order to allow team members to adapt to the “new normal”. At the same time they will need to gradually move to holding employees accountable for their results. Similarly, they will need to learn what channels each employee prefers for communication. Some will prefer email, as it may be the most efficient way to communicate. Others may prefer video, while some may simply prefer phone. It is up to each manager to figure this out.

Finally, companies will need to ensure that they have all of the essential tools in place to support employee performance. Software platforms for communication, new management training, infrastructure to enable high performance, and remote tracking tools to allow remote data entry so that performance data can be easily entered, tracked and analysed. All of these “hard tools” must be in place in order for a company to expect performance management to regain its place in the organisation.