+1-786-628-7980
Sign Up/Sign In 
Iowa City, IA / May 1, 2020
For remote workers, real-time feedback can be used as a coaching tool, which is not only a motivator for productivity, but is also essential to promoting a positive team attitude. As CEO & Founder of Prescient Consulting, LLC, Jeff Nock of Iowa has spent years consulting with business owners and management teams on ways to create a business model that works for their market sector and employee culture. As workers are facing a new reality that demands working from home, management teams must find new ways to keep these employees motivated and productive.
Traditionally, annual employee reviews were set aside to offer employees the critical feedback employees needed to continue moving upwards within an organization. But, in today’s face-paced and competitive business environments, Jeff Nock of Iowa agrees with corporations that are eliminating annual performance reviews in favor of real-time feedback processes.
A company’s leadership style can be a predictor of the company’s financial success. For many management teams, keeping track of off-site workers may mean pivoting to supervisory practices that are efficient and lean heavily on technology. It’s no secret that some employees are highly self-motivated, while others see working from home as a challenge. For these employees, it is especially incumbent on leadership to explore telecommunications tools such as Zoom and Slack, to keep the line of communication open.
Jeff Nock of Iowa believes that special attention should be given to new team members and those that are working from home for the first time. Make sure they understand the metrics that put in place to monitor or track employee performance and corporate success. When management offers regular employee feedback, it should benefit the employee by strengthening their weak spots and promote their strong points.
Jeff Nock Iowa realizes the negative impact of using technology as an easy way to criticize or browbeat employees. Instead, use these tools to coach remote staff and offer solutions to obstacles they may be encountering. Virtual coaching allows you to have face-to-face conversations that can keep employees engaged and motivated. To successfully coach remote teams, Jeff Nock suggests businesses ramp up their video conferencing technology and screen sharing capabilities. This way, a supervisor can have visible access to corporate documentation and/or customer information being discussed with the remote worker.
In coaching sessions, Jeff Nock Iowa suggests that instead of offering performance feedback, management can use remote communication’s technology to provide clear direction, goals, and expectations. It is also helpful to discuss with at-home workers how to handle the distractions that will be inevitable. Provide clear corporate procedures on how remote workers are expected to perform tasks from home – and that may include avoiding Netflix and other personal activities during work hours.
And finally, remote workers struggle with the disconnect from their colleagues. Video conferencing with team members offers everyone a chance to connect visually and to encourage other through any difficulties. Jeff Nock Iowa has helped many early-stage companies through a successful business launch, and for many companies, moving to a remote worker business model is similar to launch a new business. The benefit of real-time feedback is that employees feel as if they are being heard and that corporate is responsive.
As time goes on, remote workers will feel more comfortable with virtual interactions with supervisory teams because you’ve laid the foundation for a remote work strategy that is inclusive, supportive, and trusting. Jeff Nock Iowa encourages real-time feedback that empowers employees when it is done correctly. The process is meant to create a two-way discussion, unlike the annual employee review that is more of an autocratic, top down process.
