Working Smarter Learning

Fundamentally, better remote work means managing the basics of working well together, more diligently.

 

1. Tech is not the issue

With so many ways to communicate online, such as Zoom, Google Meets, WhatsApp, Teams, Slack, email, and even regular phone calls, there are enough ways to communicate with each other that you can possibly need, and more.

The upshot: it’s not worth worrying about the tech. As long as your team has an internet connection and a phone, they can thrive when remote working.

2. Communicate, communicate, communicate 

When your team is working remotely, the cracks that already exist in your group can be amplified.

In a face-to-face world you are likely to be more aware of what is happening and how people are feeling because you can read the expressions on people’s faces and their body language… we’re all constantly adjusting to these. 

When you’re in-person, you can decide to tackle issues or more easily paper over the cracks, but when remote working and especially when the pressure is on, existing tensions can be exposed with nowhere to go, and it may not be obvious who is struggling.

And for example, where there’s low trust, there will be less. By spending less time together, people may feel unable to disturb each other, leaders may not be as accessible, and the risks of siloed working increase - people may know their immediate team really well, but not others in the wider organisation.

Where you avoid conflict, it may be easier and ‘safer’ to avoid it even more.

Fundamentally, it’s not a new challenge that remote working presents. It’s the same one you already had, just more of a risk.

So when you think about how to make the best of remote work with your team, make sure you’re paying attention to the basics: 

• building trust,

• feeding back, 

• encouraging healthy disagreement, 

• communicating well.

In many ways remote and hybrid working offers an excuse to reset and recalibrate your team.

Where things are already good, look for ways you can give people even more room to shine.

3. Clarify expectations and agree protocols with each other

The first thing is to cut your colleagues some slack and recognise that people work in different ways.

Some people prefer to work flexibly rather than 9-to-5, so they might not reply immediately or be able to have a quick back and forth communication.

So do ping things across to them but don’t expect colleagues to respond immediately because they might be in a meeting or doing something else such as grabbing a few minutes of fresh air between meetings.

If you need to, Whatsapp them, but know that whatever happens, it’ll be okay if they can’t respond immediately.

If you haven’t already, we recommend agreeing some protocols with your team for this: be clear with each other when you can and can’t be available, and how you will communicate with each other.

 

4. Work on the priorities

When you are working from home you need to be more motivated and better at managing your time than when you are in the office - you likely won't have coworkers noticing what you are up to, or keeping you accountable, or motivated. 

While many people find it difficult to keep to a schedule or manage their to-do list anyway, it's especially challenging when you’re working at home with if you have an unstructured day, or if you’re in a different timezone to the rest of your team.

Not to mention the temptation to watch a Youtube video when you’re bored, make a snack in the kitchen when you're procrastinating, or take your dog for a walk because they started whimpering. You may realise that you have little to show for the day.

Knowing that is going to happen, it’s important to work out what your priorities are, and stick to them. Here’s how to do it:

Focus using the Pomodoro method

Use the Impact Effort Matrix

Do some Upfront Thinking

Work out everything you have on using Project Mapping

Apply Calendar Best Practice

For guidance and tips on how to do all of these and more, checkout our self-paced online prioritisation course.

Or for quick results, try this short prioritisation course.

 

5. Look out for loneliness

The thing we’re most worried about at Then Somehow is people being lonely. While some people appreciate having time to focus that WFH allows, many people can start feeling increasingly isolated when remote working, and mental health and wellbeing issues come to the fore.

Unless you pay attention, you could lose people in your team – in the sense that they’ll lose their sense of identity, of belonging, of being grounded – all the downsides of isolation that we all need for our mental wellbeing.

That’s probably a bigger risk than their short term productivity.

Embracing the human element of remote work is hugely important.

Sometimes a little WhatsApp side chat, having a bit of fun supporting each other, and bigging each other up, is really important.

And that might be a separate thing to your Slack channel, or the group on your WhatsApp where you are making direct work requests.

 

6. Set clear boundaries

Wherever you are in an organisation you need to take care of yourself as well as getting things done, and if you’re a manager, to not just worry about your team. You are no good to anyone if you become overwhelmed. 

I was talking to a senior manager recently who found himself trying to steer a large remote team, support his direct reports and act as the primary caregiver for his toddler. That’s a lot to have on your plate.

Whether you also have a lot on or not, it’s important to set some boundaries. Everyone needs to be clear on what time they have available, when that is, and what the focus of that time should be.

The lesson from this is that you need to look after yourself.

Here’s a list of things you can try:

• Set clear boundaries for work, family, and rest.

• Eat well, make time for exercise, sleep well, meditate if it helps, get outside if you can.

• Communicate your availability clearly to colleagues.

• Discuss and allocate responsibilities.

• Find time to meet with your peers to support and guide each other.

• Make time for friends and loved ones.

• Step away from the screen, smell the roses, enjoy the sun on your face, and get a bit of perspective at least once a day.