Sharing the workload and completing group tasks seems easier when you share a room, a desk or simply exchanging glances. Being present in the workplace has always been the fastest way to get things done. But what about from a distance?
Social distancing and working from home are two very common phrases. Some people have sailed through, stepping into the virtual world of work, embracing the changes that have occurred. For others, this expectation to get on board with working on a screen at home is harder to accept.
Here are some ways to prepare yourself — as a leader or a team-player — for the virtual world of work and the challenges it brings.
Choose your tools
Online software and apps are designed to uncomplicate our lives — and less is certainly more. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you are given more tools than you need. When your team is home-based and relying on screens to communicate, you need to choose what resources to invest in. What do you need to succeed?
- Conversation and Interaction: Some of the best programs for communicating with your team, sharing information and engaging socially are Zoom, Skype, Google Meets and Microsoft Teams. Skype has been a popular choice for long-distance chats for years, but these other products have become well known since the initial lockdown commenced.
- Planning and Organising: If you are searching for the best way to plan projects with your team and track progress, listen up. Slack is a website and app that is perfect for group work, especially when there are multiple tasks being completed or if several individuals need to combine their ideas.
- Editing and Sharing: For the editing process and sending material to your team, Google Docs is smooth and easy to use. If you need to share a document and give access to other team members, this program can automatically save your progress, track any changes and enable multiple servers to view the document at one time.
Break it down
When you travel somewhere new, it always takes a day or two to find your bearings. It’s unsettling to leave the familiar behind. When you take work away from its familiar setting, placing it inside your home, you are crossing a line. The usual work vs home life boundaries are forced to redefine themselves. You are mixing two things that do not usually go together.
It is completely normal to need a ‘settling in’ period. A great way to keep in touch with your team, without rushing their process of change, is to schedule regular meetings. Make time in the week to update each other on a virtual meeting to ask if anyone is struggling with balancing the work.
If any of your team members are feeling vulnerable or appear disengaged from the group, break the numbers down. Pair people up with people they trust. This type of communication can help your team manage their workload better, sharing responsibilities, whilst taking care of themselves.
Embrace the change
It sounds cliché, but this year has brought challenges that no one anticipated. Businesses need to keep moving if they want to keep up. This is the time to make changes that will benefit your workplace in the future. This is the time to be creative in your thoughts.
Take a look at some companies and organisations that you admire. What changes have they made since the initial lockdown to keep their business going? For your team especially, encourage each other to think big and make use of the virtual facilities available to you. Perhaps now is the time to expand your skill base, your social media following, your target audience. Working from home could open new doors for your business that you never saw coming.
Written by Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor is an English and Creative Writing graduate who has spent the last year studying nature writing. Her interests include our relationship with nature, our relationships with each other, and different ways to increase our happiness.
