People often think that working from home is all about the convenience you experience along the way. Working remotely has a lot of perks, which includes lesser hassle and stress, spending more time with family, setting your own schedule, and not minding what you look the entire day because no one sees you aside from your family and nobody really cares. However, working remotely is not sunshine and daisies all the time.
If you are working from home, then it is best to keep these things in mind at all times:
Keep Everyone in the Loop
Communication is the most important key when working from home. Since you have a physically separated team, it is expected that you always keep your team updated about you and everyone else from the team. To successfully communicate with your remote team, you should try video conferencing. This way, you can converse with your team efficiently and have time to know them better. It is also a great opportunity to see them on the screen and hear their voices.
Set Consistent and Clear Expectations
By setting your expectations to the team, everyone will have a clear understanding about your plans and how the job is done. One major factor that affects a remote team is the time zone, especially if you have employees from different time zones. Work hours should be set clearly even before hiring employees. You also need consistent work deadlines and clear times as to when everyone should meet. You may base your scheduling communication around a universal or one standardized time set.
Use Content Management Systems
One of the powerful and effective solutions in maintaining a productive remote team is having a content management system or project management solution. There are various content management systems that could help you organize your remote team successfully and help improve workplace communication. To name a few, you may use the following – Trello, Asana, Redbooth, and Basecamp.
Respect Each Culture
When you work from home, there is a chance that you deal with people of different cultures and races. Thus, you are encouraged to communicate with everyone and know each other well through chats or video conferences. Note that not because you are working remotely, you can no longer have friends or allowed to talk to anyone else.
Stay Professional
Working from home does not give you an license to become unprofessional. Remember, remote working is still a profession, which expects you to stay professional no matter what happens. Always keep in mind that you need to treat your team with respect and professionalism all the time. It will never be a valid excuse to forget performing proper work etiquette just because you work from home.
It has been proven that remote working is more convenient and efficient. It gives employees flexibility, minimizes distractions, as well as increases creativity and productivity at the same time. But working from home can also be frustrating, and distractions can be abundant. The tips above can help you maintain a good relationship with your team.