Remote working offers so many exciting possibilities, from sipping Pina Colada while working on a beach to sitting next to an inspiring startup founder in a coworking space.

But in times like this, when everyone is forced to stay where they are the safest, working from home might be all you have to keep you afloat –and sane. 

At e27, we have a team mixed of remote workers all over Southeast Asia and India, and a dedicated office in Singapore for teammates based in the country. So you can say we know a thing or two about managing a remote working.

But to have a fresh perspective, we turned to our community to understand how one can be productive working from home –next to their pop and ma, their kid, and their siblings. Because they, too, are stuck at home.

The matter of communication

The first challenge to emerge is communication. You are used to sitting next to Susan, and go into an hour meeting with Simon to talk about an ongoing project. But now, suddenly, they are nothing but icons on Zoom or Google Hangout.

Issues such as connection, noisy background, and sound delay may make you feel like things are not working in your favour, but it is the perfect time to get creative.

Also Read: Why remote working is the future for startups

One of our community members pointed out a valid point regarding remote communication in working from home situations.

“I think about it in two ways: one is that interactions build trust. Other is if the related parties don’t have similar experience in things like writing and literature then their use of languages is always going to be different and it will create differences that make communication hard. The second one is often ignored, but being a reader and a writer is critical to team success remotely. The key is to listen and to over-communicate in this period.”

One community member directed us to this hilarious curation of remote-working, WFH-related tweets to @WorkWithoutPants. One tweet suggested to do a virtual coffee, which is essential to have a sense of belonging in a team –even if it is just on the screen.

Essential digital tools for WFH

At e27, the tools that help us every day are regularly-scheduled meetings on Zoom for weekly updates, Slack for daily huddle, and Hangouts for other meetings.

Another member pointed out other digital management products to use: Trello and Asana, along with Calendar and Google drive.

Other alternatives

Remote working is something that does not favour micromanagement. Micro-managing by managers are easily done when working in an office environment, but WFH would not succeed with a helicopter-style of leadership.

However, it is understandable to feel as if your team might neglect their work during their stay at home simply because you cannot see them face-to-face. This is why many people choose to stick to working on office hours despite the convenience that WFH offers.

One team member gave his take on the matter to make the setting work for both the company and the employee.

“Give each other space as you would in a physical office, but make it a point to communicate at regular intervals, to shoot the breeze if not anything, as your mileage may vary depending on working styles,” he said. 

But in a situation involving a self-quarantine, there will be limited mileage made, which left the managers in charge with no option but to practise confidence in their team and being more result-oriented.

Also Read: e27’s remote staffers sharing their work-from-home experience

Another way to do WFH without losing the productivity the office environment offers is to set a clear policy about what it means and what it takes for employees. This one is especially necessary if WFH would be something that is completely new for your team.

“With my trainees that I train for companies, I set soft deadlines and in-between, I do morning check-ins with them,” said one member. 

The age of video

“All I can tell you is that I have used video these days to communicate with my audience. It helps me come up with ideas and helps me practice communicating with people, which is the core function of my role,” said another member, who works with a Hong Kong-based VC firm, where a face-to-face meeting is needed but impossible now.

With startups being forced to get that creative juices flowing to make sure that business goes on as usual, VC firms that rely heavily on in-person meetings must resort to online calls. Our community member thinks that video is a good enough medium for now, as it helps support the meetings –which can happen two to five times a day.

Conclusion

Our community members shared that for some of them, working from home is practically the norm even when quarantine order is not enforced in their area.  

We learned that roles such as developers, content writers, and people who deal with data are the ones most adaptive to this working-from-home situation.

“I run a remote data science training company, so I’ve been 90 per cent remote from day one, so the change hasn’t been too drastic for my co-founder and me,” said one community member.

The case is also the same for half of e27’s team members, particularly the Content and Marketing team, who have been working remotely for the company. They have shared their take on their WFH lifestyle and how they stay on top of their work even with home-based distractions.

Also Read: The future of remote work is happening now, here’s how to make it work for you

Some of the top tips shared by e27’s team members are the importance of having a dedicated workspace, keeping a routine, and having a daily or weekly to-do list to make sure the team’s focus is aligned with tasks and OKRs.

Finally, the success of a remote team all comes back to clarity in communication. Not just about work but also about mundane, daily things that happen in your life that is worth sharing with teammates.

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Image Credit: Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash

 

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