How to Overcome The Challenges of Working Remotely

We have all done it... we have dreamed of working from home as to avoid the stress of getting the little ones to school, to sports activities, making dinner and well sitting in traffic en-route to somewhere. However one had to be seen to be believed that they were working. All of the traditional back office resources such as the copy machine, the secretary, the water cooler, pens, paper, computer were located in this one place. Being “seen” by upper management and your peers was most critical, workplace trust is a major issue especially with those that have well never worked remotely. The reality for me has been “you hire adults to do an adult job” if it does not work out it is your fault not theirs. There are those that will abuse as there are in the office space and require micro-management but for the most part as long as each has their specific roles and responsibilities clearly defined, you will be able to keep top talent and that top talent will be even more productive.

However the historical challenges are many for many corporate managers to even begin looking at how to resolve them. Here are some tips on how to overcome these challenges from a person whom has years of remote work experience. In my professional career I have worked on site, sat in traffic, worked from home office, worked from corporate HQ, been in the field, sat in security lines at the airport and well over the past four years had meetings daily with customers and partners from China to New York, Connecticut to Oslo, London to Madrid without leaving my office. I have seen my colleagues, I have watched and understood their body language (60+% of communication is via body movement) and have created long last professional relationships without ever meeting “belly to belly”.

Here are some of the challenges and how to resolve them easily:

Where are you?

Not seeing is not believing...Everyone is used to seeing everyone all the time and most importantly your superiors... where is xxxx? humm must be at Starbucks drinking coffee or at the spa. Well the reality is... there is technology out there that is being used and is easy to use. Video conferencing from your PC, MAC, Conference Room, or Tablet is gaining adoption across the corporate board. No longer the proprietary service of the Fortune 500... Video conferencing is affordable and gives an immediate HR return on investment (lower churn, happier and more productive employees) and a financial one (savings on travel and increase in productivity / output). Share presentations, have face to face video meetings and more. Other alternatives are instant chat and well going back to the dinosaur times... teleconferencing.

Staying in the loop with Co-workers

Trust is the biggest issue but also distance. From your remote location to your team members it is tough to manage and collaborate with others. The small talk or water cooler discussions are the office place version of the round of golf with your customers. Decisions are often made outside of the traditional meeting space. Use your video conferencing service and meet your colleagues regularly. Don´t just call them to talk business call them to team build. Pulse meetings are a great way to have that water cooler chat on video. How are your kids? and most importantly how are you? five minutes each week well worth the effort. Better to have a quick video meeting than sending an email that can be misunderstood. At the same time build that relationship and trust by being seen and being in the loop.

Working Alone

Probably one of the greatest challenges but easiest to resolve. Being part of a team and being able to bond socially with your colleagues is critical in having a productive workplace environment. Up to date managers focus on resolving this by having “belly to belly” get togethers such as quarterly or yearly team building exercises. A great way to remind everyone of the team and the company mission, vision etc... And the reality is... take the trip to the office once in a while. One gets that social rush from being in the same room as people. Technology resolves a lot of issues but face to face and “belly to belly” are critical in keeping motivated and having the best chance to succeed in business.

Working from Home & Distractions

A major challenge in working remotely are the distractions. The kids, the cleaning etc... to be honest this is the easiest to overcome. Plan your day, Plan your week and work the plan.

Working Hours

The fine line of the end of the day and your private life has essentially vanished and this is not solely due to remote work. It is due to technology. The guilt of not answering that late night email from your boss, the expectation that “we have invested in you as an employee and have given you these great tools and you are expected to be always on” is more common than not. This is more of an issue of management and business models that have not changed. Efficiency is created by using technology that is available. Like working from home... plan your day, plan your week and work the plan. Outside of those hours unless due to a VERY specific project or reason - your day ends, you charge your batteries and are ready to rock n´roll the next day.

Your Workspace

Set aside a home office or remote office space. This is your sacred office space. Once you enter it is all about work. Once you leave it is about your life and family.

In the end of the day it is about “doing business”. Technology evolves faster than business models. The is greater acceptance and adoption in using the technology available. Companies, even the smallest have entered the global playing field why not let your employees also share in your investment in technology? By the way... the “cloud” as replaced the need for most of the back office need to be in the office space argument. Not that many years ago it was a question of how many printers there will be in a company, now it is how many in each house. Happy employees=productive ones. For some additional information I like to follow the folks at WorkShifting an initiative to help create greater awareness in working remotely.