It is important for CHROs to craft a talent strategy that calls out and recognizes the truly distinctive and the truly lagging. The current crisis has dramatically affected goals The COVID-19 crisis has amplified how hard it is and performance plans, with the added wrinkle of to make distinctions “in the middle,” but those making the people who are working remotely even distinctions have always been hard to make for more reliant on performance management to tell knowledge workers. As a result, a movement them how they are doing. That makes three CHRO toward recognizing the broad range of good actions more relevant now: performance is welcome. At the same time, it is important for CHROs to craft a talent — Transparently link employee goals to business strategy that calls out and recognizes the truly priorities and maintain a strong element distinctive (to motivate and retain them) and of flexibility. Managers should have regular the truly lagging (to boost morale and conversations with their employees to set organizational performance). priorities jointly in a changing environment. Annual “set it and forget it” goal setting was already seeing declining relevance among Tailoring the employee experience knowledge workers before the pandemic, given Employee experience and connectivity have taken the pace of change and need to adapt. And the on whole new meanings as extended work-from- radical shifting of priorities during the COVID- home policies have required organizations to be 19 crisis highlights how challenging the annual intentional about building each. In blunt terms, work system has become. can’t be another source of anxiety or uncertainty for employees right now. They have more than enough — Invest in managers’ coaching skills. Coaching going on. is the heart of managing performance, which is even more critical when workers are remote. The blurring of the line between work and life while Organizations need to invest in managerial working remotely means that employee experience skills—and mindsets—around coaching and is even more critical. For virtual workers, there’s feedback as a continuing process. no commute to the office, no coffee- or snack- room chat, and no in-person gathering after work. — Keep ratings for the very highest—and lowest— Tethered video (or phone) interactions during the performers but also celebrate the broad range course of the work day are going to make it or break of good performance. Instead of investing it for most people. time and energy in making small differentiations in ratings (and pay) for those in the broad One way to handle employee experience in a remote range of good performers, organizations environment is to tailor the approach to individuals should be focused more on having robust or segments of people. Our research shows that development conversations. HR says talent is crucial for performance—and the pandemic proves it 55