Aug 21, 2024 • 19 min read
Working remote is changing the way we live and work, and it is increasingly gaining popularity among employees and employers alike. As more workers are choosing to work from home, many challenges come along with it, including isolation, difficulty in communication, lack of accountability, and maintaining work-life balance. Despite these challenges, remote work offers a plethora of benefits. It allows for more flexibility, reduces commuting time, saves on costs, and empowers individuals to be more productive in their work. The following 11 best practices can help remote workers overcome these challenges and stay on track with their work.
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With the rise of remote work, people are discovering that it is possible to achieve a satisfying work-life balance while working from anywhere they choose. However, remote work can come with its share of challenges that can make it difficult to thrive as a remote worker. In this article, we will explore some of the best practices that can help remote workers overcome these challenges and set themselves up for success. From developing good meeting etiquette to prioritizing health and wellness, these tips will help individuals make the most of their remote work experience and thrive in their careers.
As remote work continues to become mainstream, remote meetings have become an essential part of doing business. Remote teams have the flexibility to work anytime, anywhere, but to successfully work together, they need to effectively communicate and collaborate. Conducting virtual meetings may seem daunting, but with a few best practices, you can ensure that everyone stays on track and the meeting is productive.
Here are some essential practices to follow for conducting effective remote meetings.
Use reliable video conferencing software
A video conferencing service like GoToMeeting can help you connect with people from different locations and streamline the meeting process. This software is easy to use and enables participants to connect by video, audio, and chat. Attendees can share files, screens, and collaborate in real-time, making for an efficient and interactive meeting.
Set a clear agenda
Set a clear agenda and communicate any expectations ahead of the meeting. This helps everyone stay on track and ensures that the meeting is structured and productive. Share the agenda early and encourage participants to add any items they want to discuss in the meeting.
Encourage cameras on
As remote meetings often lack the personal touch of in-person meetings, ensure that all the participants have their video on. Encourage or require everyone to be camera-ready before joining the meeting. This simple step can increase engagement and create a more personal connection among the team members.
Conduct daily check-ins
Conduct brief daily check-ins or staff meetings to assess the situation, identify roadblocks, and connect with coworkers. This can be an informal, brief conversation where participants can share their work progress, current challenges, and any ideas they have.
Schedule no-meeting days
Make sure to schedule no-meeting days/timeframes for the team to focus and get their work done. This small gesture can go a long way to increase productivity and focus. When everyone knows that they won’t be pulled away from their work, they can focus on completing their tasks, without the constant interruptions of meetings.
Document key takeaways
Finally, document key takeaways and update all associated project documentation. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and that no information gets lost in the ether. Shared documentation is a great way to promote accountability and transparency within the team.
Working remotely allows you to experiment and find what works best for you in terms of productivity. Since everyone’s work style is unique, finding out what helps you work at your best while remote becomes essential.
When experimenting, consider all aspects that affect your productivity. For instance, think about the environment you work in, the audio setup, and the times of day when you are typically most productive. By testing different workspaces, such as sitting at a desk or outside in natural light, you may find that varying your routine can help you be more productive.
Consider switching up your audio setup as well. Some people prefer working with background noise, while others require silence. Try testing different times of day to determine when you can work most efficiently. You might find that early mornings are when you work best, or maybe you’re more productive in the afternoon or evening.
Start by trying out different start times, workspaces, and break schedules to discover what works best for you. What helps you focus on your work better? What kind of environment makes it easier for you to enter the flow state? Break times are also important to factor in, as they help refresh your mind and avoid burnout.
Working remotely has its pros and cons. Although, it provides the flexibility to work from home, work-life balance, and improves focus, it comes with its own set of challenges. One of the major issues that remote teams face is poor documentation and communication, which can lead to misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and unproductive work.
