Tag Archives: Remote Work

Jul21

The Remote Teams Checklist

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The Remote Teams Checklist

There are a lot of advantages to remote work, but having remote teams tops the list. Why? Because, first of all, having remote teams means that a business can expand their talent pool and employ top talent from anywhere in the world. Second, and this I think is of equal importance, remote teams add diversity to an organization.

A lot of businesses are moving to remote work or some sort of hybrid work arrangement. How can they make sure that their employees will thrive in a remote work or hybrid environment?

Structure
Every organization needs structure. Remote teams are no exception. First of all, establish a workflow. Then, map out the reporting hierarchy. Keep all the members visible to one another so that teams know how the dynamics work and how to collaborate with other team members to accomplish their goal.

Technology
Once a structure has been established, equip your remote team with the means to accomplish their objectives. How will you do that with a distributed workforce? Laptops aren’t the only means to collaborate and help your remote team work together. You can also use collaboration apps and tools that are company approved. Make sure that security protocols are in place and strictly enforced. Business licenses to company approved programs are the best way to go, but if you are a small company, make sure that there is no disparity between apps used and make sure that the laptop is pre-equipped with approved tools and programs. Cyber security tools like Crowdstrike or similar tools can give enterprise grade protection to entrepreneurs and SMEs at an affordable price. Explore your options.

Staffing
People are the heart and soul of teams. Not everyone is equipped with the skills or the aptitude to work remotely. Teams or team managers might miss the non-verbal interaction that takes place during face to face meetings or -in-office work models. Assessing who is right for what type of job is critical in remote working. Choose wisely.

Expectations
Let your remote teams know how many hours daily are expected of them and what output is required. Remote teams are built around the basis of flexibility, but make sure that teams know when they are expected to be contactable and online for questions, meetings, collaborative work, etc. Your remote working policy should be in place and must be fair and equitable. Enforce this policy as soon as a team member is granted access to remote work benefits.

Engagement
As mentioned earlier, not everyone has the aptitude to work remotely. They may lack tech, for example, they might have an old laptop model that’s not compatible with most of your tools and programs. They might have spatial issues like not having a quiet place to work or enough privacy as they might be sharing a house with roommates. Or they might just not be accustomed to working from home, hate the isolation that comes with remote work, and crave the watercooler interactions at the office. Whatever, the reason is, make sure that your remote team is actually amenable to remote working. Look for ways to connect in-office teams with distributed teams and do this on a regular basis. One way is to engage in hybrid work where everyone is required to work in-house for a set number of days and still have the flexibility to work remotely on some days.

Have a clear and enforceable policy for each item on the checklist and regularly revisit them to improve your remote working processes. What are your tips for successful remote working teams? Share your tips with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Oct18

Remote Work Is Not For Micromanagers

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Remote Work Is Not For Micromanagers

A lot of people are still working from home after the Covid-19 Delta variant has poured cold water over employers and employees “return to the office” plans. One positive thing about this exercise is that it proves that remote workers can be as efficient (or even more efficient) as on-site employees. It breaks down the notion that work from home employees are harder to manage than those who work in the office. It also demonstrates that not only is remote work possible, but should actually be part of a company’s business continuity plan as best practice.

We’re looking at a couple more years of remote working. Two at the very least. Or until almost everyone gets vaccinated. This does not bode well for managers who like to micromanage their employees and see what they’re working on at all times. Managers should accept the fact that they would have to relinquish some visibility over the tasks they have delegated to their work from home employees and trust that they will get it done. How can managers do this? The key is to establish a supportive company culture that prioritizes trust and psychological safety.

This might sound simple in theory but might be hard to implement if micromanagement is firmly embedded in the business. One of the best ways for managers to show that they trust their work from home employees is to give them the flexibility to choose how they get work done. Give them the means to be able to do their work like access to software, tools, information, a knowledge base, feedback, and guidance. Keep lines of communication open and have regular catch-ups to give instructions or feedback. Once you give them what they need to get their work done, the next step is to get out of their way.

