Remote Work Productivity

We are just past the one-year mark since Covid-19 changed the way the world works. What we have witnessed is the incredible ability for companies and employees to pivot, using new technologies to make keep work productive and safe by expanding remote opportunities.

This has also brought on the new challenge of how to stay productive in a remote setting. Fortunately there is mounting evidence that productivity in remote settings is actually increasing. But maybe you’re still looking for the best methods to ensure positive results. Well, here are a few of our best practices…

Communication

Like anything else, ensuring a productive remote work environment requires strong communication. You will want to clearly communicate and agree to the following on all projects & deadlines:

• Goals & Outcomes – make sure everyone is on the same page and moving in the same direction before getting people started.
• Create reasonable deadlines – be honest about when tasks can be completed by; honor your commitment and stay accountable; remember to communicate any changes that may affect your timeline.
• Check-In – schedule specific times to check-in and provide updates. This helps prevent helicopter syndrome and sets mini-benchmarks to encourage everyone to stay on task.
• Know who is responsible for what – be clear on who is taking responsibility for each part of a given project. If you don’t know where your responsibility ends and someone else’s begins make it a point to discuss at the next check-in.

Keeping the lines of communication open while balancing space for everyone to get their work done is key. Using cloud-based tools (we’ll cover some of our favorites at the end of this post) to organize, assign, and keep people updated allows remote workers to maximize productivity despite never setting a foot in the office.

Project Management

Once you have clearly communicated outcomes, deadlines, and roles you must balance how you manage your end of a project. The reality is you probably have several going on at once but now all of the structure falls on you. Developing a committed rhythm will help keep you on task and set to complete your projects when you promised to. This can be hard as your “office” gets crowded, figuring out schedules with a spouse or partner and kids doing school virtually shifts what a “workday” looks like. But by creating a working schedule, and setting time aside for each specific project, you might find your productivity and creativity boosted, along with producing better outcomes in your work.

Helpful Tools

• AirTable – this cloud database is like Excel on steroids. You can control who has access to what information, and how they can use that, you can assign someone access to a “sheet” as read only or as a full creator. This is a great way to share detailed notes, timelines, and reports, all in real-time. This is great for communication, project management, and record keeping.
• Zoom – this software has become synonymous with remote work meetings. This is a great tool for group communication, or for a one-on-one meeting.
• Skype for Business – much like Zoom, this is great for meetings, but also offers some added tools for presentations as well. This also syncs up well with other Microsoft applications.
• G-Suites – this set of cloud based software has it all, from communication needs, to storage, to document creation and email, you can do just about anything in your remote office through G-Suites.

There are countless other tools available depending on your specific needs. For a comprehensive list with reviews (including applications such as DropBox, HubStaff, and Slack) Check This Out!