With the introduction of the ‘work from home’ system, managers need to consider adapting their style in order to keep their teams motivated and well performing. Trying to manage teams remotely has been one of the biggest challenges and while some companies in Myanmar have slowly transitioned back to working in the office via shifts or fully, many still have their employees working from home. 

So, how can managers manage ‘bad’ performance? Here are a few simple tips:

1. Identifying and defining the problem

It can be difficult to identify the root cause of change in performance levels when people are working remotely. But identifying the real reasons behind why the employee has started showing a dip in performance is the first step towards tackling the problem. Does the person have an isolated and well setup place to work at home? Is the person not able to draw a line between work and the many distractions available at home? Be mindful that particularly in Myanmar, many could experience a lack of facilities to be able to successfully work from their home. Power cuts, noisy streets, slow internet and more. However, if work from home is considered a better alternative than commuting, then all employees should be equipped or equip themselves with the minimum viable work-from-home setup.

2. Examine and review internal processes

Due to a general decrease in communication frequency and quality while working remotely, it is imperative that internal processes and responsibilities are well communicated and understood. Managers need to work with their teams to see if a change in processes and procedures would improve performance and note the feedback from team members about any potential process inefficiencies. 

3. Set expectations 

Teams and individuals perform best when goals, KPIs and expectations are clearly communicated and established as a performance measurement tool. It is important to set and communicate the new expectations and guidelines for your teams even more so when working remotely, as we all rely on each others’ work to be done on time and well in order for the organization to perform.

4. Help them learn how to improve their own performance.

If poor performance persists even after establishing and clearly communicating expectations, the next step is to have a remote coaching meeting. The meeting will address employees one-on-one if necessary about their under-performance and allow the employee to explain how they feel about the concerns the manager has raised. 

During the coaching sessions, managers could ask the following questions to determine what issues the employee is experiencing:

• How do you feel about your work lately? 

• What barriers are you facing in performing at your best? 

• Which of those barriers do you think you can resolve? 

• Have you had to resolve challenges like this in the past?

• What do you think you could realistically do differently going forward? 

At the end of the session, schedule the next check-in date to follow up on the progress. It is crucial for managers to communicate with their remote team because it keeps you and your team tracking the status of projects and deadlines, as well as reminding them of the available resources, work-related challenges, and managers' expectations.