People around the world will experience remote working in the upcoming weeks.
I worry that companies won't approach remote work the right way and give it a bad rap. Remote working is a different life philosophy. It sounds corny, but it is—and you need to go all in. If your team doesn't embrace that, it will fail to transition. Even the best say so:
And here is a simple parallel for you if you're used to the physical office world. Imagine your office without the informal chats, group lunches, and spontaneous conversations. Sounds dull, doesn't it?
Below are tips to avoid your team spirit, creativity and motivation collapsing when you're not face-to-face.
Many articles explain how the coronavirus could make remote work the next big thing.
This makes me uncomfortable. First, it seems like an odd reason to promote remote work. It has already been a better way to work for years. Second, I know first-hand that going remote isn't as easy as picking a tool off the shelf.
Historically remote companies (Basecamp, Doist, Buffer, Zapier, Gitlab, Slite, to name a few) have been sharing great tips over the years. I suggest you check them out:
My main fear: teams saying "we've installed Zoom and Slack so we're good to go". You're definitely not. And you'll end up hating this way of working if that's all you do. Let's tear down some big misconceptions:
We've summarized the 5 factors that enable remote work in an article a few months ago:
Slite's mission is not just to make async communication easier. It helps your team embrace friendlier and more thoughtful ways of working.
Slite will reduce the number of meetings and other daily interruptions. We encourage teams to work asynchronous and develop a strong writing culture. These are all ingredients for successful remote work.
And the best part is, the benefits of being more intentional about your communication will continue if and when you return to the office.
Here are some of our resources to assist your team in this transition: our templates, our manager guide, our onboarding checklist among others.
Things are a bit crazy as we currently see hundred of teams like Pitch going to remote. We can help ad-hoc, but are thinking of hosting webinars if need be. Ping us @slitehq if you'd like to attend!
Have a great remote day,
Chris
Christophe Pasquier is Slite’s co-founder and CEO. Chris’ goal is to help teams do incredible work in better environments, by helping them embrace remote work and async communication. He currently lives in Berlin with his wife and baby Noé. Find him @Christophepas on Twitter!