Working remotely is a great option for anyone who wants to work from home, but it can also be a challenge. If you're considering working remotely or are already doing so, we've gathered our top tips for transitioning from an in office work environment to a remote work environment.
Take a look at these top 8 tips for transitioning to a remote work environment:
1. Set up a dedicated workspace
Before you can start working remotely, it's important to create a dedicated workspace. If you're going to be working in your basement or living room on a laptop, you'll need somewhere quiet and free from distractions. Find a room that has minimal light and sound coming through the windows. You might also want to invest in some noise-canceling headphones if there are any noisy appliances nearby that could interrupt your focus.
If possible, get yourself a standing desk—while sitting all day isn't great for your health no matter where you are, studies have shown that sitting for most of the day is particularly bad for productivity (and posture).
2. Define your work-life boundaries
In your first few weeks, you may feel the need to be constantly connected. But it's important to remember that you're still on vacation. You can set up a special workspace in your new home that serves as a quiet place for getting work done and also allows you to take breaks from your computer screen. If your work involves interacting with other people, this is especially useful for avoiding unnecessary distractions.
3. Stay in touch with your teammates
We've all heard it before: the best way to stay in touch with your coworkers is by communicating. But when you're working remotely, staying in touch can be a challenge. You don't have daily office meetings or lunch dates; there's no watercooler chat that happens every day at 11 am. So how are you supposed to keep up with your team?
There are many ways to stay connected that don't involve an office visit (or even leaving the house). The most obvious option is video conferencing software like Google Hangouts or Skype—but those tools have limitations when it comes to things like file sharing and screen sharing. To get around this problem, use a more robust collaboration app such as Slack (which has desktop apps for both MacOS and Windows) or HipChat (for MacOS only). These apps allow for text messaging and file sharing through integrations with other services like Dropbox and Google Drive, so you can easily share documents without having them clog up your inboxes every time someone wants access!
4. Be intentional about communicating and connecting
Be intentional about communicating and connecting. You can do this by:
Communicate regularly. Schedule meetings or check-ins with your team so that you can keep everyone on the same page.
Use video conferencing (like Zoom or Google Hangouts) when possible, but also use other methods like email, text messages, messenger apps, or phone calls to communicate with your remote workers.
Use all communication methods consistently; this keeps everyone in the loop and ensures that no one feels left out of an important conversation or project update.
5. Use video as much as possible
Video conferencing, video calling, and video messaging are all useful ways to stay connected with your team. Video calls can be scheduled or spontaneous. If a client needs an urgent answer from you, for example, you can use a video call to give them the information they need right away.
Video editing is another great way to stay in touch with co-workers who live far away. You may not have time during the day to get back into the office and edit footage that was captured on set earlier in the day (or last week), but if you’re working remotely it's much easier! Just grab some coffee and do what needs to be done without having to worry about commuting or getting dressed up - it's a win-win situation!
In addition to these more traditional uses of video technology like conferencing and messaging platforms like Skype or Google Hangouts that allow multiple parties at once - there are also many other types of software which could prove helpful when working remotely such as those designed specifically for remote teams who need tools such as scheduling meetings on their own calendar instead of relying solely on software provided by companies like Apple which may not always offer this kind of functionality.
6. Keep your team connected and coordinated with shared docs and files
Use a shared document to keep track of your company's development goals.
Set up a shared calendar to schedule meetings with clients and colleagues.
Share an inbox where everyone can log their communication. This is especially helpful if you have remote employees who don't necessarily want to use email, but still need to stay on top of what's going on at the office!
Use a task manager like Trello or Asana so that your team can keep track of ongoing projects—and make sure they're getting done!
7. Define clear expectations for digital office hours
The first step in setting up your team’s digital office hours is to define what those hours are. You’ll want to make sure that you, your manager, and all of your coworkers are on the same page about what kind of availability is expected during those allotted times.
What does this look like? For example: If you work from home but have a schedule where you have an hour commute each way every day, it may make sense for you to set up office hours during which people can reach out with questions or concerns. In this case, even if someone sends an email prior to their designated time window asking for help with something urgent (like a customer issue), they should expect that they won’t get a response until after office hours—unless there are extenuating circumstances requiring otherwise.*
It’s important that everyone understands how much flexibility exists within these guidelines so that remote workers aren’t discouraged from reaching out when necessary. This also helps prevent resentment when people who don't work remotely feel like they're being ignored because "they don't know any better."*
8. Establish or update a communication charter and conduct a digital etiquette workshop
This is a great time to take an inventory of what you want out of your life and career. You might not have the bandwidth to think about this at every moment, but it's important to make regular check-ins with yourself. The first step is defining the problem: Why are you working remotely? Do you want more flexibility in your schedule? Are you hoping that working from home will save you a commute time or two per week? Once we've established our goal, we can begin thinking about how best to achieve it—and that brings us back into the realm of setting goals.
It's easy to get discouraged when other people aren't setting the same goals as us (or even if they are), but remember: Everyone has their own journey and it may not match up with yours exactly. For example, if someone else says they want to lose 50 pounds by July 1st but doesn't seem very motivated about doing so—don't worry about them! They'll do what works for them; all that matters is finding a way for YOURSELF...
One of the biggest challenges when transitioning to a remote work environment is maintaining your productivity. To ensure that you're able to stay on task, it's important to have a dedicated space in which you can work. You’ll need the right tools and equipment to get the job done and make sure that what ever task at hand gets done quickly and efficiently.
You might be tempted to just use any old desk or table in your home office where everyone else gathers together, but this is a big mistake! While having people around can be helpful for brainstorming ideas and bouncing ideas off one another, if it isn't conducive for getting things done then it won't help anyone at all!
You need a quiet place where there will only be distractions from yourself (or possibly another person). You also need somewhere comfortable so that you won't feel distracted by any physical discomfort due to lack of proper seating posture or lighting conditions.
Working remotely is a wonderful opportunity to take control of your life and career. It’s also a great way to build meaningful relationships with people across the globe, which can be invaluable in this globalized world. But it’s not easy! In order to make your remote work experience as positive as possible, you need to prepare by creating or updating policies related to digital etiquette. You also need tools that facilitate communication, like video conferencing platforms or collaborative workspaces. Finally, it helps if everyone on your team agrees on some best practices so everyone knows what’s expected from them when interacting with each other online and off-hours too.
Ready to go remote? Take a look at the latest legit remote jobs here.