INTRODUCTION:
We are living in unprecedented times, at least for our generation. I am not going to pretend that I have all the answers, however, I am going to outline a clear strategy and options for working remotely. Remote work is about being able to work from a location that isn’t a traditional office.
Work has become a primary community in our lives where we develop a sense of belonging. Remote working is only successful when it doesn’t compromise communication and collaboration.
NUTS AND BOLTS - HOME ENVIRONMENT AND TECHNICAL SETUP
Home Environment: You still have a “duty of care” to your team so make sure that they do a self-audit to ensure the home environment is ergonomically safe. Having a table or desk to work from is important from a safety and routine perspective. Make sure you explain in writing the expectations around security, confidentiality and hours of work (more about this in productivity tips.)
Technical Environment: Technical environment: Make sure each team member has a reliable internet connection and a company laptop (tablets and smartphones can also be easily set up) to work from (free Wi-Fi from the neighbours internet connection opens you up to cyber security issues). If a secure Wi-Fi connection is not available come up with a plan for tethering or dongle style devices. Make sure that people know how to connect the microphone and camera.
Make sure everyone has a messaging service set up like Slack (messaging and
collaboration app) Hey Space and video conferencing available such as Zoom or
BUILDING CULTURE - EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION:
My view is that you cannot “overcommunicate”. Think about who you are communicating with and what you want them to think and do by the end of any video meeting.
There is a human need for clarity and certainty during these difficult times, in the absence of information people tend to gravitate towards the negative. Video allows for moments of human interaction and connection which with a little planning and structure can be almost as good as building rapport “in person”. Rapport allows the truth to flow and ensures that as a leader you can be an effective coach.
Daily Catch up: At the beginning of the meeting check in with people so they feel connected, move beyond text to achieve this via video, it feels so much more personable when you can see someone. You will need a software tool (if you don’t have your own video conferencing software). Stick to the big familiar tools such as Microsoft Teams as people have enough on their minds without being asked to use some new complex software. Zoom is probably the easiest option to use. Just pick one and get started.
Catch up Questions:
How are you feeling?
What are your energy levels at today 1-5?
What could help us to improve daily communication?
What do you do to take a break and recharge through the day?
What excites you about working from home?
What makes you anxious about working from home?
What is your setup for working? How is that working out?
What could we do to help you working remotely?
Goals and tasks: With everything else going on at the moment, it's important to make sure that everyone is crystal clear on what they should be doing. Get yourself and your team to write down and discuss what the tasks and goals are for the day.
Asynchronous Communication: When we think of communications it's easy to imagine that everything needs to be live. But in reality, much of our communication is asynchronous. You send a message to a team member and they respond later in their own time. We don't need an instant response to everything. And often it can be much more productive to allow someone to respond in their own time after thinking about something. Simple tools like email, text and messenger apps or systems like Slack are every bit as important as video calls.
Collaboration: When we're collaborating the ability to share documents and allow multiple people to update them without messing up previous changes is vital. Google Drive/Google
All Hands-on Deck Meeting: The whole firm comes together. Create camaraderie, it meets the need for clarity and certainty and shows we are listening and human needs are not going unmet. Get people to share their stories and experiences of “staying at home”. One
question to ask is “What was your favourite board game as a kid?” or “What unusual
stuffed animals have you seen in your neighborhood Teddy Bear Hunt?”.
PRODUCTIVITY TIPS:
Prioritize what is important together.
Focus on one thing at a time use the Pomadora method to focus for 25 minutes and take a 5-minute break. Pomadora video . Shut social media and restrict email pings.
Wherever possible allow team members to create their own office hours to suit their personal circumstances.
Create blocks of time when you are not communicating so you can get “deep work accomplished – turn off the notifications during these blocks.
View this as a time to increase productivity and quality of output.
Ensure you have a separate and tidy workspace.
Email for work related tasks and use a message client for chat
No more than 3 big tasks /day
Take regular breaks, have a stretch get some fresh air, do something not related to work
Stop work early, people working remotely tend to work longer hours.
If you have children at home set some boundaries around availability.
Get up and show up, have a routine for the week and weekend.
Get meals made and done for the day.
Set a time to do the chores and don’t get tempted outside of those times.
Get a good coffee machine, reach out for a virtual coffee break.
Finally, if in doubt pick up the trusty phone and have chat to a team member about something you are unclear on, as opposed to sending an email.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING:
Earlier this week, I posted a separate article with some useful techniques and links that help to promote a growth mindset. I highly recommend reading through that article when you have some spare time, but for now, here are some tips for your health and wellbeing:
It is easy to feel isolated as the lockdown continues so make sure you ring 5 people a day for a chat.
Expose yourself to some positive news and ideas, a good source is the regular update from Future Crunch of the good news around Covid 19 Good news from the frontlines. Love the example of the Sikh volunteers in Daily Mail.
Zoom video is the next best thing to being there in person. So, when you send an email about an idea create a video selfie with zoom that allows you to share your screen and record yourself at the same time.
Don’t lose grip on when work needs to be done and when you can be flexible and doing things like an art class with your children.
3 minutes of stretching every hour
When you shut down take some time for yourself, read a book, online yoga, watch a comedy, play with the children, walk the dog, learn a new language (I’m starting Spanish) or meditate.
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