Remote work isn't without its challenges. Thankfully, these 4 tips can help your team take those challenges head-on and flourish!
As more companies move to remote work environments, employees are having to transition into a setting that might be unfamiliar to them. For someone who has worked in a physical office environment, remote work can be completely uncharted territory. And while there are many benefits to remote work, any change requires some adjustment before it becomes comfortable.
Whether you’re new to remote work, or are considering a remote work position, these 4 suggestions can help you overcome some of the challenges of remote working and help you acclimate to your new environment, as well as embrace this new experience.
As you transition to a remote work environment, it’s important that you have a dedicated office space, either in your home, or in a coworking space. It’s easy to think that you can do remote work from anywhere, however, in most cases, you will need some sort of dedicated space. The type of work you will be doing will determine what you need, so ask yourself some questions like:
Answering those questions can help you create a remote workspace that will support the work you’ll be doing in that environment.
There’s a good chance that your team leader or manager will already have specific communication methods in place. Whether it’s dedicated Slack channels or Ring Central for quick chats, or Zoom or Webex for video meetings, technology allows remote teams to stay just as connected as if they were in person. However, it’s important to understand which methods should be used for what, and clarify the specific flow of communication for various issues and needs that might arise. A good rule of thumb for starting with remote work is to overcommunicate until you have a specific pattern established.
Beyond communication, you can tap into resources like Confetti to help support team-building and connection. These organized events offer a similar experience to in-person meet-ups, but in a remote setting so any team member, no matter where they are located, can participate. These types of events are crucial to help ensure your team remains connected.
Recently, several articles have addressed loneliness as a challenge that many remote work employees face. Transitioning from an office full of people, with whom you can chat with during lunch or interact with around the water cooler, to an office of one can be quite difficult. And while you might be grateful for the lack of distractions during your work day, missing those human interactions is a real thing. While you may not need a coworking space on a daily basis, an on-demand workspace can offer you the benefits of coworking without having to pay for a monthly membership. Whether it’s once a week to give you a change of scenery and the ability to interact with other professionals, or once in awhile for you to host in-person meetings or conferences with locally-based colleagues, on-demand coworking spaces are a viable option for remote workers.
Additionally, more companies are offering coworking space benefits, so check with your company to see if those days spent at a coworking space can be reimbursed. And if not, suggesting that to your manager or team leader might be helpful, not just for you, but for your other remote work colleagues as well.
Without a manager or team leader knocking at your office door or swinging by your cubicle, It can be easy to feel as though you’re not working enough. And because you just need to walk a few steps to your office, rather than take the train or drive in your car, starting work early or finishing late can be very tempting.
As you establish your new office routine, you’ll want to be sure to set specific boundaries around your time. This might depend on what time zone your company is in, or what your own personal schedule is like, but with those considerations in mind, give yourself a specific work day schedule, including breaks, to help avoid the temptation to work too much.
And connect with your manager or team leader about how they want to track your work on a daily basis. Depending on their personality and leadership style, they might have specific ways for you to check-in with them about your progress.
