Feature
The productivity measures of yesteryear aren't cutting it anymore. They tend to be misaligned and create barriers in our evolving workplaces.
In the past three years alone, global challenges and emerging tech have combined to reframe how we live and work — and productivity metrics must evolve in tandem. So far, they haven't.
“Our reliance on traditional metrics stems from a resistance to change and a lack of visibility into the dynamics of remote work,” observed Brian Crotty, CEO of Fusion Connect.
Letting Go of the Past
Companies mandating back-to-office policies say company culture, collaboration and productivity take a hit when workers are at home. And some studies suggest productivity is down among remote workers — but is it?
According to Crotty, the metrics we’re using are the problem.
“If we're only looking at the number of tasks completed or hours logged into a system, then yes, there might be instances where remote workers appear less productive. But, if we consider work quality, mental well-being, reduced commute times, improved work-life balance and the ability to work in a personalized, distraction-free environment, the narrative might change.”
For example, Fictional Jay’s workday was consumed with last-minute client meetings, and Fictional Shannon spent her day answering questions posed by new colleagues. Each missed deadlines due to these unexpected time challenges — were they not productive? Was their time not well spent?
These activities offer long-term benefits through relationship-building and mentoring, but in an environment where workers’ time is squandered with meeting after meeting, the productivity bar has been skewed.
“Employ tools that analyze meeting productivity,” Crotty offered. “Encourage the adoption of ‘no-meeting’ days and train leaders on efficient meeting management.”
Beyond that, “companies need clearly communicated support structures, systems and boundaries, said Jill Veglahn, head of people, BAM by LLYC. “Can employees set their Slack status ‘away’ to get work done without fear of retaliation? Is there time set aside company-wide for designated deep work? And do they know which behaviors are rewarded and which are not?”
All of this, Veglahn said, needs to be clarified at onboarding.
Related Article: Measuring Productivity in the Digital Age: New Metrics for a New Era
Onboarding: Where Productive, Accountable Environments Are Born
In a study for Glassdoor by the Brandon Hall Group, researchers found that a strong onboarding process improved new hire retention by 82%. Another study showed that strong onboarding also improved the productivity of new hires by over 70%.
Veglahn shared tips to help prioritize onboarding, including:
- Outline the candidate's experience from recruitment and interview to their start date.
- Create a detailed timeline from day one, the first week, the first 30 days, after 60 days and so on.
- Deploy a survey after recruitment — and again after 30 days — to understand the efficacy of your onboarding process.
- Meet after 60 days to evaluate the employee’s adjustment to the culture, systems, role, team and manager.
Basically, companies need a culture of accountability with a 360-degree view.
It’s nothing new to monitor employees' output and create performance plans for those struggling to meet standards, and this mode merely requires a new variety of specificity.
“We individualize our approach based on employees' unique working and learning styles,” said Crotty, “but we also optimize our employee engagement and collaboration, ensuring the company's framework and standards support and enhance it.”
Veglahn drills down a bit more with two dynamic tools her team has created to center employees’ needs:
- A “Ways of Working” document detailing how the employee works best. It’s shared with managers and any team members they designate. Do they prefer phone calls to Zoom? Are they more creative in the morning or afternoon? How do they best receive feedback? What motivates them?
- Having two-way “Design the Alliance” conversations to establish best practices for creating a relationship where all parties feel heard, valued and positioned to succeed.
These tools are revisited on an annual, semi-annual or quarterly basis — and refined as leaders seek to understand the evolving worker to measure what truly matters.
Related Article: Want Your Collaborative Teams to Perform Better? Support Their Individual Needs
Understanding the Evolving Worker and Measuring What Matters
Hybrid and remote work is not going away, nor should it, and companies need to find ways to understand constantly shifting constraints and incentivize workers in these newly defined environments. This work, of redefining work, has however just begun.
“We need to continue to re-imagine what flexibility looks like and look beyond the outdated 5-day/40+ hour work week,” said Veglahn. “Trials [have] started in Europe and have been wildly successful in the UK, Belgium, Portugal, Scotland, Wales, Spain and so on. Companies in these countries are piloting and/or adopting the 4-day work week as an attempt to reimagine productivity, and the results are positive.”
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Crotty guides companies to view these efforts through a continuous improvement lens, measured with advanced analytics and tools designed to provide insights into employees' engagement, well-being and productivity patterns.
“By tapping into these analytics, managers can implement iterative strategies, ensuring both the well-being of their teams and the steady progression of company objectives.”
Companies can also offer training sessions, workshops and courses to keep leadership, management and employees aligned with the latest trends and best practices in flexible workplace management.
“Most important is encouraging all employees to experiment with new tools and approaches, bringing AI and process automation into everything they do. The more they can reduce mundane tasks, the more successful and fulfilled they will be in their work experience.”
Companies have a lot of work to do in unraveling these multi-faceted challenges. Until then, objectively evaluating remote work is impossible and short-sighted, and premature attempts to drag remote workers back to the office will undoubtedly breed resentment and cultivate environments that are the furthest thing from productive.
