Remote employees rely on clear and consistent communication to ensure everyone is on the same page, understands their roles, and has a path for further growth and development. If you have an online calendar, create personal events and reminders that tell you when to shift gears and start on new tasks. “My top work-from-home tip is to use the Pomodoro Method to stay productive and focused throughout the day,” shared Kat Smith, founder of A Way Abroad.
- Collaboration traditionally looks like everyone in a room brainstorming and meeting together.
- Whether at home or on the road, remote work allows employees to stay connected and productive from anywhere.
- This means dedicated check-ins are even more critical to building trusted relationships with your remote employees and taking the pulse on their work performance.
- Set limits on your work hours, avoid checking work-related messages outside of work hours, and create a physical separation between your work and personal spaces.
- Remote working isn’t for everyone, and though you might find that you have a natural proclivity for remote work, it’s good to consider the benefits and challenges and develop working methods to deal with them.
The amazing benefits of remote work make the effort you put into overcoming any work-from-home obstacles more than worth your time. This means dedicated check-ins are even more critical to building trusted relationships with your remote employees and taking the pulse on their work performance. No matter where your employees are, managers are tasked with helping them do their jobs successfully. Of course, the dynamics of a remote team are different from an in-house team. When people aren’t sharing an office space, they don’t have the same opportunities for connection, communication, or collaboration.
Reduce stress at work and improve productivity
If working alongside other family members or housemates can’t be avoided, consider investing in home office equipment like noise-canceling headphones or room dividers to minimize distractions. Sam Mallikarjunan, CEO of AI company OneScreen, tells how he manages to get work done even when people are around. Make sure any roommates, family members, and dogs (well, maybe not dogs) respect your space during work hours. Unlike other fields, certifications and education are not usually prerequisites. Instead, researching, having a smart business plan, and choosing the right business is more essential to the success of your business. One of the tips for doing this is folding the possibility of going remote into your next promotion cycle.
Either way, everyone should expect growing pains as they adjust to new communication styles, schedules, expectations, and other variables that come with transitioning to remote work. If it feels like an easy transition early on, keep an eye on things as new challenges are likely to arise as time goes on. On some days, your plans will fall through, and you might not be able to exercise or stick to your schedule. That’s understandable and completely fine—just be flexible, adapt to circumstances, and keep trying to develop good habits that enable you to work from home successfully. Keeping your remote work goals top of mind will help you be a good remote employee while also supporting a balanced life.
Tips for Managers to Support Remote Workers’ Productivity
Without the social cues provided by colleagues heading to lunch or the break room, it can be easy to skip those mental rest periods, and that could lead to speedy burnout. When you wake up in the morning, get dressed and prepare for the workday, just as you would if you worked in an office. Set a defined schedule for your remote work, and make sure your co-workers know when you will be available. It’s important to establish your reliability how to work from home successfully from the start, but setting defined hours will also help you avoid the problem of work becoming a 24/7 activity. That also means you must be familiar with all of the most common remote communications software and apps in use today, from email programs and videoconferencing platforms to messaging and group chat. You should also be fluent in cloud document sharing systems, like the Google suite, and project management tools.
For example, get dressed like you’re going to work, take a shower, and make a cup of coffee. If you’re intentional about “going to work,” you’re also more likely to be productive. When your personal and professional lives intertwine at home, external interruptions during work hours are inevitable—understandably https://remotemode.net/ so. That said, you can also take steps to limit distractions as much as possible. To ensure everyone on your team is on the same page, establish guidelines for the frequency, timing, and means of communication. Additionally, determine how cross-departmental communication will work.