Managers should also prioritize psychological safety. This means creating a space where every employee, working from home or otherwise, feels comfortable giving feedback, sharing ideas, skiing questions, and generally just being themselves. Also, allow room for growth. This means giving employees the space to make mistakes and allowing them to recover and grow. Managers can do this by publicly celebrating with their team – not just the wins and accomplishments but also the missteps and learning experiences. 

With the pandemic still raging on, now is not the time to look over the shoulder of your employee and check on every detail of the work they are doing. The best leaders show empathy and compassion as we go through these very challenging times. Give employees the skillset to accomplish their work and trust that they will deliver what they say they will deliver. Cultivate a results-based culture where you focus on what is achieved instead of how many hours were worked.

Do you have experience working with micromanagers? How did that turn out for you? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Apr6

Tools You Will Need If You Want To Successfully Work From Home

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Tools You Will Need If You Want To Successfully Work From Home

Are you part of the 41.8% of the American workforce who continue to work remotely even after the government has eased up on the lockdown restrictions? Your company has probably seen the overwhelming statistics that support the benefits of working from home. Gartner projects that organizations that support a “choose-your-own-work-style” culture will boost employee retention rates by more than 10%. While Flexjobs reports that 97% of the workforce said a job with flexibility would have a huge improvement or positive impact on their overall quality of life. Buffer says that 40% of remote workers were in agreement that a flexible work schedule is the biggest benefit to working remotely. Then there’s the PGI report that states that 82% of their telecommuters reported lower stress levels. Improved quality of life – check. Less stress from the commute – check. Flexible work hours – check. Lower stress levels – check. So many benefits, that’s probably why employers have given their employees the option to keep working from home.

By now, you should already have the essential tools you need to be able to work from home. Unlike at the beginning of the pandemic when we had to go through hoops to secure company-issued laptops or have our personal laptops installed with tighter security checking tools. Here are 4 must-haves for successfully working from home. 

Desktop or Laptop

The most basic need for working from home is a computing machine so this is a must have. Get a reliable one if you don’t yet have one by now. A desktop is better if you’re in it for the long haul.

A task management system

You can use the old whiteboard method or better yet, use a digital system. Your company probably uses one already (Wrike, Trello, Asana, etc.) Just make sure you have a way to track your tasks. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself overwhelmed and just trying to put out  fires

A place to work

While the kitchen table is a perfectly good spot to work, you’re going to have to carve out space for a permanent home office. It doesn’t have to be fancy but should be enough space to hold a work desk and a comfy chair. If you live with other people, having a work area will signal that when you are in this zone, you are not to be disturbed (if only it were that easy with kids!)

A good pair of headphones

If you can afford it, get the noise-canceling ones. And get the “plug-and-play” ones, so you don’t have to tinker with ports and settings, and other whatnots. Most of your work from home life will be video conferences and collaboration calls, so a nice pair of professional headsets will reduce those “hello, can you hear me?” moments.

What are your work from home essentials? We’d love to know what your favorite tools are. Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Dec22

How To Organize A Remote Worker Inclusive Holiday Party

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How To Organize A Remote Worker Inclusive Holiday Party

At this point in the year, companies are extremely busy. This is when businesses feel the pressure of delivering to customers and hitting their financial targets. On top of that, employees are on a mad scramble to finish all pending reports and rushing to cap off the year. This is also the time when companies plan and execute all holiday-related activities, including parties, games, giveaways, Christmas baskets, and year-enders. 

