Sometimes good techniques and tools help mitigate problems that arise in business. I would like to share the following techniques and tips for using them:
- Start by charging. I mean not only physical exercise, but also mental exercise. These can be simulators like Wikium, reading articles (and writing), books, etc. Exercise will allow you to warm up and prepare for the work day. In a normal situation, the role of warming up is usually performed by the road to work. Just don't read the newspapers before breakfast!
- Define your workspace, rules and time. Decide where you plan to spend your working time if you do not have an office. This place should contain a minimum of distractions, such as a TV. Be sure to create a work schedule that includes breaks and lunch. If you do not have a personal office or room, then you need to define rules for “home” when you cannot be distracted. This could be a flag or headphones being worn.
- Dress for an interview. Well, or at least so that a sudden video call from your boss, colleague or partner doesn’t take you by surprise and force you to frantically put on decent clothes. In my practice, there was a case when, during a conference call, the department on duty was called via video link, and there was an employee in a T-shirt, shorts and slippers... Some companies require that employees at home wear uniforms, I share this approach, because... form always obliges.
- Trust and transparency. Hold regular meetings in departments and teams, discuss what you were going to do, what you have done and what you plan to do. Also share problems and concerns. This way, not only will your manager be in the know, but also your colleagues will think about how to help you.
- All meetings are exclusively via video conferences. Forget about WhatsUp and calls. Plan and conduct all meetings via video conference. This is necessary to maintain your own mood and the mood of your colleagues, because... Seeing the faces of other people will make it easier for you to endure isolation at home.
- Implement management and control systems. If you haven’t done this yet, now it’s a necessity. It is necessary to use tools that will allow you to plan tasks and projects, as well as share progress with the rest of the team. Such tools help to organize chaos and take control of the situation, especially during a pandemic.
- Set up your communications. Determine the ways through which you will communicate. Such systems must maintain a sense of presence for the interlocutor. For example, in my practice, we used video conferencing with web cameras during all working hours. This way colleagues saw each other and could ask a question without creating new conferences - everything was like in open space. Sometimes it is enough to use corporate chats.
- Integrate your tools. It's great if your tools integrate with each other, then the exchange of information becomes faster and the communications themselves are more transparent. Many chats today support bots that can perform micro-automation tasks.
- Communicate. Communication during remote work is important, much more important than in the office, so all the tools will be unusable and will not produce results if you do not communicate with colleagues and your team.
- Find a way to involve owners in communication and communication. One of the most difficult but necessary points. It is necessary that owners/stakeholders/stakeholders take an active part in the remote work tools themselves. Unfortunately, it is not obvious to many owners that they must be on the front line and show by example that processes are working and life in the organization has not stopped with the advent of coronavirus.
I hope these tips will help you and your business survive in these difficult times!