Providing Effective Feedback to Remote Employees

 


Remote working is the new normal and when employees work remotely it’s more important than ever to provide them with effective feedback. Sometimes remote employees feel underappreciated and overlooked which damages their motivation to work hard. Many remote workers who are good performers either become disengaged or look for alternate opportunities because they do not get enough visibility. Also, the feeling of  “out of sight, out of mind” among the remote employees leads to isolation and loneliness. To keep the virtual teams productive, as a manager, it’s important to stay connected with every team member, understand their needs and guide them the right way to help them align with the organizational goals. However, interactions are limited when teams work remotely and it’s often challenging for managers to provide effective feedback which clarifies expectations, builds confidence and encourages employees to perform better by learning from their mistakes.

Here are some effective ways of delivering a well structured feedback to your remote employees:

  1. Set Up Regular Feedback Sessions

Don’t wait for the year end performance review for remote employees and schedule regular feedback sessions. Present them with small and important advices on a regular basis instead of a huge chunk of information in a single session. The sooner you provide feedback about a task or project, the better they would work on it. This is also true in case of positive feedback. When you appreciate your employees immediately after their good work, they are likely to become more motivated and productive. Also, invite feedbacks from employees so that processes can be improved both ways.

  1. Focus on the Task

Your feedback must be focused on specific tasks and it should never mean any criticism for the individual. Talk about the skills and how the tasks can be performed in a better way. Criticizing the employees may demotivate them, making them defensive. It shouldn’t be about blaming, but must be aimed at finding better solutions together. A well structured feedback is the key to performance management for remote workers. Also, task based feedbacks are more appreciated by the employees and inspire them to improve their performance.

  1. Deliver in the Right Manner

In addition to what you say, how you say also plays a vital role in making feedbacks effective. Video calls are a great way of giving feedback remotely. It not only gives a personal touch, but also helps evaluate the reaction of the employee receiving the feedback. Also, nonverbal cues are important and communicating your message empathically becomes easier over video calls. Pay attention to your own mannerisms and voice tones and speak in a friendly way to make your feedback impactful.

  1. Schedule One-On-One Sessions for Negative Feedbacks

Pointing out mistakes or criticizing performed tasks publicly could hugely demotivate your employees. Avoid giving negative feedback to a specific employee during team meetings. Even in general while giving feedback virtually during team meets, ensure that everyone present in the meeting has played a role in the project under discussion. In case of negative feedbacks, giving them privately to the person makes them feel more comfortable to discuss in detail. Creating a culture of regular feedback is important as it gives your the right opportunity to deliver them in an effective manner.

  1. Provide Actionable Guidance

When you present an employee with a negative feedback, it’s important to give them actionable guidance along with it. When you point out a mistake, also help them understand how they can improve. Communicate your expectations clearly but also support your employees with suggestions and resources so they not only learn from failures but also find a way to perform better. Share your own experiences and help your employees apply them before the project fails. Having a problem solving approach is crucial to empower your employees. Hear them out and guide them the right way.

Feedbacks are all about staying connected, facilitating employee development and optimizing processes to achieve the desired results. And, when it comes to remote teams, a little extra effort is required to ensure the message is correctly communicated and not lost in translation. What techniques do you follow to provide feedback to your remote employees? Share your ideas in the comment section below.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Small Business Management Made Simple:Tools, Tips & Techniques for Successful Business Management

Image
OVERVIEW Many business owners and managers have excellent product ideasthat could be very profitable.   However, their enterprises are not as successful as they could or should be.  This is typically due to their lack of a basic understanding and foundation of the tools and techniques needed to successfully manage a business.  This webinar is a summary of simple tools and techniques needed to be successful at managing a business. It also offers helpful hints and bits of wisdom included in thespeaker’s published handbook – Small Business Management Made Simple! This handbook is based on his 30 years of business management, ownership and business coaching experience. How To Start Own Business WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND The handbook and webinar were developed with the business owner/manager in mind.  It covers all the significant items needed to succeed in business, based primarily on personal experiences and knowledge acquired in the actual management of various business ente
Read more

SharePoint Site Owner – Setting Up and Managing Your SharePoint Site

Image
OVERVIEW Microsoft Office SharePoint  has become the standard way for companies and organizations to share relevant info and files with other people in the company and with people outside of the company as well. In this webinar, you will learn how to set up a  SharePoint  site and manage it well. how to set up a sharepoint site WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND So, your company has switched over to Microsoft Office SharePoint. Maybe some people in your company have set up their own sites. And then, your boss tells you that you are going to be in charge of your department’s SharePoint site. What do you do? Where do you even start? This webinar will show you how to set up a SharePoint site and manage it as well. If you are in charge of Microsoft Office SharePoint or SharePoint site permissions, or if you are going to be, you need this SharePoint administration training. AREAS COVERED Microsoft SharePoint overview Screen tour Adding logos and colors to your site Adding u
Read more

Coronavirus Risks and Opportunities - Ensuring Safe Business Operations in Compliance with the Updated Laws

Image
  OVERVIEW This webinar will provide an overview of measures that businesses can take to reduce their vulnerability to further disruption by COVID-19 and similar illnesses while they protect workers and other stakeholders such as customers, and also contribute to public health by "flattening the curve." The good news is that there is a wide array of proven off-the-shelf countermeasures such as social distancing, workplace controls, and face masks that impede the spread of contagious diseases. OSHA has already released authoritative guidance that is likely to be embodied in a formal standard later this year, but proactive organizations can have most of the requirements in place before they become mandatory. Many jobs can be performed remotely which eliminates the risk of contagion completely, and also reduces costs of a physical presence such as office or classroom space, and commuting and lodging costs. Organizations must also reassess supply chain vulnerabilities to forc
Read more