Below are OPM’s tip sheets for employees, supervisors, and agency management for working in a hybrid onsite/offsite environment.
Employees
Planning
Be transparent and realistic in your expectations with your supervisor
Be sure to clarify with your supervisor the expectations of your position and highlight the strategic alignment between it and the organizational mission
Align individual goals with department/team goals
Make sure goals are achievable
Monitoring
Establish an open line of communication with your manager through regular one-on-one meetings, instant messaging channels, and virtual team meetings
Compose a list of achievement stories for each milestone achieved during the marking period
Meet regularly with your supervisor to discuss individual goals
Evaluation
Use video conferencing using backgrounds/filters to avoid distractions and ensure you are in a private environment
Be prepared for the end-of-year discussion by preparing statements of accomplishments and questions about how you can improve and grow in priority areas
See the rating process as an opportunity for growth
Ensure that all objectives and goals are achieved during the marking period
Awards and Recognition
As we all feel valued differently, let your supervisor know what kind of rewards and recognition you value
Track and share your accomplishments with your supervisor (Note notable successes)
Volunteer to lead challenging/complex high visibility projects
Host employee appreciation events to boost self-esteem and morale
learning and development
Keep your mind sharp, your desire for personal growth strong, and your career opportunities open with online learning and training programs
Look for free training and resources from other federal agencies, specific professional associations, and universities or local partners
Ask for a mentor and consult with your supervisor to apply for detailed positions or rotation programs to link development to personal goals
Employee health
Set intentional breaks — Schedule time to get away, exercise or go out; Get up and stretch
Participate in virtual discussion groups and join virtual communities that match your particular interests and/or concerns
Take advantage of employee assistance, mental health or psychological support programs
Supervisors
Planning
Clarify the intent and meaning of the standards; Individual perspectives may vary in their interpretation of what constitutes superior, equal and inferior performance
Standardize expected results as much as possible; This helps to increase equity in performance standards between employees in similar positions
Enable autonomy and growth by clearly highlighting to employees the strategic alignment between their work and the organizational mission
Monitoring
Demonstrate inclusion to employees by thoughtfully providing performance feedback using inclusive language
Engage employees through multiple informal and formal feedback sessions throughout the year
Check your assumptions (especially if your employee has worked remotely) about why the employee was or was not performing; Realize that there are unseen circumstances and events that can impact performance
Evaluation
Hold performance review meetings in a neutral environment free from noise and distraction (virtual and physical environments)
Start with positive feedback; Constructive feedback is more widely accepted if preceded by positive feedback
Be aware of your own evaluator bias; Evaluate performance based on measurable results
Awards and Recognition
Find out how your employees want to be recognized and meet this need (some don’t want publicity)
Recognize employee contributions related to organizational values (not just productivity and performance)
Celebrate individual and team successes throughout the year; People want to feel appreciated and know that they are contributing to the success of the organization
learning and development
Implement routine checks for two-way and 360-degree development updates; Must be two-way and encourage constant development
Offer and encourage free e-learning and training programs from other federal agencies, professional associations and universities or local partners
Establish or promote mentoring, coaching and retail opportunities to link employee goals and development
Open communication
Enable teamwork/collaboration and team check-ins by scheduling 5-10 minute breaks during meetings for “hallway” chats between employees
Use technology such as video conferencing to help maintain an “in-person” connection
Be deliberate and consistent in communication methods and channels; People need to feel accepted as part of the group
Direction
Self management
Properly manage your time to include planning, working and preparing for organized and productive meetings
Demonstrating a healthy work-life balance (e.g., not scheduling meetings over lunch, using annual leave, etc.) will allow employees to emulate your positive work and home behaviors, which will lead to increased productivity and increased employee well-being.
Communication
Organize question-and-answer sessions at the end of town hall meetings or via the agency’s intranet/forum pages
Encourage office hours for management and employees to address concerns
Be open and receptive to feedback from these trusted partners within your organization
Delegation and Autonomy
Trust is gained when senior leaders “enlarge their circle of decision makers”; Delegate down and collaborate with others to enable natural professional development and increase your ability to meet challenges
Articulate expectations clearly, emphasizing strategic alignment, then allow autonomy to achieve two-way trust
people centered management
Getting out of the management mindset through observation; Focus on the what and how of success at work rather than where and when
Enable collaboration and encourage cross-training for employee development and natural succession planning
Perform analysis to ensure that all employees are evaluated fairly, receive timely feedback, have access to the same opportunities and have all the resources necessary to succeed
Use resources and train
Leverage technology to bridge communication and collaboration gaps
Seek free training and resources from other federal agencies, professional associations (SHRM, CFO Councils, Leadership Council), and universities or local partners
Use internal SMEs to conduct agency-wide training sessions to increase knowledge and accountability of managers and employees
Develop an agile culture and a hybrid workplace
Plan your transition to a hybrid office (tech-ready to enable meetings that seamlessly reach in-office and remote workers)
Update policies/practices/training to incorporate flexibilities (telecommuting, remote management, IT systems, security)
Develop strategies to maintain resilience in the face of future uncertainty and a changing workplace
Interim budget bill, postal bill ready for final votes
Report outlines plans to transition to postal-only health insurance program
Vaccination mandate ban remains in place, at least for now
Warrant injunction calls agency ‘re-entry’ into question, says WH
EEOC praises agencies for record of age discrimination, but worries about pay differences
Report links perceptions of fairness to rates of age-related bias
The number of COLA 2023 retirees is already close to 3%
VA rolls out employee incentives to combat turnover
See also,
Benefits upon death of a federal employee or retiree
The Federal Retirement Agreement (That’s Good)
Annual leave, one of the main benefits for federal employees
Federal Employee Handbook 2022