Times have changed and most of us are working a new norm. Remotely. It can be difficult to work from home when you are used to seeing the same faces every day. Though working from home may be new to some, you will be able to help keep the workflow run smoothly. Here are some remote work tips.
Remote Work Tips
- Record Meetings
- Track Project Status
- Regular Check-Ins
- Stay Organized
- One Source of Communication
- Give Praise
Record Meetings
Have you ever had anyone ask a question that was covered or answered in a meeting? Well, by recording the meetings you have with your team, that might be what they are needing. Virtual meeting apps such as Google Meet, Zoom, and GoToMeeting are just some of the platforms that allow you to screen record. The overall benefit of recording your meetings is that there will be records of what was covered, and will be available to those who missed the meeting.
Track Project Status
Since your team is not right next to each other in the office, sharing project status may be more challenging. Keeping track of a project might actually be easier by doing it online. You can find apps like Trello, use extensions like Tracked to utilize platforms like Basecamp to its fullest. Being able to see where your team is at will make the project run more smooth and will help eliminate the need for constant email updates. The overall benefit of tracking project status is that you are able to keep things flowing and see where there needs to be support.
Stay organized using a shared document cloud
There are lots of options to use for cloud storage. If you are using google services, there is Google Drive and if you use Microsoft services, there is One Drive for Business. Cloud storage keeps everything in one place and is able to be shared with others. The overall benefit of using a platform to store shared files and documents is that it will keep things organized and accessible to those who need it.
Use one source of internal team communication
Using a single platform for all internal communication between your team will also help in keeping things organized. With all conversations in one place, it will be easier to go back and refer to something that was previously mentioned. There are also a variety of chat apps for teams to use. If you are using Google services, there is Google Chat and if you are using Microsoft services, there is also their own platform, you can find that here Microsoft Teams. The cool thing about these communication tools is that they can be linked to the other services you use for your documents, cloud, and meetings. The overall benefit of using one source of communication for your internal team is that everything will be in one place and your team knows what is going on.
Regular Check-Ins
Having regular check-ins with your team will also help with tracking progress status. This includes check-ins with the team and check-ins with individuals. The reason for this is to make sure your team is in good shape and are understanding everything that is going on. For the individual meeting, or one-on-one meetings, these will be beneficial to the individual as they will be able to express any of their concerns or can be assigned individual tasks. This might be one of the most important tips on working remotely because even if you are not able to have one cloud storage, one communication platform, or an app to track progress, you will be able to cover those in a check-in. The overall benefit of these check-ins is that your team can still build the relationships that make a team a team.
Give Praise
According to an article by BBC, a study was conducted and found that workers are being 13% more productive since working from home which means that more is getting done. Remote workers are also putting in longer work days and many are working additional days too. Giving them praise will not only further encourage them, but it will also influence them to do more. It will also be something that can strengthen the relationship that is needed for a team to be successful. You can use your check-ins as a chance to give praise to your team. The overall benefit of giving praise is to recognize the efforts of your team and let them know that they are appreciated.
With the new norm becoming more natural, we have to make sure that we are optimizing where and when we can. Following these remote work tips will help in optimizing your team to the fullest.
