Emphasize Outcomes Over Hours for Remote Team Success

Emphasize Outcomes Over Hours for Remote Team Success

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In numerous ways, remote work has become both the new normal of today and the future of work for tomorrow. With over half of employed Americans working from home during the pandemic and many companies choosing to transition to a long-term fully remote or blended remote work model, it’s clear that a significant shift toward working from home for businesses of every size is underway.

As working styles (and spaces) evolve and shift, though, so must a company’s leadership style. While many aspects of managing a remote team can transfer from an office to working remotely, one that needs to be top of mind is how to measure productivity in a remote environment.

With remote work, gone are the days when a manager could wander from desk to desk in an office, checking up on employees to make sure they’re doing their work. Gone, too, is the “first to arrive, last to leave” mentality of time spent in the office as a way to determine who is being the most “productive.”

So, how do remote companies measure productivity if they can’t “see” their staff at their desks? It’s time to redefine what being productive really means in the 21st century.

When Did Work Hours Become So Important?

With the advent of the assembly line by Henry Ford in 1913, measuring productivity became closely tied with how many hours workers spent at their designated workstations. In standardized assembly line work, intellectual output wasn’t nearly as important as being in a specific place at a specific time to get the job done. In other words, hours on the job were what mattered.

More than 100 years later, many businesses still rely on this outdated method for measuring productivity, despite the drastic shift to knowledge-based work that emphasizes cognitive output. The problem? In a knowledge economy, actual results are much more important (and impactful) than time spent.

Why Outcomes Matter More

Think of it this way: By and large, companies are paid for the service or end product they provide to customers—aka the “results” of all their hard work. In terms of how the product is received, it doesn’t matter how many hours it took to develop, and customers won’t be judging it based on company time spent.

So, shouldn’t employees also be evaluated based on the outcome of their work? After all, they’re working toward that same company result, no matter how small their part in the process. The results of their work, not how many hours they put in, help determine the company’s success.

In an office environment, it’s easy to associate time in the office with productivity. With a constant visual reminder of who is (and isn’t) there, it’s human nature to assume being onsite=working. But, measuring productivity based on hours only tells you how successful an employee is at just showing up.

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Remote work takes the “onsite” out of the equation, which means businesses have to find something else by which to measure work productivity. This aspect of working remotely is ultimately a blessing in disguise because it forces managers to think differently. While some companies utilize tools to monitor a remote employee’s screen time, this measures little more than their ability to sit in front of a computer and move a mouse or type every few minutes.

In the big scheme of things, an employee’s capacity to complete tasks, do quality work, and move projects forward is much more indicative of their productivity than how many hours their work takes them. And when their performance is tied to their role in helping the company achieve its mission, they’ll feel more connected to and engaged with their work than if they were just trying to hit a target number of hours.

How to Prioritize Outcomes

If your company is ready to emphasize outcomes and impact over hours, the first step is setting the foundation for a shift in management style. Use these tips to help you navigate the change from an organization that tracks hours to one that celebrates results.

1. Establish a Culture of Trust

To create a culture of trust that prioritizes outcomes, managers in a remote environment need to give their staff the freedom and autonomy to get their work done. When workers feel supported and trusted, they’ll go the extra mile to turn in excellent work.

And, the trust must go both ways. A Gallup survey found that when employees don’t trust leadership, their chances of being engaged are only one in 12. Building trust in the workplace, on the other hand, leads to increased speed, efficiency, and performance. What’s more, companies with high-trust cultures experience 50% lower employee turnover, up to three times higher stock market returns, and increased customer satisfaction!

As a manager, you can build trust with your remote team by communicating often, assigning engaging and meaningful work, and clearly defining outcomes and expectations.

2. Agree on Outcomes

Outcomes only work as measures of productivity if both sides know and agree on the expectations. Take the time to outline realistic goals and intended results and make sure your employees are on board. A good formula for creating an outcome statement utilizes the following questions:

  • What is the business impact, and what will change?
  • By how much and how can we measure success?
  • What’s the timeframe for this goal?

Once you’ve identified the individual components of the outcomes, craft the answers to these questions into a statement that clearly outlines the intended result.

3. Let Go of Control

Managers who implement strict schedules or choose to monitor and track their employees’ time in a remote environment risk creating a culture of distrust and inflexibility. Resist the urge to micromanage your workers’ time and workload, and instead empower them to work however, whenever, and wherever they are most productive to achieve their agreed-upon outcomes. When employees have the power to work on their own terms, they’re happier, more productive, and have a better work-life balance.

4. Embrace Flexibility

Flexibility is essential for managers in an outcome-oriented remote workplace. When staff are encouraged to focus on their results rather than their hours, it’s important to realize that the process will look different for everyone on your team. As long as everyone is doing good work, roll with it! Keep lines of communication open for questions and concerns that pop up along the way, and be open to new ways of working that are bound to arise.

Companies Leading the Way

Depending on the industry and particular job, remote companies differ in how they prioritize outcomes over hours. From a results-only work environment (ROWE) that focuses entirely on measurable results with employees having full autonomy and accountability, to shift jobs that have less schedule flexibility but still value output over hours, there’s a range of options for every business.

As more and more companies extend or permanently implement remote work policies, managers will have to continue to refocus their attention on goals and results. One business making waves with its forward-thinking mobile work policy is Siemens, a German company that has committed to implementing “a different leadership style, one that focuses on outcomes rather than on time spent at the office.”

Siemens promises to trust and empower it’s 140,000 remote employees to figure out for themselves where and how they’ll be able to achieve the best results—the cornerstone of valuing output over hours.

Be the Future

While hours worked will likely always have some place in the equation for most companies, they can no longer be the single most important measure of productivity if your goal is to create a strong remote company culture with happy and productive employees. By trusting your employees, setting goals, and embracing outcomes, you’ll be moving beyond the ages-old practice of counting hours and moving toward a future bright with possibilities and success.

FlexJobs has been a leader in remote work for over 12 years. We work with companies of every size to provide support and advice for businesses that want to integrate remote work. For expert guidance on remote work, reach out today!

 

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