To address this challenge, prioritizing documentation and clear communication is key. Documenting your ideas, tasks, and responsibilities using the right tools is crucial in ensuring that everyone on the team is on the same page. Having clear guidelines on how to communicate effectively with the team is also important. Below are some tips on how to prioritize documentation and clear communication while working remotely:
Working remotely can be both rewarding and challenging, as it requires a great deal of self-discipline and a conscious effort to create boundaries between work and personal life. Failing to do so can result in burnout, social isolation, and depression, which is why it’s of utmost importance to separate work and home life to enjoy a healthy work-life balance.
Below are some practical tips on how to create boundaries between work and life when working remotely:
In addition to creating boundaries, it’s important to establish a work-life balance that works for you. Here are some tips to get started:
Working remotely can feel isolating at times, but it’s important to make yourself visible in order to stay connected with your colleagues and to ensure that you’re actively contributing to the team. In this article, we’ll explore actionable tips on how to enhance your remote visibility and build strong connections with your colleagues.
Firstly, it’s important to have responsive communication. This means that you should be readily available to answer emails and messages regarding work-related tasks. This will ensure that your colleagues and manager know that you are actively engaged in your work. It’s also important to remind your colleagues and manager of your presence by sharing your work progress. This will help them visualize the work you’re doing and be aware of your contributions to the team.
Another way to stay active in team communication is to use digital tools such as Slack, shared documents, and scheduled meetings with teammates. Keeping an open line of communication will help you stay in the loop and stay aware of what’s going on within the team.
It’s also important to seek feedback from your colleagues on your work. Not only will this help you improve and grow in your role, but it will also demonstrate your willingness to learn and be an active member of the team. Seeking feedback is also an excellent opportunity to understand how your work is perceived by others, which can help you make the necessary adjustments to enhance your contributions to the team.
Finally, it’s important to consider communication barriers when planning communication. For instance, if a colleague is working in a different time zone, be mindful of their working hours and schedule meetings at a time that works for them. This will help ensure that everyone on the team feels included and valued.
Working remotely can sometimes lead to a sense of isolation for some remote workers. This is why scheduling socializing time is so important for maintaining team spirit and helping remote workers feel connected to their colleagues. It may seem trivial, but this crucial step can have a significant impact on the well-being of remote workers.
In order to achieve social interaction, remote workers may consider getting out of the house and going to a café, park, or other public spaces where they can be around other people. They can also connect with other remote workers in person to create a sense of community and camaraderie. Many co-working spaces offer shared facilities and events that can allow remote workers to interact with each other.
Additionally, it’s important to schedule socializing time, just like you would schedule any other task. This can help ensure that remote workers are setting aside enough time for connection and not letting work consume their entire day. Even just 10-15 minutes of chatting over video chat with a colleague or scheduling a virtual coffee break can boost motivation and improve mental well-being.
It’s important to remember that even though remote workers may not be in the same physical office, they are still part of a team. By making a conscious effort to schedule socializing time, remote workers can maintain connections with their colleagues, boost their own motivation, and foster a positive work environment.
Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.
Working remotely can feel isolating at times, but it’s important to remember that staying connected with teammates is key to maintaining productivity and happiness at work. In fact, getting to know your colleagues on a personal level can actually improve work performance.
One way to stay connected with colleagues while working remotely is to spend a few minutes catching up before jumping into work calls. This can help build a sense of camaraderie and improve communication during business discussions. Additionally, holding virtual social gatherings or dedicated meetings for getting to know team members better can be a great way to build relationships and foster team collaboration.
To get to know team members on a personal level, consider creating opportunities for them to share photos of their personal lives with each other. This can help teammates bond over shared interests and create new connections.
When it comes to communication, video chats are a fantastic way to build a strong connection with colleagues while working remotely. Seeing each other’s faces and expressions can help bridge the gap that distance can create. Plus, video communication can help prevent miscommunications and improve productivity.
For remote teams, conducting postmortems on key projects is an essential practice that helps achieve continuous improvement. Postmortems are in-depth reviews of the project after it has been completed, analyzing what went well, what didn’t go well, and what could be improved. These reviews can help remote teams address communication and documentation challenges that are often more prevalent in remote work environments.
