Remote working — learning together about the new world order

How to make this work?

Photo Credit Pexel

Well like the rest of the global population I find myself at home, with the better half and kids trying to manage not only my full time role but that of IT support, part time teacher (the full time role is my wife whilst also managing full time work!) and catering. At least the dogs seem happy to have the extra company. We have all through various trials over the past week settled into our preferred nooks, the dining table re purposed into a year 7 study haven, our living room for Year 4 and my wife, and I have found sanctuary locked away in my daughters bedroom.

Surprisingly so far so good. But now that my team and colleagues are all also working remotely it brings a whole new pile of challenges to the fore that previously I did not need to consider when it was just the family and I. So it has been many hours now spend online looking for tips from those who do this full time and have done so for many years. Below is a share of some of the better links and tips.

Broadly there are several categories of interest

1. How to set yourself up to work and interact with colleagues
2. How to manage a team of people
3. How to looks after yourself and others and not go batshit crazy

1. How to set yourself up to work and interact with colleagues

CareerKarma — How to Succeed as a Remote Worker

CareerKarma — How to Succeed as a Remote Worker

1. Experiment With Your Work Setup
2. Create Work Boundaries
3. Prepare for Your Meetings
4. Create Accountability for Yourself
5. Be Visible At Work
6. Communicate Clearly and Effectively
7. Work on Your Health
8. Set Clear Responsibilities
9. Talk With Your Team
10. Take Time to Socialize

Monday.com — Remote work tips — A few helpful tips for developing healthy remote work from home habits include:

• Separating workspace from personal space. This can mean setting up a desk and a nice work chair to help stay focused.
• Finding a companion to work alongside. Having someone working beside you can help keep you accountable and motivated.
• Building a daily schedule. Planning what your day will look like and creating personal goals and deadlines will help you structure your days and weeks.
• Defining communication habits. Defining with your team which platforms you will use for which kind of work will help you all stay aligned.

Trello’s Rules For Remote Work —

1. Assume Remote

If even one person on your team is not in an office, assume remote. This means that you should take meetings from your desk and make sure to share all context of said meeting in a written format.

2. Have A Dedicated Office Space With A Door That Closes

When you’re working remotely full time, it’s important to designate and optimize a workspace that is not your kitchen counter or living room couch.

3. Have The Tools To Do Your Job.

Every team needs to use a defined digital toolset and every individual needs to have a strong internet connection

4. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Follow the Rule of Seven, which states that people need to hear a message seven times before they’ll internalize it. If you feel like you’re over-communicating information, you’re probably communicating just the right amount.

5. Schedule Face Time

Make sure your team has the opportunity to meet and bond in person. Having regular off-sites is key to fostering human relationships that make working remotely function better and more smoothly.

Trello’s Rules For Remote Work

2. How to Manage a Team of People

Ask yourself: are you a maker or a manager?

Paul Graham has an amazing essay that has withstood the test of time about makers needing large swaths of focus time to do their work and managers being mostly in meetings. If makers have a manager’s schedule they’re likely going crazy and not getting any work done. If a manager has a maker’s schedule, they’ll feel useless and lonely. Now that we are mostly using digital calendars it’s easy to take a look at your calendar and make sure your schedule reflects your role.

Monday — remote work tips — Effective virtual teams have a few things in common:

• Thorough communication both between employees and managers, and as a team
• The right tech stack to enable communication, collaboration, and project management from anywhere
• Clear expectations with a way to assign ownership to projects and tasks
• A team culture and bond solidified through activities and shared celebration for accomplishments
• Working agreements — Set expectations with your employees in regards to how their remote work.

Trello Embrace remote work guide —

Trello Embrace remote work guide

From Zapier on Managing a remote team —

• Care about your team members and show that to your team
• Help team members grow in their careers and learn new skills
• Clearly communicate expectations
• Give regular feedback so people know how they’re doing
• Encourage creative problem-solving
• Set your team up to do the work that matters
• Protect your team’s priorities and work time

3. How to looks after yourself and others and not go batshit crazy

From Monday.com — Remote work tips and Remote Teams Secret sauce to build strong connections in your virtual teams include:

1. Organize a #WFH happy hour, schedule a video call to bring everyone together in a non-formal setting.
2. Plan a remote pizza party! Schedule to deliver pizzas to everyone on your team at the same time so you can enjoy together.
3. Schedule some time to see one another in person. Pick a location that suits everyone and plan a time once a year to be together, building in-person bonds will help strengthen your virtual team.
4. Pre-set some discussion threads such as #watercooler to help get your employees started. Engage some of your employees in the pre-set threads that focus on interesting ideas and topics, and encourage them to start threads of their own.
5. Personal announcements ensure employees are seen, and that they matter as a whole person — not only because of what they contribute to work. This works the same for remote teams.

Good Links

• Atlassian — https://www.atlassian.com/remote
• Atlassian — https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/rules-of-engagement
• Business Insider — https://business.inquirer.net/292997/how-to-set-work-from-home-employees-for-success
• Career Karma — https://careerkarma.com/blog/remote-working-guide/
• Cake — https://blog.cake.hr/working-home-complete-guide-remote-work/
• Monday.com — Remote work tips and Remote Teams Secret sauce
• Trello Embrace remote work guide
• Zapier — https://zapier.com/learn/remote-work/
• Zapier Remote work challenges — https://zapier.com/blog/remote-work-challenges/

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