The Keys to Successful Remote Working

Modern enterprises are increasingly relying on remote work. Long gone are the days where people had to work in close proximity to one another in order to achieve anything. With the advent of new technologies like the Internet, it has become much easier and more feasible to work from a remote location, away from another part of the team. It can facilitate the perfect balance between personal life aspirations and professional ambitions. It does come with its own problems, though. Remote work means there is no one surveilling and guiding your work but yourself. This makes achieving the aforementioned balance and being truly productive, an endeavor that requires careful planning and discipline. Leaders need to find new ways to unite employees who are apart from each other, new methods for syncing their collective work and for freelancers to govern themselves in accordance with their deadlines. Here are some of the ways to achieve these goals and make the most out of working remotely.

Embracing technology

As we have mentioned, technology is the main catalyst for all things modern. The digital era we are finding ourselves in has brought us mobility and the tools required for accomplishing almost anything. It falls down to the leaders and managers to lead by example by utilizing new technology in the most efficient ways possible. Chat apps, video conferences, AI and cloud technology just to name a few are all incredibly powerful tools that have been the figment of imagination and science fiction just a couple of decades ago. There are many communication channels that can get teams on an even playing field and in their day-to-day lives as well. A leader is there to set an example for creating a model culture that everyone else will want to replicate and be a part of.

Finding the right profession

The most vital aspect of working remotely or even traditionally is to pick a trade that is compatible with the widest array of variables that are subjective for each individual. Most people focus on the most obvious aspects like the number of zeros in their salary offer or other benefits like health, dental and life insurances. While these are all very important the one aspect that comes before is being able to enjoy your work. It may seem a bit childish but there is a logical and down to earth explanation for this important variable. If you are not happy with what, where and with whom you are doing your job, you will inevitably reach the point of being burned out and unengaged. The better the connection we feel to what we are doing, the better the quality and quantity of our work will be. So, what is the right job? Usually, there are three components to choosing a profession that you will be able to do for a very long time. You need to like it, you need to be good at it and it needs to bring some additional value into the world. If you do not resonate with it, you will not be able to perform for a long time, if you are not proficient in it, your performance will not be optimal and if it doesn't bring value, no one will want your work. These hold true especially when in a remote setting where you have no direct supervision or colleagues to rely upon. Make sure to think deeply about if you can do your chosen profession with these principles in mind.

Neglecting the basics

No matter the advantages technology and remote work tools bring us, these are all buffers for the real deal and that is communicating with another person face-to-face. Putting a face to a name, a number, company or a brand is something that is universally acknowledged to be the sensible thing to do. It is easy to text someone, send an email, etc. but it lacks that vital component of looking someone in the face and read the body language on which the human being relies greatly in everyday communication. These are nice sentiments, but we also need to acknowledge that it is not always possible to make them a reality. In those cases, the next best substitutes are video calls, conferences, high-definition live event streaming, etc. The ability to see with who and in which way we are communicating with another person will always be much more efficient as any misunderstandings caused by the lack of the visual component are avoided. Broadband Internet is everywhere and high-quality streams can be assured in all corners of the world. Make sure to use this to your advantage.

Boundaries

Standards, boundaries, and expectations need to be clearly defined in order to maintain high productivity and efficiency levels. Whether you are working from home, or are juggling several displaced teams making them work in unison, everyone needs to be clear on these points. Depending on the industry and niche you find yourself in, this can mean many things and it is up to you to define and pass them along. On the other hand, it is also important for anyone working remotely to separate the work-life from the personal. In those cases, encouraging down-time is the right path to take.

With the powers that the remote working tools offer us, come even greater problems and responsibilities. It is not an easy task to create and maintain an effective, happy and productive work culture in an entirely onsite company, let alone in a remote one. It falls to you to shape the modern ways of the future in such a way to serve you and your goals.