How can a remote team keep things together and keep pumping out awesome work? Here at IVANNOVATION we’ve always worked remotely. As is common in the translation industry, our translators log in each day from around the globe. Since working remotely has taken the world by storm during these times of COVID-19 quarantine, we thought we’d share tips on how to do remote work the right way for those of you who are doing it for the first time. So here’s an article from Chad, one of our friends from Career Karma, on how to succeed at remote work.
While diversity in the workplace is needed and recommended, creating a cohesive team becomes more difficult when a shared physical location is taken out of the equation. To make up for the lack of a shared physical location, building great remote working relationships requires a team to find a shared purpose.
This may sound difficult as it will require additional work and dedication to find common ground among team members. But, remote work is as simple as creating a company-wide set of rules within which everybody finds flexibility and value. Whether you are the leader of a global team or a remote worker, these 10 tips will help create a more cohesive culture and keep the creativity flowing no matter where your team is in the world.
1. Stop Worrying About Over-Communicating
In a typical corporate culture, sometimes over-communicating the status of a project can be more harmful than beneficial. But the same is not true when your team is working remotely. It is better to transparently communicate when possible so the essential people are aware of the progress at all times. Because you are not in close quarters, striving to promote a culture of consistent one-on-one check-ins will prove to be invaluable.
When working remotely, keep lines of communication open and plan for group decisions to take longer to get hammered out.
2. Decisions Will Take Longer with a Remote Team
Get comfortable with the idea that your messages may not receive a prompt reply. This is quite beneficial in many regards as rash decisions will be made less often, giving a team extra time to plan and organize.
3.Reliable Tech is Key
Choppy video meetings or intricate project management software is only going to cause delays. It may take trying several different programs before you find one suitable for your team. On the plus side, your team will get valuable experience with a wide array of management programs.
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4. Make Sure Your Workspace Promotes Concentration
Encourage your team to have a workspace that allows them to focus on the tasks at hand. For some, this may mean going to a coffee shop, renting a co-working space, or creating a home office. Regardless of where it is as long as it helps you maintain your focus, it will help keep you motivated and ready.
When setting up your remote workspace, make sure it allows you to focus. Constant distractions will drain your productivity.
5. It is Okay to Not Be Available 24/7
Remember to log off at the end of your shift. Paying attention to self-care is one of the most vital aspects of performing remote work. It may be tempting to make yourself available for every waking hour, but it will lead to burnout in the long run.
6. Take Full Advantage of the Freedom of Working Remotely
If you can do so, travel as much as possible. Take a road trip with friends and family, visit a new country overseas, or take your laptop and kick back on the beach or in the middle of the wilderness. Not only will this help inspire and relax you, but traveling can also broaden your horizon.
7. Create and Maintain Structure
Structure is key to building a cohesive and results–oriented remote team. Establish guidelines, a process for each step of the project, and an agenda for meetings. This will help a team stay informed no matter where it is and provide clear and concise briefings.
When not in a physical office, it’s easy for work to become aimless and unstructured. Don’t let that happen. Plan schedules, timelines, deliverables etc. so that your work has structure and purpose.
8. Promote Socializing
If you are planning a company event for the corporate office, be sure to plan an event for your remote workers. Encourage your team to chat together about meaningful subjects and share experiences. Games and random video chats can bring a lot of fun and bonding for the whole team. This can prevent the feeling of isolation for remote workers.
9. Understand Everyone’s Working Style
Some people who perform remote work may be early birds and some people may be night owls. One of the largest myths surrounding remote workers is that they can be lazy. Each person has a different style and receives their inspiration at different times of the day. Embrace this and you will get the best out of each person every day.
Everyone is different. When teams work remotely, be more concerned about their ability to deliver results rather than about when they log on or from where.
10. Remain Visible
As mentioned above, this does not mean that you should be available 24 hours a day. Visibility means leaders should make it easy for other people to see what you are working on. If you are showing a project publicly, not only will it help others know areas in need of focus, but it will also allow you to see a task through to completion.
Conclusion
Having an international team is both challenging and rewarding. Everyone on your team will be able to learn from one another in ways that non-remote workers simply cannot. While language and cultural barriers may seem difficult at first, as your team builds, up these barriers will begin to disappear.
Chad M. Crabtree is the Editor-in-Chief at Career Karma, a startup dedicated to helping aspiring tech workers gain the skills they need to break into in-demand careers as web developers, software engineers, and data scientists.
In my opinion, if you want to be a successful remote worker, you need a good productivity/collaboration tool. Especially when you work in an international team with co-workers in different time zones. My team uses kanbantool.com and it works very well. It helps us to stay on the same page with our projects and avoid task overlapping.
Tools help! Thanks for sharing!