This time last year, remote work was reserved for special circumstances or a perk employees could enjoy a couple of days per week. The COVID-19 pandemic turned that notion upside down, forcing organizations from most industries to shift to remote work.
Now, organizations around the world have rolled out long-term or permanent remote work plans, completely changing the standards by which they operate. Today we’re going to dive into those standards, for both technology and protocol.
The new standards of technology
While technology has played an important role in the workforce for some time, now it’s essential that technology is functional and efficient since it’s the only way for remote teams to collaborate. Here are the standards of technology we’ve seen for remote work:
- Mobile hardware tools. Teams need the ability to be productive from anywhere. Having an updated laptop, phone, and internet connection might seem basic, but it’s the backbone of a successful remote team.
- Video conferencing tools. A reliable software, good quality microphones and headsets, and high resolution cameras allow for professional, uninterrupted meetings.
- Virtual collaboration and communication tools. Stay in touch about projects or be available for quick chats in a way that doesn’t disrupt someone’s workflow.
- Project management and data storage. Projects should stay organized, should be easily accessible to all team members, and be structured in a way where the whole team knows their status.
In other words, without technology, successful remote work is just not possible.
The new standards for remote work protocol
While the nuances of remote work protocol will look slightly different from company to company, here’s what we’ve witnessed as standards across them all:
- Maintaining face to face communication. Even though teams can’t physically meet together right now, you want to prioritize face to face communication whenever possible. Choosing a video conference over a phone call keeps the personal connection between you and your team members while working to combat some of the isolation people may feel when they don’t get to see other people at the office every day.
- Keep the same amount of employee engagement events. If your organization participated in team-building activities and events before the change to remote work, they should continue after. While people might be getting tired of your standard virtual happy hours, companies are starting to get really creative with the types of virtual events they hold for their teams. You can have virtual wine and paint nights, poker tournaments, cooking classes, and group fitness classes — whatever gets your team excited!
- Maintain the same productivity, just remotely. The goal of a long-term remote work strategy is to have the company function just as productively as before, just without a physical office. While you should definitely leave wiggle room for at-home distractions such as other family members, you should set realistic expectations for your team in terms of remote work goals that you will accomplish together.
As you can see, if your organization is making the long-term shift to remote work, it’s important to have the proper tools in place to set your team up for success. To get a consultation by experts in the field who can help you get started, contact us today.
