Remote work | Let’s connect to continue

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Remote work | Let’s connect to continue

March 30 / 2020

The spread of COVID-19 has made remote work a necessity to continue the development of many companies today. That is why, we have come to our Community, to collect practical tips that you can apply.

Comprehensive attractiveness of remote work

Also known as teleworking, helps us keep in touch with our team through platforms such as Slack, Google Hangouts and Zoom. Bringing individual and collective benefits, which turn out to be key for the future organizational strategy.

This is a key opportunity to rethink processes and adapt them to new trends. Working from home is the obvious answer to the current need to remotely manage and motivate teams.

The two sides of the coin

The implementation of remote work in this situation of uncertainty brings with it challenges and positive aspects (although they are difficult to perceive at first sight).

The study carried out by Gitlab on distance work shows the following data:

Challenges: 47% of the surveyed people manage distractions at home, 35% collaborate with colleagues or clients, 35% isolate themselves and 29% are motivated.

Benefits: 52% people believe that it encourages flexible programming, 38% that the lack of travel is a plus and 35% that costs are saved.

From Cloudworks we believe that another series of motivational bonuses are the following:

-It generates autonomy, discipline and a sense of responsibility in each worker.
-It is a sustainable measure, since, for example, it reduces the pollution caused by transport and the expenses associated with it.
-It goes hand in hand with that of corporate happiness, since it promotes work flexibility and encourages work-life balance.

Productivity and community from home


Being in virtual connection makes the updating and development of the tasks immediate. This generates continuous communication around shared goals. In individual terms, it promotes greater flexibility of time and makes group work more coherent, if it is managed efficiently. But, the first step should be to rethink the workspace.

Our Cloudworker StefyActiva expresses: “In my case, I always work at the same desk. I never work in my room or in my bed. “Having a specific space to carry out your activities will help you better define your routine and be more productive.

In addition to this, our Cloudworker Hannes Jacobsson Conversational Marketer recommends: “Concentrate on one thing and only one.” Working from home can present multiple distractions throughout the day and it is important to keep your focus and attention on one specific task at a time.

It is also time to recognize what really unites us in Cloudworks, as explained by our CEO Sergi Tarragona: “Let’s learn that the value of the workspace is not the physical one, but everything that accompanies it: the team spirit of each of the companies, the feeling of belonging to this Community or the synergies generated around it ”.

For his part, our Cloudworker Philippe Donon Engineering Manager of ManoMano to attend to his team expresses:

To keep in touch with the teams, and to do Team Building remotely, we have created several initiatives and contests such as:
-The best photo from your remote workstation
-Pet photography contest
-Which emoji best describes you?
-Quizz about the history of the company
-The best virtual zoom background

We also have a permanent virtual room for coffee, lunch, and afterwork on Tuesdays and Thursdays ”

Organization

Let’s take advantage of this moment to adjust our day-to-day and before going to work let’s assess what works best for each of us. StefyActiva recommends:

“Find the schedule that is most comfortable for working (which can even be at night), do a checklist and cross out the tasks already done to observe the productivity of the day, not work in pajamas so that the mental level improves, plan schedules of food and maintain a positive vision when carrying out previously stopped projects or when continuing with tasks ”.

On the other hand, family reconciliation is a fundamental issue at the moment.

“Pedagogy with the rest of the family members, regarding that you are at home, but you are working with what cannot be interrupted constantly, it is especially important with children, for example they should learn when you are in a remote meeting and therefore you are not accessible, that when the door is closed they should not enter “, are recommendations from our Cloudworker Manager Imma Martin.

Communication with and in team

Sharing a workspace means effective communication with each of the members. In many cases, the amount of tasks prevents timely communication with team leaders. Therefore, this situation can promote a more personalized and precise dialogue.

Inclusively, these times are promoters of a much closer communication between boss and team in personal aspects, which increases the levels of belonging and fluency.

There are two types of key meetings in remote work in which we must be rigorous with attendance and punctuality so as not to lose the common thread, their importance and formality. It would be appropriate to start with knowing how the team is, followed by a small talk.

Daily meetings: They usually take between 15 to 30 minutes. Each member briefly outlines their tasks completed yesterday, the ones scheduled for today and whether they need help from another team member that day.

Phillipe Donon also tells us: “We create a daily with all the N-1s in the morning called Daily Team Huddle, which is a quick team meeting every day at the same time for 15/30 minutes to make sure that basic needs and that all security is under control, increases and issues and expresses the key priorities for the day. This with the purpose of maintaining the sense of community that we obtain by physically working in it”.

Weekly meetings: In these you should go deeper into how the objectives are going and in a weekly summary. To find out the achievements of the week and its connection with the next.

It is also important to note that on platforms such as Zoom, Slack and Trello, it is key to communicate in a timely manner and avoid interruptions.

Connect and disconnect

Now more than ever, it is necessary to stay connected with our coworkers, suppliers and customers. However, it is also necessary to know when to disconnect to be with ourselves and establish a balance. Working from home in times of confinement can be very challenging for our mental health.

At Cloudworks, our Community is part of our essence. In these circumstances where teleworking has become widespread, it challenges us to connect in other ways. For this reason we created the Online Community Project, to reaffirm that what unites us goes beyond the physical space. One of the main ways to materialize this axis is through collaborations with members of our Community.

Imma Martin, for her part, expresses the need: “Not to be constantly connected, to disconnect when the workday is over, we need it. There may be exceptions but it should not be the usual thing ”.

It is time to also be with ourselves given the distance, so you should try:

1. Follow a routine.
2. Prepare a good breakfast.
3. Get some exercise.
4. Make yourself comfortable.
5. Let the light in wherever you are.
6. Buy what you need.
7. Call a friend or colleague.
8. Turn off social networks for a few periods of time.
9. Find something else to occupy your mind when you are taking a break.
10. Arrange breaks to your liking.

As expressed by our CEO Sergi Tarragona: “We must continue promoting the connections between members to move forward and make pineapple, now more than ever!”

Let’s generate closeness from a distance, and remember that the more we do our part, the faster we can hug again.