In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures, many people are shifting to work remotely – many for the first time, full-time in their lives. While working remotely can be hugely rewarding, but only when you keep your productivity up, keep a healthy work-life balance, and nurture your business relationships. This list of tips will help you set up yourself and your team for success regardless of where they work
Work remotely: Tips to help your team succeed during COVID-19 pandemic
1. Set Up The Right Communication Systems
Communication is essential when you’re running a business. The bad communication that will lead to the collapse of any initiative or project you set out to achieve. While email and text messages might be a short-term solution, chat tools are better for quick back-and-forth conversations because they’re faster and more efficient. Here’s a simple breakdown of how you can use each platform to benefit your remote team and ease communication for work remotely:
- Email: Use this for after-hours and more in-depth conversations your team can refer back to
- Real-time chat: Best to use for quick interactions and asking urgent questions
- Video chat: Ideal for interviews (for visual cues), complex or constructive feedback, and live training for a better understanding of a topic
- Voice over IP (VoIP): Perfect for when you need to explain something that would take too long via email or instant messenger
- Project management tools: Perfect for segmenting conversations based on the assignment so there’s no overlap or distraction
- Short pre-recorded video: Great for training using screen captures and slideshows
2. Have a Daily Check-in
As much as you can, this should be one-on-one, and face-to-face with video. Phone conversations, email, and Slack go only so far. Your team members need to see you, and you need to see them. The great news is that reliable platform like Zoom or Google’s Team Hangouts makes this quite easy. At first, this should be every day. The purpose is simply to set the agenda and bring the feedback and resources your team individuals need.
3. Manage Expectations
Help your team find out what they should do, and build realistic expectations for their work. By the way, “managing expectations” applies to you as a leader as well. Set yourself and your members up for success by clearly stating both the project and the reasons behind them, and help your colleagues understand accurately how you will measure success. That means detailing the scope, deadlines, and realistic expectations for each task or project your team is working on.
4. Embrace More Online Meetings
When your team works remotely, virtual meetings are crucial for maintaining teams engaged and on track. With many free applications such as Zoom, Skype, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, it is easy to get up and running. Consider these keys to hold a successful remote meeting
- A designated leader who directs the meeting and keep meetings structured, which is important during remote calls with a larger number of the member where cross-talk can lead to distraction
- Schedule check-ins and extra brainstorm meetings, breakout sessions, or project updates on an estimated day and time.
- Spend minutes and send a follow-up email summarizing discussion points or results.
- Test technology in advance, particularly if presenting to a larger audience.
- Allow for banter, while keeping the meeting on track.
- A specific time limit so you are forced to keep focused and on track during your meeting
- Record the meeting if that’s acceptable in your organization
Tools for Video Meetings
- Zoom Meetings
- Google Meet
- Microsoft Teams
- GoToMeeting
- BlueJeans
- Zoho Meeting
- Cisco Webex
- FreeConference.com
- Join.me
- Skype
By following these tips, your conversation will be precise, productive, and punctual.
5. Focus on Outcomes not Activities
It’s impossible to control every aspect of the work done by a remote team. So, instead of concentrating on activity or hours worked, focus on the outcomes and measure your team’s productivity appropriately. It’s no surprise then that the most successful managers think and communicate in the language of achievement rather than activity. Great managers bring an ‘outcomes-mindset’ to everything they do and focus on instilling that mindset in their team members too.
6. Be Flexible
As you know, especially in remote working environments, there are many distractions for your team. That’s not a justification for not getting things done, but it is a reason to rethink what productiveness really means. Punching a clock for 8 hours is out. Regular work hours are also possibly out for many people. Instead, entrust your team members and take them the freedom and flexibility to fish work remotely on the schedule that supports them to be the most effective. That’s a great idea to work remotely in the long run anyway.
7. Pay attention to fragmented time
Fragmented time happens because of the small pockets of 15 to 30-minute blocks of time that exist between scheduled meetings. These can work well as breathing space if planned purposely. People tend to schedule us for meetings based on what works for them and the open space they spot in our calendars. But that may take you very little time to actually finish work remotely and the fragmented time ends up sucked up in busy but unproductive activities. It’s crucial that you get intentional about the ratio of fragmented to concentrated time you allow in your schedule.
8. Ask for Feedback On Your Work Remotely
Last but not least, if you are new to work remotely and looking for feedback, simply request it. Ask your leader or your team members, and consider what is convenient and what is more troublesome when working remotely. From that, you need to make an improvement and continue to communicate as much as possible.
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>>> Related post: Economic Recession in 2020: Steps Can You Take Now to survive it
Digital communication and remote work are becoming the new norms
After COVID-19, some forms of remote labor are likely to bloom. It will be necessary to make a number of changes, including spending money on digital infrastructure, clearing out office space, and structurally altering cities, food services, commercial real estate, and retail. Additionally, it runs the risk of highlighting disparities and causing new psychological and emotional strains on workers, including loneliness. If you are shifting to online selling and looking for a team to build your store, or you are searching for an agency to develop your existing online shop, come to us. Magesolution, with more than 15 years of experience, has helped thousands of merchants to take advantage of digital era to make their store more professional and sell thousands of products all over the world. It’s your turn now to CONTACT US!
