Top Tips for An Effective Remote Working Environment
(Image from https://blog.capterra.com/free-remote-working-software/)
Remote Working has become one the most commonly heard terms in business these days. The pandemic has shown that It gives the flexibility and agility which many employees have been looking for so long.
Some of the biggest advantages include: Reduction in commute times, saving on commuting expenses (car insurance, gas, Uber, etc.), and minimizing the hassle and costs of renting/owning places to live in urban centers.
It certainly has given much more time and freedom to plan and schedule one’s day as per their choice.
Here at RemoteStar, we promote and support remote working environments. With all our employees working from their homes, co-working spaces, or their preferred choice of location and with the flexibility to choose.
Effective remote work, for us, creates a productive work environment.
Here are some ways we ensure it works:
- Clear Communication Channels
The most essential thing in remote work is Communication. While working at RemoteStar, I often hear our founder Naresh saying, “ Communicate and Communicate as clearly and as soon as you can !”
Lack of communication often results in misunderstandings and delays which create more issues going forward.
It’s very important to set up a good communication system and tools — whether it’s Skype, Slack, Google, Zoom meetings, or Hangout. Find what works for your team and make sure that you are connected to your co-workers and working together.
2. Fast, Secure Internet Connection
The most fundamental thing to remote work effectively is to set up a good, dedicated internet. Having an internet connection go down can be the worst experience one can have while working remotely. AtRemoteStar, we support all our employees ensuring they have the workspace and tools they need including dependable internet.
3. Project Management Tools
When you are working remotely and asynchronously, one of the most important things is to ensure clarity of tasks and manage workload. . Without a tool or system, some of the tasks or sub-items can be forgotten or missed or there will be confusion as to ownership. This makes it almost impossible to work remotely since there is no way for you to keep in the loop about what needs to be done and by whom.
A cloud-based solution that keeps everyone in the loop all time — even when people are away from their desks.
A flexible project management tool that can track and allow customization according to our workflows. JIRA, Trello, ZohoHub, or Calrizen are some of the most used project management tools.
4. Data / Internet Security
The Internet has made us able to connect with almost everyone and everything with just a single click. This ease at our disposal also comes with some negatives. One such concern is the easy access of information/data which can be used in unethical and wrong ways.
Data Security is one of the biggest challenges of this internet age. Anyone can steal your data which can lead to further losses and consequences,
So, it’s very important to give extra care to secure the data and your work especially when you are working remotely. An added layer of security will protect you and your data against crime, theft, or data loss. Install tools like anti-virus, firewalls will prevent unauthorized access to your systems. Investing in a good VPN will also help in accessing data remotely and in a much more secure and private manner and using a cloud-based filing system will be great for avoiding loss or damage to documents and files
These are only a few key ingredients in creating an effective remote working environment. There are many others which we can explore in the future.
Are you interested in going remote or building a remote team? Let us help you !!
