Page 162 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

the mobile performance management process � 141

“My gut reaction,” Tyler says when we asked him if there was any-
thing different about the performance cycle for mobile workers, “is
that how it’s carried out has to be a little bit different, but the tenets
are the same. How you go about executing that [performance man-
agement cycle] is probably different.” Just for starters, the generations
communicate differently. A 21-year-old may have a different style
than a 40-year-old, and how that person wants to be communicated
to may be different, and Tyler’s leadership group is trying to get a bet-
ter understanding of how to accommodate a differentiated employ-
ment relationship with differing generations. He shared an example
with us. One of Con-way’s younger workers committed a terminable
offense for not making a vacation request during the holiday. But it
turns out the person actually sent the request via text message and the
supervisor never looked at it.
The same holds true for meetings. How to run an effective meet-
ing remains the same, but when there is a staff meeting, leaders need
to make sure the mobile workforce is involved and included in the
meeting. For performance meetings it’s not “out of sight out of mind.” Says
Tyler: “It’s setting up conference calls for the weekly one-on-one and
results reviews. It’s having the discipline and method to be able to