Here’s How to Manage an Unresponsive, Virtual Employee

Article written by Arar Han on Inc.

Managing an unresponsive employee in a virtual organization isn’t easy, especially when employees are working in different time zones and countries.

As co-CEOs of a virtual organization, my partner and I often grappled with these issues. Here’s a fictionalized account of a real-life management situation we faced and how we handled it. My insights might help you manage a similar situation.

Virtual teams need quick responses

Jerry is a founder and CEO based in Tokyo. He leads a virtual team, with department heads based in Virginia, Texas, and Italy. Each department head also leads a virtual team, in too many places to map. Those employees directly interface with clients.

Jerry has a 24-hour turnaround policy for all internal communications. Anytime one of his direct reports pings him, he gets back within the day or the next morning.

Lately, Jerry has been frustrated by the slow responses from Marie, head of sales in Virginia. Recently, Jerry had a question about the company’s largest account, which is managed by one of Marie’s account executives in India. Jerry asked Maria for an answer by the end of her workday, giving her almost eight hours to respond.

When three workdays passed without an answer, Jerry emailed Marie. “What’s the word on the Providence account?” he asked. She responded within 10 minutes: “Oh my gosh, sorry! I haven’t heard back from Kellen, the account executive. Let me ping him.”

Another day passed, with no follow up. Jerry weighed his options about what to do next.

Slow responses create doubt

Does Jerry’s frustration over waiting for an answer on email sound familiar? It probably does; even though average response time for a work email is 3.5 hours, many responses exceed that, leading to feelings of impatience and frustration. And yet we can all agree, as 81 percent of people in an Inc. survey indicated: It is a reasonable expectation that work emails be responded to within a day.

The Providence account took a backseat while Jerry helped close a new major account, but his euphoria faded as he realized: It was nearing a full work week since his inquiry to Marie.

He could ping Kellen directly but that would violate the chain of command.

He decided to write Marie again: “Where are we on this?” She replied right away: “Ack let me track him down…”

Another day passed. An exasperated Jerry was starting to have questions about Marie. “Why can’t she get him to respond,” he fumed. “Is Kellen shirking other duties? Is this how Marie manages her entire team?”

Slow responses may signal bigger problems

Jerry called Marie; it was 10 p.m. in Tokyo, and 9 a.m. in Virginia. Marie answered on the first ring, “Hi Jerry, I still don’t have an answer from Kellen.”

When Jerry asked if this was typical, Marie explained that Kellen recently broke up with his girlfriend; since then, his once stellar performance had fallen off the cliff.

These two-layered management problems drove Jerry nuts. Marie has always been responsive to Jerry but her ability to respond to Jerry has been impacted by the lack of support from Kellen. Typically, the virtual setup does not adversely impact Jerry’s communications with Marie. But it is affecting Marie’s ability to manage Kellen.

Marie needs Kellen to return to his usual form, and pronto. But Kellen who is 26, is a sensitive sort, and she is worried about pushing him. She knows that mental health issues are at the forefront for Generation Z, and for his part, Kellen has been open about his previous difficulties. Marie wants to push Kellen for better performance but knowing that he is struggling in his personal life, she doesn’t want to cause him to quit.

My advice for Marie

Kellen is on Marie’s team, managing the company’s largest account. The company can’t afford to have him operating at less than top form. I’d advise Marie to figure out who will tackle the work while Kellen is struggling. Is there another account executive who can step in? If not, can Marie pick things up herself?

At the same time, Marie must manage the person. It has been a month: That’s a long time for Kellen to be performing nominally at work! I’d recommend that Marie find a way to offer Kellen some time off, paid or unpaid. Marie is rightly concerned about his state of mind. She should consult with the company’s Human Resources or equivalent managers before proceeding, with care.

Final thoughts

If this trio were co-located, this time-delayed communication breakdown would be hard to imagine. But in today’s email-centric, virtual office setting, these wait times are sometimes inevitable, potentially putting your business at risk.

In this case, Marie used her next one-on-one with Kellen to express her concern for him and to emphasize that the team was relying on him. When she asked how she could help, Kellen told her that he needed an open-ended mental break from work. Marie told Kellen the payroll and benefits manager would be in touch. She took over the Providence account herself, planning to keep it until Kellen either returned or his replacement was hired.

After six weeks, Kellen officially resigned to become a guide for a safari in South Africa.

If you find yourself in a similar predicament, I encourage you to:

1. Be persistent in discovering why a delay is occurring, and to separate out the work and the person in your approach to a solution. This guide offers a nice checklist to getting teammates like Kellen back on track.
2. Use Performance Improvement Plans sparingly. In Kellen’s case, I’d recommend not using one. Here’s why.
3. Be cognizant of the possibility that you might lose an experienced and well-trained employee by actively managing their underperformance.

While these situations can be sensitive, your deft management will help your team find its way.