The future of work is both near and far. It’s near because things are changing right in front of you, but far because that’s where the remote workers are. Not only are more people working remotely, they are spending more time away from the office. While many employers agree that remote workers tend to be more productive, the surprising news is how much more. A two-year study recently concluded that remote workers saw a productivity boost equivalent to a full extra day of work.
While being part of a remote team sounds innovative and empowering, the reality is managing remote teams to keep them coordinated and on-task can prove to be tough. I have the good fortune to work with an extremely bright, dedicated team that just happens to be spread out across the planet. The experience has taught me some valuable lessons on best practices for non-local collaboration and insights into the future of work.
1. Have a Plan for Synchronous Vs. Asynchronous Messaging. Synchronous refers to channels like phone, video calls and in-person meetings. Asynchronous includes email, Slack, text, messenger apps and anything where you can compose an answer before hitting send. If your team doesn’t know which messages belong in which channel, you will end up wasting far too much time on irrelevant conference calls, endless email chains, and suffering from notification fatigue. Our sync vs. async decision tree deserves its own blog, but what matters most is the process of discovering what works for your team. Don’t neglect this vital step.
2. Assume Good Intentions. This is closely tied the point above. Email can be wacky because there are no context clues like tone, inflection, body language, etc. People tend to interpret messages differently depending on their mood or what they assume about the writer. Train your team to assume good intentions for every message. Because my team assumes my positive regard, I don’t have to add smiley faces and exclamation points to soften the tone of compact messages. This saves us a significant amount of time and allows us all to focus on what’s really important.
3. Manage Expectations. Do this with your team, especially if you work with vendors. Make sure your team is familiar with turnaround times, communication protocols and any other limitations or costs related to scope. The outcome is that your team is crystal clear on vendor capabilities and can manage their operational expectations accordingly.
4. Stick To A Routine. Consistency in keeping appointments is supremely important. When you are dealing with complex schedules across time zones, a disruption in the call schedule will generate chaos. Gain consensus on a regular cadence of meeting times and make certain that team members treat this as a priority. Most remote workers are free spirits who prize independence. It’s important to help them recognize that regular meeting times are the foundation for playing respectfully with others, handling rare requests for exceptions, and greater productivity for everyone.
5. Video, Video, Video: I feel like this is my most important tip. We require video calls for every meeting. Meetings should be taken from a quiet place with high-speed WiFi and earbuds. When team members show up in a professional way, it means fewer distractions and less time wasted, while building rapport and dialing up productivity. It shows respect to your clients and fellow team members when you demonstrate that you value their time and give them the professional courtesy they deserve
