In these uncertain times companies have an ideal opportunity to not only reinvent the workplace, but also find more innovative ways of re-engaging with their employees.

Nicol Myburgh, head of the HCM business unit at CRS Technologies, believes transitioning to a more goal-oriented culture could be key to achieving this.

“One of the most important considerations in this regard is to have a peer performance standard that aligns to the SMART (specific; measurable; attainable; relevant; and timely) methodology. This helps to address the fundamental question around the responsibilities of each person working at an organisation,” he says.

 

Outcomes-focused

Therefore, instead of remaining focused on key performance indicators or key performance areas, management should consider basing their employee engagements on the expected outcomes. This will result in a significantly more interactive system that better aligns to the mission and vision of the organisation, with people understanding what is expected of them from a deliverable perspective.

Most companies have embraced the technology required to operate remotely. This is resulting in an environment that is significantly facilitating employees’ ability to get more work done. Myburgh says this is giving rise to a much more dynamic and social enterprise that will be critical in a post-lockdown world.

“There are three factors driving this – financial, social and environment. From a financial perspective, the employee is saving money on fuel by not having to go into the office. For the organisation, the employee becomes more productive as they do not have to spend a significant time stuck in traffic. From a social perspective, there should not be that much difference to what was in place before. However, environmentally, less traffic on the roads results in a cleaner environment. Organisations can also reduce their energy footprint by having fewer employees working at the office and even potentially downsizing to a smaller office building,” he adds.

 

Overcoming resistance

Even though the older generation is resistant to the changes being brought about by remote working, companies must start facilitating this in more effective ways.

“It could be something as straightforward as empowering each employee to run their ‘own’ business at home that aligns to their job responsibilities. Of course, this requires not only the physical elements to be in place such as reliable internet connectivity and a dedicated home office environment, but also better time tracking and time sheet management solutions,” he says.

Irrespective of the approach followed, business must change to accommodate the new normal in a radically different environment due to the current crisis. And critical to this is engaging with employees better than before.