Effective Remote Working with Teams
What are the challenges of working remotely with a team?
Anyone who works with a team experiences some people who end up doing most of the work, and no one notices it (but them!).
This issue is pervasive and very hard to resolve. The key is to understand what causes some in your team to be less productive than others.
Team Communication
One of the most significant challenges in a remote work is communication. It is particularly challenging because when working from home (or any other place than the company’s office), you do not have the chance to talk to people during a coffee break or when you need to discuss a task or project. Instead, you sit home alone doing your job.
Here are ways for effective communication:
Use specialised tools for communication, e.g. Zoho Cliq which integrates directly with Zoho Projects;
If you’re managing a team, set a date for weekly summary during which you will talk with your team about tasks’ progress, future goals and plans, and any other issues related to work;
Make use of tools for remote teams, such as Zoho Connect, which provides a social engagement environment to help with teams work and progress;
Don’t be afraid to talk about your problems, ask questions, talk about your expectations – this will help you stay sharp at anything you do.
Time Management
In theory, working remotely should not be problematic when it comes to time management. All the time you spend commuting, being stuck in a traffic jam to and from work is precious, and when working from home, we save a lot of it. Sometimes those one or two hours can be crucial to delivering a project.
So, you may think: “I don’t need to pay attention to time because I work from home. I have a lot of time to do all my things.” Yet this tends to be a huge problem.
When you work from home, you have to take into account your work-life balance and think about the other things you do at home, such as cleaning, making dinner, or even organising your workspace. Here are ways in which you may improve your time management:
Use time tracking software functionality found in Zoho Desk and Zoho Projects
Utilise the integrated task management found across the Zoho One suite of applications;
Use a time mapping technique and manage that within Zoho Projects and Zoho Calendar;
Consider sourcing available co-working workspaces for remote workers, or even working in the local coffee shop, to organise your work better.
Distractions
Distractions are the nightmare of every remote worker. One of the most common distractions is procrastination. But not the only one! When working from home, you can often find yourself completing tasks which you don’t necessarily have to do right now. Cleaning up your house, washing dishes, watching your favourite tv series. Because your work is flexible, right? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
But distractions also come from outside. We all know this famous video of a Professor who is interrupted by his child while being interviewed by the BBC.
That’s why it’s crucial to create your own space in which you can work peacefully, away from distractions of any type. Remember that such a place, either a room or an office, should be equipped only with the tools necessary for your work!
Consider these tips to overcome distractions:
turn off your mobile phone for the time of work;
don’t engage in social media activity (or go down a YouTube ‘rabbit-hole’!);
set blocks of time for every task.
Conclusion
Many companies have the IT infrastructure to support working remotely in a team, such a project management software like Zoho Projects. With good management, there is a chance to overcome the issue of one person doing most of the work in a team project.
