Yahoo situation: Frustration and inefficiency
Yahoo’s performance management couldn’t deal with the number of people working remotely. Managers lacked a method of working with their people.
The IT infrastructure wasn't ready. People were working outside the network and connections were slow, so even more people started working out of it. Gradually, people became very task-oriented, and everyone was doing their own thing. Disengagement was followed by high employee turnover and productivity decreased.
Questions you should be asking yourself
- What work needs to be done?
- Is there work that can only be accomplished on-site?
- If yes, why?
- What technology is needed to build good human working relationships?
You need webcams, phones, web meeting platforms and instant messaging tools. File sharing, email, and internal social media tools are also necessary. With these tools, people can communicate even when they can’t be online at the same time, according to an article on the management-issues.com website.
- What efforts have been made to consciously create a corporate culture?
- Does the technology encourage true collaboration?
Your HR and performance management practices must be adjusted. People should be treated equally regardless of their actual working location.
-jk-