Embracing Remote Work: Are You Ready for the Future of Work?

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many sweeping changes. One was the overnight shift to remote work for millions of teams worldwide. I have always seen remote work as a non-financial perk. It helps attract talent needing flexibility, like working moms. Running a business or managing teams is tough in a changing world. Even 22Bet, which adapts well, faced unique challenges in this shift.

Fortunately, the organizations I work with are well-equipped for remote work. Despite this, I found myself—and our teams—struggling last week. To navigate these challenges, I contacted peers within the sector for advice and tips. Here is a summary of our talks. It offers tips on remote work, team morale, and well-being.

Getting the Most Out of Remote Working

Revisit and prioritize goals

Our field-based organizations’ usual work can’t be done from home. Some use this chance to put their products and services online. Others offer unique content to their existing communities. Others are using this time for strategic retreats. They are designing new products and services. Or they are focusing on back-burner projects. In all cases, the organizations have had to re-group on their short-term goals.

Do ‘sprint’ check-ins to deal with uncertainty

Since things change daily, your check-ins should focus on one week’s goals (or two, at most). You could also do a 15-minute daily check-in. It would let team members share their priorities and where they need support.

Pick a few work tools and stick to them

Remote work only works if you can access documents and shared team drives. (If you have gone digital recently, back up all the documents.) Most organizations need tools to:

• Store and share documents (e.g. Dropbox or Google Drive)
• Host team meetings and work sessions (eg. Zoom or Google Hangouts)
• Communicate with teams on a day-to-day basis (eg. WhatsApp, Slack, or e-mail)
• Manage projects (e.g., Asana or Koan)

The key is to pick and install one or two tools across the organization. Many tools only add to the confusion and information overload.

Set Up the Team

If you recently used any of the tools above, please run training sessions or share tips to help the team. Don’t assume that everyone on the team is equally tech-savvy or, for that matter, has a computer at home. Lastly, agree on a communication protocol. Use Slack for non-urgent queries, text for urgent ones, and calls for very urgent queries. Just because you are on Slack doesn’t imply you can respond to all messages immediately.

Maintaining Team Spirits

Many tools, like Zoom, enable virtual whiteboards or work within subgroups. Some organizations use simple Word or Excel docs for group work on video calls. This also engages team members who might struggle to stay motivated to work alone.

Connect With the Bigger Picture

Create a space for team members to connect weekly. One person can help with the big picture and answer queries. This can be particularly useful for recruits or junior team members.

Taking Care of Well-being

Regularly check in with team members to see how they are doing. Personality types vary. Some may struggle more than others. So, it’s important to check in with everyone.

Allow Flexibility

Be completely flexible with people if necessary, especially if they are carers for either their children and/or their parents. Let the team know that it is all right to take a holiday/break if they are finding themselves anxious or ill. Make sure they know that you have their back during this challenging period.

Create Dedicated Spaces

People respond to crises differently. Some like talking about things, while others do not. The important thing is to create avenues where those who want to engage can reach out. You could invite team members to create subgroups on focused topics. They could lead these groups with others who are interested. You could also create a dedicated space for personal check-ins at the beginning or the end of the day.

Conclusion

Remote work has changed how we operate. This all brings challenges and opportunities with it. For organizations to prosper and do well in this new normal, adaptation is vital. Clearly define goals; communicate strongly, maintain morale of the team, and well-being. Success will be through flexibility and supporting the team, and from afar, create a connection. With the right strategies and tools, remote work can be more than a necessity—it can be a powerful advantage.