Performance management helps employers to maintain and improve their employees' performance so the organisation achieves its goals.
Most performance management involves:
- setting performance targets
- explaining how employees will be monitored
- meetings between a manager and employees to discuss their performance
- assessing employees against their performance targets
- supporting employees to help them improve their performance if needed
- keeping a record of performance
- clear guidance on what will happen if an employee underperforms
You should consult with employees and their representatives when reviewing existing performance management policies. You should agree how they can be adapted fairly for employees working from home.
However, it's important to trust your employees to do their job, wherever they are working.
If monitoring is too much or does not respect the employee's privacy, it can:
- damage trust
- cause stress
- reduce productivity
- in some circumstances, breach their legal and human rights
You should also remember that employees are entitled to some privacy at work, including when they are working from home.
Consult and create a policy
You should consult with employees and any representatives before introducing any form of monitoring. Together you should agree and create a clear policy.
You must tell employees about any monitoring arrangement and the reason for it, except in extremely limited circumstances – for example, if you suspect criminal activity.
Find out more about consulting employees and their representatives
Ways of monitoring
These might include:
- looking at use of email
- checking website visits
- recording or listening to phone calls
Any monitoring arrangements must follow human rights and data protection laws.
Impact assessments
You should do an 'impact assessment' to decide if and how to monitor staff.
You should:
- clearly set out the reasons for monitoring and the likely benefits
- identify any negative effects the monitoring might have
- consider other options to monitoring or different ways to carry it out
- understand the law around monitoring – for example, how information will be collected and used
- decide whether there is a valid reason for carrying out monitoring