By: Rodrigo Garcia Ocampo
Partner director
Email: [email protected]
With the issuance of Law 2088 of 2021 for work at home, Law 2121 of 2021 for remote work and regulatory decrees, it was sought to give regulatory order to the labor reality presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, but under the understanding that one works at home or in the office without the existence of the hybrid model as the labor reality was demanding, therefore, based on Law 1221 of 2008, after the Constitutional Court declared it enforceable and, the Decree 1227 of 2022, the regulations were adjusted in order to increasingly encourage hybrid work in our country, which is the work modality that combines face-to-face work with remote work, allowing the worker to perform their duties from different places and hours, establishing the requirements and conditions for its implementation, among which are:
– The voluntary nature of the parties to agree on hybrid work, respecting labor rights and worker autonomy.
– The definition of the objectives, goals, indicators and mechanisms for follow-up and evaluation of the worker’s performance.
– The provision of technological and communication means necessary for the development of hybrid work, as well as the guarantee of safety and health at work.
– The determination of the days and hours of face-to-face and remote work, as well as the flexibility to adapt to the needs of the worker and the company.
– The protection of personal data and confidential information handled by the worker in the exercise of his duties.
The hybrid work model offers benefits for both the worker and the company, such as:
– Greater balance between work and personal life, by reducing travel times and facilitating family reconciliation.
– Greater autonomy, creativity and productivity of the worker, by giving them greater freedom to organize their work according to their preferences and abilities.
– Greater savings in operating and environmental costs for the company, by reducing the consumption of energy, paper, transportation and other resources.
– Greater competitiveness and adaptability of the company, by having a more diverse, motivated and committed workforce.
The hybrid model is an opportunity to transform the world of work in Colombia, as long as it is carried out with responsibility, transparency and collaboration between the actors involved, as demonstrated by the results of the latest surveys carried out worldwide, which show that this hiring model has come to stay. According to a Microsoft study, 73% of workers want to keep remote work options in the future, while 67% expect more in-person work opportunities. Likewise, 66% of business leaders plan to redesign their workspaces to adapt to the new hybrid model.
Hybrid work control mechanisms
Hybrid work control mechanisms are those that allow organizations to manage the performance, productivity and well-being of their employees who work in mixed modalities. These mechanisms can be of different types, such as:
– Technological: They refer to the use of digital tools that facilitate communication, collaboration and work monitoring of hybrid employees, such as video conferencing platforms, project management, instant messaging, collaborative work in the cloud, etc.
– Organizational: It mentions those associated with the definition of policies, standards and procedures that regulate the operation of hybrid work, such as schedules, days of presence in the office, objectives, indicators, evaluations, etc.
– Cultural: They refer to the creation of a work environment that fosters confidence, autonomy, flexibility and inclusion of hybrid employees, as well as recognition, feedback and support from their leaders and peers.
Hybrid work is a model that offers advantages for both organizations and employees, such as greater adaptability, efficiency, satisfaction and retention of talent. However, it also implies challenges and risks, such as the difficulty in coordinating dispersed teams through fluid, constant and assertive communication; the loss of cohesion and belonging; the imbalance between work and personal life or emotional exhaustion. For this reason, it is necessary to implement adequate control mechanisms that guarantee the success of hybrid work and the well-being of its protagonists.
The control of mixed work through the establishment of clear and measurable objectives, which allow evaluating the performance and results of employees, regardless of the place where they work, generate great challenges for companies of any type and size that have or intend to involve this recruitment model.
The determination of objectives, goals, performance evaluation and results of hybrid workers, allow designing the work experience around and for the worker, wherever they are, and promote the inclusion, commitment and well-being of all, so that companies should take the following steps:
(1) Define the objectives and goals of each job, as well as the indicators that allow measuring their fulfillment.
For the definition of objectives, companies will be able to rely on the SMART methodology, which is a tool to define objectives in a clear, intelligent and relevant way. SMART is an acronym that means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Limited in time, so such characteristics that must be printed in the objectives for them to be effective and motivating, like this:
– Specific: The objective must be concrete and precise, avoiding ambiguity or generality. You must answer the questions what, who, how, where and when.
– Measurable: The objective must have indicators that allow to evaluate the progress and the result. The objective must be quantified in terms of quantity, quality, time or cost.
