A2Z Blog
5 Remote Working Tips
This blog in brief
As all the normal rules for business and social interactions are shredded daily by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, working remotely has become a lifeline for UK businesses. Many organisations that have previously ignored remote working are making overnight u-turns and need fast ideas for keeping company morale up.
The ‘New Normal’
While the Government is due to ease the lockdown on the 15th of June, we have researched and concluded that the ‘remote working revolution’ is the future for businesses and working from home is likely to become the ‘new normal’. Yet, how will teams sustain their productivity? How can executives reorienting their businesses hope to ensure remote workers’ stay focused?
Remote working takes discipline and one of the biggest drawbacks is managing at-home distractions, loneliness and productivity. Fear not! We are here to help and have outlined our top 5 tips to help you adapt to the remote working revolution and have included our secret tools which enabled us to take A2ZCloud remote in less than 24 hours!
1. Location
Try to find yourself a dedicated and comfortable spot to work at. One that you can associate with your job and leave when you are off the clock — that means get off the couch, definitely out of bed and change from your PJ’s.
A separate workspace doesn’t have to be a dedicated office with a door that closes (which is often not an option in smaller living spaces). It should be an area that mentally prepares you for work mode, whether it’s a small desk set up in a corner of the living room, or a laptop at the end of the kitchen table. Ideally, it would be a place you don’t go to relax, like your bedroom or your sofa, and a place that other members of your household know is designated for work.
If you find you’re most productive with a laptop on the sofa, then by all means, work there. It may take a bit of trial and error to figure out what area of your home is most conducive to getting work done.
2. Communication
It’s important to go beyond email and use other digital tools that can better replicate the in-person office experience. This will not only centralize communication but help you work more efficiently.
Zoho Meeting is a great business tool that allows you to conduct online meetings and host webinars using a single tool. You can deliver online training webinars by broadcasting presentations and demos. Alternatively, meet face to face for real-time discussions using audio, video, and screen sharing. This tool is fantastic for interacting and staying connected with your employees.
Alternatively the online business messenger Zoho Cliq is a fun tool for bringing your team together. You can share ideas with your teammates, discuss over chat or make channels for topics.
A new feature, recently added to Cliq is the ability to change your work status. Cliq shows statuses to know the availability and presence of users and you can also configure custom status.
3. Have A Plan
Keep a more structured daily schedule than usual. It is good to have a routine, but work shouldn’t become monotonous. Don’t stay glued to your screen all day. It’s important to take regular breaks and get up and move around just as you would in an office and allow time slots for lunch, taking the dog out or calling a friend.
Modern ‘internal networks’ or ‘intranets’ aren’t just information dumps for your staff, they are places that allow the team to come together, network, collaborate and share knowledge – used correctly they can be a great tool, especially for decentralised teams.
A great way to ensure you get prioritised tasks complete, is to use Zoho Connect. The team collaboration platform allows you to prioritise tasks, create plans for ideas, assign tasks and track the progress of work so that you and your team can focus on what is important.
4. Boundaries
As much as we are a believer of flexible working hours and know that individuals’ best working times vary from person to person. It may help your productivity if you work the same hours you would if in the office and keep a sense of normality in your routine.
A recent poll conducted by the institute for Employment Studies, found that 50% of their 500 respondents said that they were struggling to find the right life-work balance and were working longer and more irregular hours.
5. Use The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro technique is a time management tool, which will have you working in 25 minute blocks (pomodoro sessions) followed by 5 minute breaks. Encouraging you to work within the time you have. Its proven to improve your productivity and an effective way of achieving a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day.
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