Telework Performance Measurement Is About Results
What do you make per hour? It’s a common question and is often answered by salaried and hourly employees alike. By the hour probably doesn’t fit with telework performance measurement.
An hour of work for an hour of pay. That is the basis for many as they determine the contribution to the team or organization.
It may make sense to have a standard. Work an hour, get paid for an hour. Yet, the end result of performance may be most important.
Attorneys, architects, and your automobile repair shop often claim to perform work by the hour, is it true?
Could there be some wiggle room there? Do you measure the completed work by hours served, or do you lean more towards tangible results?
There are plenty of both hourly and salaried employees working from home. Telework or WFH (work from home) isn’t completely new, but since the pandemic, it has been forced to be widely embraced.
Are employers getting the bang for their buck?
Telework Performance Measurement
Telework performance should be measured more like a project. Here is the project, and these are the desired results. An estimate of time helps put things into perspective, yet watching performance according the clock isn’t realistic.
When I go to the barber or hairstylist, I’m not measuring the completed work by the hour.
If you visit a chiropractor, a doctor’s office, or a dentist, you’re not really paying by the hour.
Quality and quantity still matter, but efficiency in telework is a different game. It’s often hard to measure accomplishments by the hour.
Certainly, there are averages and maybe some past performance or benchmark data, yet what really matters is the appropriately completed product.
You can expect the teleworker to be predominately available between 9 AM and 5 PM, yet your observation of performance probably cannot be assessed by the hour.
Perhaps it never should have been.
For the telework manager, performance management may have a different feel.
There are lots of variables, twists and turns, and misunderstood expectations. Most likely, now more than ever, performance needs measurement by results.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
