It’s no longer much of a matter of debate that Americans work more than anyone among industrialized nations.
Whether remote and distributed or in-office under a more traditional brick-and-mortar model, American workers are feeling the pinch. This is even despite technologies and automations that increase speed, reduce errors, mechanize processes and were supposed to make our lives easier.
Though tools and tactics exist to assess performance in other ways, many employers still appraise knowledge-based workers within an hours-worked paradigm. But physical presence is not the most accurate, informative measure of productivity, or the effectiveness of how that time has been spent. We should know – the entire eaHELP corporate team works from distributed locations, as do our more than 400 virtual assistants.
Being physically present doesn’t guarantee productivity. Here’s a better measuring stick.
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So what should organizations measure? How can managers assess performance more substantially?
Time Management: Does an employee never seem to have enough time in a workday or week? Is he missing deadlines, running late to meetings or frequently complaining about being under the gun? If so, examine how he spends his days; look for time wasters and low-value tasks.
Profit: Is your business development or sales team bringing in the bacon? Can you spot the connection between their activities and the bottom line? Look at revenue and profitability trending, benchmarking progress towards established rainmaking goals.
Task Tallying: Are assigned tasks being completed – and as intended? Focus on actions executed and crossed off the to-do list rather than how many hours workers sat at their desks to accomplish them.
Service: Do customers seem satisfied? Are clients coming back for more? Are your online reviews positive? If your organization is enjoying a favorable reputation, backed by real, firsthand testimonials, that’s a sign that your teams are doing something right.
Quality: You can perform quality control even if what you do doesn’t involve an assembly line. Do the RFPs answered by your grants department provide a comprehensive view, or just enough information to get by? Are your outreach teams being thorough in their follow-up with clients? Do employees go the extra mile in striving for perfection?
The business world is a high-stakes place right now. It’s global; it’s high-tech; and it’s always changing yet again, just when we finally latched on to the latest best practice.
Isn’t it time for the way we measure performance and productivity to change, too?
Beyond these five tips, how do you measure employee contributions? Have you noticed a shift in how teams’ productivity is qualified – or do you still see a reliance on how it’s quantified (with time sheets, rigid office hours and mandatory face time)? Share with us on the eaHELP Facebook community.
About Danielle Edwards
Danielle is an eaHELP storyteller who is passionate about work-life balance and a big believer in alternatives to the traditional employee paradigm. As an experienced media, marketing, communications and public relations professional, she also has extensive expertise in recruiting, retention, employee engagement, employer branding, succession planning and related HR specialties. She is no stranger to the weight room, will never turn down a platter of sushi, and can often be found reading two books at once.
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