So, you’re remote now!
Maybe it’s because of the Coronavirus, or maybe your office is just finally coming around to the fact that people are more engaged, more productive and (of most importance to your boss) more profitable. ( https://www.gallup.com/workplace/283985/working-remotely-effective-gallup-research-says-yes.aspx )
It’s also better for the planet ( https://www.greenchildmagazine.com/environmental-benefits-of-remote-work/ ) and helps companies recruit the best talent for a given job, regardless of where that talent is located ( https://buffer.com/state-of-remote-work-2019 ). So while it may have taken a pandemic for your company to finally make the shift, there are a bunch of us who think that this shift may become permanent.
Tanooki Labs is a remote-first company and not to toot our own horn too loudly, we’re pretty damn good at it. We have an office and at any given time you’ll find a various mix of partners, design and the product mangers there, more often than not you’ll look in on one of the conference rooms and see a Google Meet or Zoom meeting happening with Tanookis from across the country. Given that so many people may be working remotely for the first time we thought we’d share some of our favorite tips and tricks on how to get stuff done remotely without losing your mind.
Find a place to work. Not your bed.
Identify a work space and set it up like my desk. Working from the couch (or bed 😁) makes me much less productive. (Lauren)
Find a place far away from the washer and dryer so you can focus on work tasks and not home chores. (Danielle)
Find as much natural light as possible, helps keep you awake. (Conner)
It’s tempting to work from your bed or couch when you’re working from home. I mean c’mon it’s the couch! So much more comfortable than the kitchen table or in your office! But trust us, you won’t be at the top of your game if you’re falling asleep at your computer. Warm computer on your lap + comfy bed or couch is a recipe for nap time.
And set it up like your office, not your dorm room.
Remove fur children (🐶🐱🐰) from your work space and lock the door. (Conner)
Starting the day with a clean desk makes it easier for me to get going. (Peter)
If you wouldn’t have wrappers strewn about or a pupper (or kitteh) at your feet in the office, don’t do it at home. If you would, well then you do you.
One for the Managers - Focus on production, not hours.
One of my favorite bosses had a saying “I don’t care where you work, when you work, or how much you work, as long as what you need to do gets done.” (Dan)
The temptation as a manager to think that because people are at home they’re going to do laundry, take a nap, binge on Love is Blind. And honestly, you can’t control that. But what you can control is productivity. Set reasonable expectations about how much is supposed to be getting done and make sure it’s communicated to the team.
Keep in touch.
Use a chat/messaging tool to talk to your co-workers throughout the day. Jump on a video to talk to them live. (I know this is really obvious to us since we all live on slack/google hangouts, but not everyone does!) (Noelle)
Turn on the video in chats. (Dave)
We live in Slack and Hangouts, both in the office and remotely. While having a company-wide public chat is super helpful, Noelle’s point about talking live is an important one. And turn on the video. Having a few face-to-face conversations with co-workers can completely remote the solitary feeling that can come from being heads-down at home.
We also have a bunch of fun company wide challenges to keep people engaged with their co-workers like the Tanooki Arcade Challenge.
For managers this is extremely important, because it’s how you communicate your expectations for productivity with your team. Consider starting each day with a 10 - 15 touch base with your direct reports and the other managers. Think of it as water cooler time.
And, of course it leads perfectly into…
Put on some clothes. And no, sweats don’t count. 👩💼👨💼
“Even though sweats and PJs are the ideal comfortable. Still dress like you are heading to work” (Danielle)
Let work be a different mindset from relaxing and you’ll be more productive. And being productive is the name of the game.
Get some exercise. Any exercise. 🏃♀️🏃♂️
If the weather is nice try taking a walk. I'm sure your dog will like it. (Danielle)
Go for a run, a walk, a swim - anything! And schedule it so you make sure it happens. (Dan)
Working from home can cause you to get sucked down a rabbit hole like nothing else in this life. You can start a project, and because there’s nobody there to walk by your desk with a question (or even just walk by your desk) you look up to find that 5 hours have passed and as we all know sitting is bad, like really bad. ( https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005 )
This advice isn’t meant to replace your office remote-work policy (and if you don’t have one managers, now’s the time to clarify one). Rather it’s here (and we’re here) to help you to make the switch to remote work as easy as possible.
One last bit of crucial advice though - and this one is for managers and employees.
Give it time.
Working remotely is likely new to you, and it’s going to be a transition. So I’d highly recommend that both managers and employees treat it as if everyone is a new hire. Managers - give them the leniency that you would someone who’s just getting their feet under them in a new office. And employees - take the time to figure out the routine and patterns that work for you. Getting into a productive cadence is what’s important and that always takes time.
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