Tag: telework

Remotely: Ask about their lives

This is part of a series on working remotely. There are three steps: (1) create a culture of sharing and caring; (2) use a shared platform with agreed upon norms; and (3) break down projects.

This post is on (1): To create a culture of sharing and caring…

Ask your team to share about how they spend their time outside of work.

Perhaps they can share a screenshot of a game they are playing.

Playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, a re-imagined version of the 1997 classic role-playing game.

Cloud stands on a roof and sees a reactor on fire in the background
Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII Remake

Or a photo from their daily walk.

Green southern hills on an early evening walk
Green southern hills on an early evening walk

Or a playlist they are listening to.

I am listening to the soundtrack from Ken Burns’ Country Music. Watching the docuseries as well.

How to Work Remotely

Many workplaces now function remotely.  It is not a one-to-one transition. You rethink how your operation operates.

Here are the steps.

Create a culture of sharing and caring

Culture sets the norms of your interactions. Workers know that everyone considers that they have multi-faceted lives and individual personalities. You make workers feel comfortable in the following ways:

  • Share more about your life and be vulnerable
  • Ask open-ended questions not related to work
  • Hold events or interactions at regular times that are not related to work

This culture is within appropriate boundaries. Focus on their personalities, skills, and ethics, not differences or the past.

Communicate with a shared platform

With a culture, you can now use a platform to communicate freely.

Slack and Microsoft Teams are recommended platforms. They are free to get started.

Project Tracking

State what your projects are and break them down into manageable chunks. With an open culture, workers will be more at ease to voice limitations, take ownership, and game out future scenarios.

With these three steps, you have a more participatory, productive, and fun workplace. Future posts will talk about each step in more detail.