Many of us have the opportunity to work remote or work with others who are remote. Sometimes there can be a feeling of disconnect or miscommunication. So I pose these questions to the group:
If you work remote or work with someone who is remote, what are some tips and tricks to doing it effectively? How can you make the remote person feels included?
Here's my trick: I turn my camera on during video conferences. This sometimes gets others to turn the camera on and I get to see everyone's face. This usually prompts a conversation about new wall paint or a bad hair day.
Great tip! I also struggle with taking things personally especially via slack. I then have to remember that they may be on another call or busy working, and a short response is their way of acknowledging me and continuing to do their work.
I have a good bit of experience w/ telecommuting both managing others who work remotely and working remotely myself for the past 3 years. Here are my thoughts:
I think setting expectations is so important. Especially for those who are new to remote working and may not be sure what to do when there's "free time."
My two cents to add to this blog would be : get their mobile number to build a better 1on1 relationship outside of the main work stream.
From personal experience it has worked wonders with colleagues based in the US and India every time I did it!
The communication was never about work but a more personal angle ! No invasion of privacy neither. Just getting to know them like I would a normal colleague in the same office as me.
I've always wondered if exchanging phone numbers and texting was mixing business and personal lives? But I guess that's the only way to really know someone beyond their job title.
Love a lot of the suggestions above. 2 things I've found really helpful to add to the list:
@Linette, great pointers! My organization has a #random channel on slack. I find that to be our outlet and things get pretty funny.
@Linette: Nice cultural activities.
Been in many calls where I'm the remote and there's loads of people in a room together.... trying to product manage in groups like that was a nightmare.
Despite sitting in the same office (we're a small company) there's a WhatsApp group for everyone to just chat sh^^
It's very fun :oD
I agree with the previous posts about lightening up a bit to get to know your coworkers' personalities and although it may seem more forced online, it encourages better teamwork.
Another tip I would like to add has to do with the fact that usually when you are working in a remote team, the time zones are different. This is where Jira and Confluence tasks are awesome to get everyone on the same page before one person's work day is finished and everyone else must carry on. Document who is working on what and the day will go smoothly (not guaranteed, but at least you have set each other up to be productive).
I worked remotely for years and I had to address 3 things to make it successful:
As much as possible, I used video conference software. However, I worked for the Dayton Daily News for 14 years without ever going into the office. I only had a relationship with my editor via phone, who I spoke with at least once a week. I finally met him one day in a yoga class--when I realized where I had heard his voice. I said "Sol?" and he said "Karen?" That was the one and only time we saw each other in person!