Performance management of remote teams: A matter of trust?

Bogdan Marinescu is founder of international PR, content and SEO agency Digital Trails, which employs 12 members of staff and 90 freelancers across 20 European countries. 

He runs a “tight ship” when it comes to performance monitoring, he says. The business uses project management and productivity platform ClickUp and time tracking software Clockify, as well as internal templates and documents. 

“Every task has a time allocation applied to it through Clockify,” says Bogdan. “If an individual spends significantly more time on a task than allocated, we discuss it. They might need more training or upskilling, or they may have been experiencing personal issues.”

• How to do effective remote performance reviews
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Everyone sets their own objectives and works collaboratively to ensure each objective aligns closely with the business’s. Trust naturally plays a huge part. 

“We don’t use these tools to surveil people. There’s no culture of surveillance. We have a high degree of trust, which works both ways, especially because all staff are self-starters and can work independently. But also, an invasive approach doesn’t foster a good working environment.”