That was pre-pandemic. Nowadays, things are a bit slower and more socially distant. Remote working teams are scattered across different locations and sometimes, different time zones, transforming how we celebrate the traditional office Christmas party. A majority of the workforce is still working from home and it’s easy to forget to include remote workers in office parties or to even organize an office party because, well, you don’t see each other face to face. However, this is the time to be inclusive of everyone and to make sure that nobody gets left out. We must not let recent circumstances get us down. Companies can still hold holiday celebrations. Here’s how you can still celebrate the holidays to include the part of your workforce who are working from home:

Personalized greetings

Take the time to send personalized notes, thank you cards, or holiday greetings. A personalized letter is more sincere and will be appreciated more than you know. Some ideas include: a framed greeting, motto, or mission vision, personal notes, or a video greeting.

Take advantage of video conferencing technology

Make sure to include remote workers in your holiday festivities. Take advantage of video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Skype, Teams, Google Meet, etc. Some platforms allow you to share music, so put on Christmas songs (hello, Mariah and Wham). Prepare games. I’ve recently hosted a Zoom trivia night with the help of Canva (for creating the questions and cue cards) and Spotify (for the “name That Tune” part). Invite everyone to wear holiday-themed headgear, Christmas costumes, Holiday Pajamas, or ugly sweaters. Aside from awarding the best in the costume, you can even have an award for the best-decorated tree or most festive background. 

Gifts

Some companies send Christmas baskets to their employees. Some send gift cards, electronic cards, event tickets, etc. that people can use for online purchases so minimize going out. Some companies even make charitable donations in the employees’ name. Tangible gifts are great, too. Remember, it’s the thought that counts. 

Peer recognition

The end of the year is the perfect time to acknowledge your team’s contributions and accomplishments. Use the opportunity to publicly recognize each other’s great work and their trellis effort in making the team a success. 

These might be trying times, but we can still uphold traditions and make it special for the entire company. With a bit of effort, we can still celebrate the holidays with each other. How do you celebrate the holidays at your company? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Sep17

A Story of Remote Work

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A Story of Remote Work

A survey done by Gallup in 2015, reports that 37% of the US labor force is working remotely…and that number is rising. The option to do remote work is one of the perks that is being made available to employees today. It certainly is one of the perks that millennials look for when job hunting. Offices are now equipped to provide a remote work option to their employees. And there are many tools to enable this: powerful laptops, video conferencing software, collaboration tools, instant messaging, and cloud syncing to enable employees to work from anywhere. These are just a few of the tools. But many myths and misconceptions surround this way of working.

Why aren’t we all still adopting this way of working when technology has enabled an easier way to do remote work. This is probably due to the stigma surrounding remote work – with remote work meaning you can work from anywhere outside the office setting (co-working spaces, coffee shops, work from home, etc.).

One prevailing myth is that productivity decreases when you work from home. This is because of the three temptations: the fridge, the bed, and the TV. But one study from Harvard Business Review notes that a worker’s productivity increases by 13.5% if he/she is permitted to do remote work. This could be due having fewer distractions like office chatter, white noise, pointless meetings, and the infamous breakroom effect where you get pulled away to socialize, have coffee, or eat cake with co-workers.

Some office traditionalists wonder if remote workers are as committed to their work as workers in an office setting. One question is if they even get out of their pajamas for work. The underlying fear is that if they don’t even bother to get dressed, they can’t care that much. But many remote workers do get dressed – they go through the morning routines of taking a shower, preparing breakfast, and seeing the kids off to school before hunkering down to work. The only difference is that they avoid the long commute/drive through horrible traffic. That is a major win for everyone if you ask me. More remote workers mean fewer vehicles on the street.

And then there’s the myth about poor communication – that somehow remote workers are harder to get a hold of than office workers. This belief can easily be addressed by communication software. Meetings via teleconferencing through Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom, or other tech is just as or dare I say, even more, effective than face to face office meetings. It eliminates delays because there’s no need for running around to find a meeting room, invitees can join in at any time, and participants can join in from anywhere in the world and at any time zone.

A remote workers workload doesn’t change, they still have to finish the task that they have to attend to even if they’re outside of the office setting. This means they tend to overcompensate by having more structure in place since they more time and more autonomy over their schedules.

Are you a remote worker? How is it working for you so far? Share your experiences with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help