Here are some of the best tips to grow productivity rates when working remotely.
1) Avoid split focus. Multitasking may have helped Julius Caesar during the Ancient time, however, now he would probably be overwhelmed with the number of distractions offered by the world. Notifications, a constant flow of tasks, and children/cats/dogs running in the background reduce productivity. That’s why clearly delegate the responsibilities.
2) Set clear requirements. There should be no “half-designer, half-copywriter and a bit of HR”. A worker will end up trying to do everything and ending up with little results on each aspect.
3) Implement a “status” update. “In the meeting”, “On the break”, “Do not disturb”, “Available” — these features are available on many communication platforms, like Slack and Microsoft teams. It enables us to give people an understanding of whether it is suitable to disturb now or not.
4) Adopt “gym-approach”. Focus on small rounds of work, and rest in between to avoid burning out. Do not perform the same tasks repeatedly and all over again if you see that you are not productive with them.
5) Find the time to actually meet. Considering the worldwide quarantine, this tip is better to be postponed a little. However, as soon as it all goes away, visit the country of your team’s residence, and communicate with them face-to-face. It creates a remote corporate culture.
6) Experiment to find what is best for you and your team. As we have said in the beginning: sometimes remote is just not for you. However, there is another way – hybrid teams, where some members work in-house and some remote. For software development, it can be a great idea, for if distant workers are not available because of tech issues, you can rely on those in the office. That is some kind of backing up.
Management can always be improved, communication enhanced and productivity boosted: you only need to give it a try! Moreover, if it does not work, it’s easier to go from remote to in-house than vice versa.