Back in Quarter Two you likely brushed off employee reviews because “COVID has to blow over in the next few weeks, right?” and then Quarter Three came and you started thinking, “Well, this will have to get done somehow.”
Enter your first Employee Review over Zoom.
It might sound more impersonal than you’re used to and definitely requires some thinking on your feet but lucky for you, it can be done, has been done successfully by many companies at this point, and the team at Printed Mint has gathered some of the best tips we’ve found to help you on your journey — because team work makes the dream work.
#1: Cameras On
Ditch the phone call or Camera-Off mode on Zoom or Google Hangouts for this one + specify in the Calendar Invite that you would like to meet “face-to-face” for this one. Being able to see the employee that you’re having a conversation with will help make the discussion more personal and allow you to read body language that you wouldn’t see otherwise.
#2: Break the Ice
Just like your in-person reviews, don’t just dive into the work head first! Remember that this has been a difficult time for everyone and ask how they’ve been doing + what they’ve been up to lately. Starting on a personal note will allow the person to open up and remind them to be themselves. A must! Not to mention, it could give you great insight into how you can better help your team during this time. Which leads us into our next hot take…
#3: Ask More Than The Usual
Yes, you want to ask the usual questions but you also want to see if there’s anything that’s making their work-from-home life difficult. This can include equipment that would improve their day-to-day, things you could implement to create a better team culture, if you didn’t realize they had kiddos running around in the background + you could possibly pivot their work hours to a more convenient time frame, the list goes on. Unusual times calls for unusual solutions and we hope to see this line of thinking continue far after the pandemic is over!
Tell us: What would you add to a virtual Employee Review at your company?