– Achievable: The goal must be realistic and achievable with available resources and capabilities. The viability of the objective and the possible obstacles or difficulties that may arise must be analyzed.
– Relevant: The goal must be meaningful and consistent with the mission, vision, and personal or professional values. The question why should be answered. For example, instead of saying “I want to learn to play the guitar”, one could say “I want to learn to play the guitar because I am passionate about music and I want to express myself artistically”.
– Limited in time: The objective must have a deadline or a deadline for its achievement. A schedule must be established with actions and intermediate goals that facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the objective.
The goals that are part of the SMART tools define the steps or actions that must be carried out to achieve the objectives; however, the SMART method is not enough to generate creative and original ideas that can improve the goals. For this, the SCAMPER methodology can be used, which consists of applying seven questions that stimulate divergent thinking: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate and Reorder. These questions allow you to explore different possibilities and alternatives to achieve the objectives in a more innovative and effective way. The SCAMPER methodology differs from the SMART method in that it does not focus on defining goals, but on transforming and optimizing them.
(2) Evaluation of performance and results of hybrid work
Performance indicators are tools that allow evaluating the degree of compliance with the objectives and goals established by an organization or a project. To implement performance indicators we can use VCPS (Value, Cost, Term and Satisfaction), through the following steps after defining the objectives and goals:
– Identify the variables or measures that reflect the value, cost, term and satisfaction of the clients or beneficiaries of the work carried out by the worker.
– Establish the evaluation criteria and reference levels or quality standards for each variable or measure.
– Design the data collection and analysis instruments for each variable or measure.
– Apply the instruments and collect the data periodically.
– Analyze the data and compare it with the evaluation criteria and reference levels or quality standards.
– Prepare reports and present the results of the performance evaluation to the worker and,
– Make decisions and corrective or preventive actions to improve worker performance.
The mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating employee performance are the mechanisms that allow measuring the degree of compliance with the objectives and competencies of each employee, as well as identifying their strengths and areas for improvement. Some of the methodologies and steps most used today to carry out these processes with human resources in companies are:
– The evaluation by competences: It consists of assessing the set of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors that the worker possesses and that are necessary to carry out his position effectively. The steps to carry out this evaluation are: define the key competencies for each position, establish the expected performance levels, design the evaluation instruments (for example, questionnaires, interviews, tests, etc.), apply the instruments to the workers, analyze the results and develop an individual or group development plan.
– Evaluation by objectives: It consists of measuring the degree of achievement of the results expected by the worker based on the previously established goals. The steps to carry out this evaluation are: setting the SMART objectives for each worker, agreeing on the monitoring indicators and evaluation criteria, monitoring the progress and fulfillment of the objectives, giving feedback to the worker on their performance and recognizing their achievements or correcting their mistakes. deviations.
– The 360 degree evaluation: It consists of obtaining the opinion of different sources on the performance of the worker, such as his superiors, his peers, his subordinates, his internal or external clients, etc. The steps to carry out this evaluation are: select the evaluation sources and the aspects to be evaluated (for example, the quality of the work, communication, leadership, cooperation, etc.), prepare and distribute the evaluation questionnaires, collect and process the information obtained, integrate the results and provide feedback to the worker on their strengths and areas for improvement.
Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are the tools or procedures used to collect, analyze and communicate information on worker performance. They must be timely, transparent, participatory and improvement-oriented (OTPM). For example, a mechanism can be: “A monthly report that includes the data of the indicators, the achievements, the difficulties encountered and the proposals for improvement.”
These are some of the methodologies and steps most used today to carry out monitoring and evaluation of worker performance in companies. However, it is important to adapt these processes to the specific characteristics and needs of each organization and each job, especially when it comes to hybrid work.
The modalities of labor contracting that the pandemic brought with it, which now become permanent tools, not only in Colombia, but throughout the world, are substantial elements in the processes of inclusion and labor flexibility that contribute to economic reactivation and, for companies to invigorate their organizational culture towards these modalities, so from SFAI Human Capital Solution, we have designed a “Leadership in Hybrid Work” program and other programs associated with human resources for any type and size of company, as a response to the new organizational reality that generates some confusion for leaders when having to relate to teams in a different way than it had been done until 2019. Contact us at www.sfai.co/contactenos or through WhatsApp +57 318 371 45 96.
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