2020-03-09

Remote Best Practices

Best Practices for Working Remote and Managing Remote Workers

From Olga [https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgaliakhovich]:
Few thoughts based on my multi-year experience working with and leading remote teams:
  • Video calls promote better engagement into conversation and make easier for people to contribute
  • Discuss with the team the core working hours when one can easily rely on getting feeds back on design, PR and etc
  • Daily virtual stands up are awesome, max 15 mins for a big crew, than smaller discussions
  • With WFH it might be harder to keep balance between work and rest, something to bring up and acknowledge with team. If you are thinking of posting work related message at late/early hours — think twice if that is really so urgent.
From Tatyana [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatyanay]:
Tips for conducting a meeting with very large number of participants:
  • If you're not actively engaged in the conversation, disable video
  • If you want to say something, "raise your hand" by enabling video
  • Leave video enabled as long as you're actively engaged in or trying to join a conversation
From Andrew Coven [https://www.linkedin.com/in/acoven]:
  • Use headphones with a microphone, the computer's speakers and microphone are bad at audio rejection so you get unwanted echos.
  • Be thoughtful about what's behind you if you're on video (bathrooms, busy distracting hallways, etc.)
From AP Fritts [https://www.linkedin.com/in/apfritts]:
  • Make sure you have a food plan — either you have food in the kitchen or DoorDash or a quick waltz across the street. You don't want lunch to take forever.
  • Get dressed for work — as tempting as it may be, you put your mind into "Work Mode" when you get dressed for the office.
  • Setup your workstation — move your personal laptop / iPad to a different part of the room. Make sure you are setup ergonomically in your chair and desk. If there are distractions by the window, close the blinds (I said it!) or move your workstation so its not as easy to get distracted.
From Robert Glazer [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amazon-facebook-microsoft-just-told-employees-work-from-robert-glazer]:
  • Keep your routine and schedule: replicate office life at home
  • Default to video: don’t overuse text-only mediums
  • Create boundaries: crisply delineate work space from home