It’s been a year since many of us suddenly found ourselves working at our kitchen tables juggling kids, pets, and partners also confined to the house with a laptop. For some, the route map out of lockdown contains a light of returning to the office. For others, working from home may now be the ‘new normal’. With many businesses reconsidering the need for office space and an overwhelming embracing of new technology, working from home could be here to stay.  

A growing concern amongst those who are remote working is that they will miss promotions in favour of those who have physically been in the office. Aside from being potential grounds for a discrimination case, having team members who feel that they may not have an opportunity for progression and promotion can also negatively impact your business. So, if you aren’t seeing your staff face to face anymore, how can they let you know about their plans for career progression? 

Find out about and acknowledge team achievements 

A good way of discovering if your team members have met or exceeded their goals is to ask them. Reaching out to discover what they have been doing and what they are proud of not only opens lines for communication, but also lets them tell you about projects they’re particularly proud of.  

It’s also a good way of spotting staff members who have developed skills that can be used in the future. Last March we wrote a blog about planning for jobs that hadn’t been designed yet, if only we had known. The last twelve months have given employees the opportunity to learn a widely varied set of new skills which could now lead them down an alternative career path.  

Continue with performance reviews 

It’s never a bad idea to review your performance management system and techniques and, in the current climate, it’s particularly advisable. Having a solid performance management system in place enables you to spot staff with key skills that could be useful for the future and it gives your team an opportunity to share their ideas with you.  

Additionally, having a performance review process that is equally as effective for remote workers as staff who work on site, creates a level and fair playing field.  

Encourage online learning 

Working from home undoubtedly shortens the commute and a US survey last year found that, on average, people working from home had an extra seventeen days of free time each year. This could be utilised to encourage staff members to enrol in online courses or start listening to podcasts that could aid their career progression.  

It’s also worth considering that organisations such as FutureLearn provide a wide and interesting variety of affordable career orientated courses. The world of learning and improvement is literally available at the click of a mouse.   

Provide opportunities for team members to step up 

Embracing and encouraging a growth mindset amongst your team opens up opportunities for them to grow and achieve. One very simple way of doing this is to encourage them to step up and take on responsibilities. Giving them the chance to learn and make mistakes is a great way of providing key skills for career progression whilst acknowledging that things aren’t necessarily ‘normal’ at the moment. It also provides new and varied goals for them to work towards.  

If you want some help setting up and reviewing your performance review process (or maybe you’ve asked some of your staff to review it), the team at Dakota Blue are always here to help and advise.