It’s one thing to learn how to productively work-from-home as an individual, but; collaborating with others in a remote workforce is an entirely different challenge. Not only must we learn to stay in sync with remote colleagues — many of whom may be operating under different hours, work-loads, or circumstances than ourselves — the vast majority of us must also learn to navigate working from home alongside our roommates, partners, parents and children — which presents another unique challenge.
While some of our pre-existing systems can be applied to our new working conditions, it is also necessary to develop new and specific protocols to ensure that we can work with others — both within and outside of our households — in a productive, collaborative, and harmonious manner. The following strategies may provide just the solutions you need to simultaneously maximize your own productivity and foster that of those around you while working from home:
Use The Kindergarten Method of Organizing
Walk into any kindergarten classroom in the world, and you will find a room clearly divided into activity zones — a reading corner, arts & crafts table, music circle, dress-up area, and so on. With each zone well defined and wholly self-contained, one can easily stay focused on the task at hand. This principle can easily be applied to your work-from-home life, and is especially useful if multiple members of your household are working from home (or learning from home) simultaneously.
It is best if each working member of your household is able to stake our separate and specific workspaces. If space is limited and you cannot create multiple independent working areas, establish one shared space for quiet work (a formal dining room, for example, or a shared office), and identify another space where you can each go to close the door and take phone calls (a spare bedroom, perhaps). If you have kids at home, identify a place where you can place a pop up folding table (or a similar piece of spare furniture) to create a work surface for school work.
You now have: a quiet work zone, a phone booth, and a school / homework area. Designating a few different places specifically for rest, relaxation, and hobbies would be the icing on the cake.
Be Transparent
Many people may be able to abide by the traditional 9-5. But perhaps, with your kids home from school, you can only log on from 6am-9am and again from 12pm-5pm, so that you can take three hours in the morning to feed the kids and get them started on their school work for the day. Clearly communicating your hours — as well as any change in circumstances — helps others to know when you’re available and when you’re not so that they can plan accordingly, thus maximizing their own productivity.
Communicate Thoroughly and Often
Without the correct systems in place, dissemination of information between remote workers can turn into a bad game of telephone fast. It’s essential that teams establish clear systems of regular communication to keep everyone aligned on evolving priorities and new developments.
A Monday (or daily) morning huddle to share updates and establish priorities followed by a Friday (or daily) afternoon huddle to review what was accomplished and to identify and problem-solve roadblocks is an efficient way for many teams and managers / direct reports to remain cohesive and connected.
Replace Drive-by Conversations
Those impromptu meetings at a colleague’s desk and ah-ha moments over water cooler chat can become the life force of a company. If your company, team, or specific role depends on these face-time interactions, you must find a way to replicate them in your remote environment.
One way to accomplish this is to keep a running list — on a notepad, in an electronic document, or drafted in an email — of any passing thoughts, questions, or insights you have to share with your boss, colleagues, or team. Then, simply request a meeting (1:1 or as a group), discuss your talking points in your next team check-in, or shoot off the email at the end of the day. In this way, you can efficiently batch-process information — a tool that may even save you time once you return to the office.
Take Advantage of Technology
Commit to video-conferencing whenever possible. Not only does this serve to ensure that everyone is present and focused on the task at hand; it provides important context-defining social cues, such as facial expressions and body language.
While many of us may be worried about how we’ll look on camera; rest assured — everyone else is too! Your kids running through the background or your dog jumping into frame will only humanize your experience. Your colleagues will likely relate and empathize.
You may even consider eating lunch together as a team (via video conference) a few days a week, allowing yourselves to enjoy the sort of informal conversations that bond teams together. Alternatively, you may find it useful to block co-working time (on a daily or weekly basis) in which everyone jumps on a video-call together to do work — whether independently or collaboratively.
The way that one person works affects the way that everyone around them works — even in a remote work environment. By establishing clear systems around organization and communication, you can ensure that you, your colleagues, and your housemates are able to maximize productivity and efficiency, both independently and as parts of the whole. Consider which protocols might work best for your group and share your solutions in the comments below. We can all help each other apart to our new normal.