How
Common concerns and how to deal with them
7. You can’t really manage the performance of some flexible work practices, like working from home and job-sharing.
This can be a difficult task especially because few managers have the training or skills to manage people who work flexibly. Here are some strategies that managers find helpful in addressing this issue:
Consultation. Consult with the particular employee and other team members about what the essential results are for the particular job. As much as possible, try to come up with quantifiable measures of performance (but not hours worked!) such as projects completed, customer satisfaction, the number of customers served, the proportion of the work completed by the person working flexibly and support for team goals.
Deliverables. Determine what outputs are best achieved in different work contexts (eg in the office or at home) and at different times. (eg early morning, late afternoon). This is especially critical when you have a job that combines customer and project/office work.
Targets. Have clear agreed performance goals in place at the beginning. These should be related to undertaking standard job-related tasks, communicating with other staff and training and development. Be realistic about what can be achieved on a part-time basis, although most organisations find that part-time staff are highly productive.
Monitor. Monitor performance issues on a regular basis – put these time frames in place when the person begins. This is best integrated into your regular performance review process. As part of this process, consult with all staff and other key stakeholders on the effectiveness of flexible working arrangements and their impact on performance and teamwork.
Trust. Keep in mind that most staff working flexibly are highly motivated to see this system work. The experience of other organisations is that most of these people require less supervision and monitoring than other staff. Demonstrating a high level of trust reaps its own rewards.