“Nothing will kill a great employee faster than watching you tolerate a bad one” – Perry Belcher
During Covid-19 we have shown how as companies we can adapt. Working from was always on the horizon for some companies, our included, but this pandemic sped up that movement.
The gap left was the monitoring of our staff. It was easier to do when we could walk over to a desk, enquire about the status of a piece of work. Everyone in the open-plan offices would hear if there was an under-performer. The staff heard it. They spoke about it. They saw your action.
Fast forward to the time of the pandemic and we battle to identify poor performing staff. We were geared to a different style of work and being a different kind of manager.
We adapted to the practicalities very quickly. But did we adapt to managing people remotely?
Remote work is not for everyone. There are extroverts among us who gain energy from the water cooler talk, from the banter and the leisurely lunches. Introverts are not comfortable with a camera pointing at their face all day with no gaps to go and energise in the quiet.
Even knowing this, we have designed remote work to suit the common denominators.
Poor performance is unavoidable. All staff should fit on a bell curve, some under-performers are expected at the lower probability rates. By accepting this we can begin to act.
My suggestion may surprise you. Focus on your A-players. Grow them, lift them. Show them off. Let your company see you value prime performance.
And then go on a journey with low performers. Identify who they are and what is blocking their performance. Be honest with them about your expectations. You may find they do not see themselves as poor performance, but rather are being guided in the wrong way by the wrong manager…
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