To conduct a successful postmortem, it’s important to start by gathering all relevant team members and stakeholders. This includes project managers, developers, designers, and anyone who had significant involvement in the project. Once you have everyone in the same virtual room, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty details of the project.
Discuss the motivation behind the project and why your team chose to undertake it in the first place. Review the project timeline, milestones, and the outcomes of the project. Were the results what you expected, or did you fall short of your goals? What were the primary challenges and pain points encountered throughout the project?
Identifying the challenges and pain points leads to the most important aspect of the postmortem: determining how to improve for the next project. Every significant challenge should be addressed by assigning action items with assignees. These assigned improvements will lead to a more streamlined and efficient process the next time around.
Postmortems go beyond the remote teams’ immediate project. Remote company’s culture and its remote work experience can be improved through these periodic assessments. By making postmortems a regular habit, remote teams can achieve continuous improvement, becoming more efficient, productive, and effective in their work. The usefulness of postmortems applies to colocated teams as well as remote ones.
When you work remotely, it can be challenging to stay focused and avoid distractions. To ensure that you are working productively and effectively, it’s important to build in accountability. There are various tactics that you can use to keep yourself on track and make sure that you’re meeting your goals.
One effective strategy is timeboxing. Timeboxing involves setting a specific amount of time to work on a particular task or project. This can help you stay focused and avoid getting sidetracked by other distractions. You can use time trackers or alarms to help you keep track of your progress and make sure that you’re sticking to the time box.
Another useful tactic is to block off your calendar for specific tasks or projects. This creates a visual reminder that you have work to do during that time and can help you stay accountable.
Standard task lists and shared daily checklists with team members can also provide an extra level of accountability. By sharing your tasks with your team, they can help hold you accountable for completing your work.
In addition, using communication tools like Slack can help build in accountability. By sharing what you’re planning to do, you create a sense of pressure to follow through with your tasks and meet your deadlines.
To ensure that responsibilities are clear, defining them on a project, documenting them, and sharing with the team are crucial. This can help prevent confusion and misunderstandings, which can impact the entire team. If you’re unsure of your tasks, make sure to ask for clarification, and check in with your team regularly to make sure that they understand their responsibilities.
In remote work settings, it’s crucial to define both individual and team responsibilities. Without clear guidelines, communication mishaps can easily occur, leading to missed deadlines and confusion among team members.
Documenting tasks and sharing them with the team ensures that everyone is on the same page and has a clear understanding of their responsibilities. This can be done through project management software or shared documents. An added benefit of documenting tasks is that team members can refer back to the document if they need clarification on their responsibilities.
To ensure effective communication and collaboration in remote teams, it’s also essential to understand team members as individuals. This means identifying their strengths and weaknesses and tailoring communication and leadership styles accordingly. It’s also helpful to keep a shortlist of possible replacements in case a team member is unavailable or needs to be replaced.
When it comes to working remotely, it’s easy to fall into a sedentary lifestyle that can lead to unhealthy habits. But prioritizing self-care is essential to stay healthy and productive. Here are some actionable tips for focusing on your health while working remotely.
In the context of an abrupt shift to remote work, it is critical for employers to provide emotional support and social interaction to their remote workers. This sudden change can be overwhelming and stressful, and it is imperative to acknowledge the challenges and listen to the anxieties and concerns of the team.
To provide emotional support, employers can offer virtual social events, such as virtual happy hours or team building activities. These events can help boost team morale and foster a sense of community among the remote workers. Regular check-ins also play a crucial role in providing emotional support. Employers can encourage team leaders to schedule one-on-one check-ins with team members to listen, offer support, and provide guidance.
It is crucial to create a sense of belonging among remote workers and reassure them that they are not alone. Employers can achieve this by highlighting the team’s accomplishments and acknowledging their contributions. They can also provide affirmation of confidence in the team and facilitate team-wide recognition to encourage collaboration and engagement.
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