Following on from the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, many businesses have taken the decision to make remote working a more permanent fixture instead of the more traditional office based working environment. With this dramatic change comes a significant adjustment for many to this new way of working with a number of different challenges.
To help you to adapt to remote working, we’ve put together 10 tips to help ensure remote working success.
1) Maintain corporate professionalism at all times
It can be easy to fall into the trap of being a tad more casual when it comes to working from home however it is always still important to maintain the same level of professionalism.
Despite the fact that you and your colleagues are now separated by a screen, it is crucial not to take advantage of this by checking emails or looking at your phone when on a video call. The same standards would be expected in a face to face meeting, you wouldn’t be on your phone during a client meeting or team presentation so there is no need to act differently in a different environment.
2) Don’t feel like you need to jump into a video meeting all the time
There are no doubts that using video conferencing is the easiest way to replace face to face meetings as they can take place almost anywhere with Microsoft Teams links (if you don’t have Microsoft Teams yet we can help get you setup quickly) quickly filling up your calendar.
However this trend is changing as given the temporary nature of digital interactions, it is almost impossible to stay engaged at every part of the day. Therefore, the need to fill your daily calendar out with video calls is likely to transform into an increased use of collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams where required.
3) Select the right platform to deliver the right message
It is important to note that just using video conferencing software isn’t the only tool available when it comes to communicating every single type of message you wish to send. Given the high possibility of suffering from video burnout, instant messaging on Microsoft Teams and file sharing via Microsoft SharePoint will be high on the list of other options.
4) Ensure your working environment is appropriate for video calls
During the initial part of the Coronavirus pandemic and being forced to work from home, many of us including colleagues and managers could have been forgiven for Teams bloopers, however as things settle down, a much more professional approach will be expected especially regarding your virtual shelves.
5) Don’t feel you have to switch on your video
Many businesses may request that you are on video throughout a Teams meeting whereby they should inform their employees about this. However, it is important to note that you won’t lose any credibility should you not want to have it on.
6) Keep calls short
You will find that 30 minute or 1 hour slots are usually the default option when scheduling a Teams meeting, calls that could have been completed may go on for longer than needed.
Therefore, it is important to remember when scheduling one how long it would take in an office environment as it may require less time than you think.
7) Make sure that you check your messages meticulously before sending
Making sure that your messages are structured and clear has been the requirement since businesses switched to using email. This requirement now has even more importance in the newly created working from home environment.
8) Maintain high performance standards
Given the anxieties felt at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is understandable that managers have shown a level of understanding with lower productivity and motivation within their teams. However, given that remote working is likely to be a more permanent fixture, it goes without saying that performance management is likely to be back on the agenda at some point.
Put simply, managers will get to the point where they expect the same productivity levels regardless of whether you are home based or in the office.
9) Regularly monitor your e-reputation
With remote working becoming more commonplace, an employees online image is only going to gain more traction. Many of the basics still apply such as using a professional image to accompany any email, maintain your manners as well as praising colleagues when warranted.
10) Make sure that you continue to interact with your colleagues
When in the office, chatting to your colleagues about things other than work was often a way of relieving stress. However, given that employees are continuing to largely be based at home, it can be easy to slip into the bad habit of being constantly switched on and productive. Therefore, it is important that you continue to interact with your colleagues even if it’s a brief catch up about things other than work during a lunch break or coffee break.
Next Steps?
If you are a business that is looking to adopt full time remote working along with needing help to get Microsoft Teams setup or require any further tailored IT support or help streamlining your telephone communications through Microsoft 365 Business Voice then please get in touch with our team of experts today to discuss how we can help your business.
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