Remote Operation Manual

We have written a manual on organizing remote work for those who have become remote workers in captivity due to quarantine and only for beginners. Remote work has its own nuances that are important to know about – we will talk about them in the article.

Organize the workflow while working remotely

schedule

First of all, you need to determine what schedule you will work on. Many remote companies adhere to the standard five-day period, adapting to most clients. But during the day, the schedule may be different for everyone.

We agreed in advance that you would not need to write and call until 10 a.m. and would be contacted at exactly 7:00 p.m. Or 20:00 as you decide. If the manager strictly regulates the work schedule, for example, from 9:00 to 18:00, then at least set hours when you are not online.

When working remotely it is very important to protect your schedule because. The external environment promotes relaxation and reduces concentration. If your schedule is not met, you run the risk of either breaking deadlines or working full-time.

Workplace

We are writing an article against the backdrop of the Korovandem pandemic and the remote transmission of companies in a remote format. Now employees have no choice – where to work, the option is obvious – just at home, avoid public places.

Under normal circumstances, it is best to change jobs periodically. Go to coordinators, cafes, libraries. The main thing is not to forget about good wi-fi. Changing scenery can help you get out of the routine and promote inspiration.

If you are constantly working from home, take care of a comfortable workplace. Ideally, it should be a separate room as an office space, but the mandatory minimum is your own desk and comfortable chair. It is advisable to sit by the window and away from the TV and other sources of noise.

Required technical support

You need good equipment to work remotely. Powerful laptop or personal computer, comfortable mouse and keyboard, good internet is minimal.

You may also need a microphone for calling the team, sound-absorbing headphones for loud noises from family members, a monitor stand, a mouse panel. Extras are a matter of your convenience.

Communication with the team

One of the disadvantages of remote control is the lack of communication. In the office you can talk to five colleagues on the way to the kitchen, while at home you risk spending the whole day talking to yourself and Ficus on the window sill. Some will say “yes, it’s wonderful!”, But in reality, lack of communication can even affect the psychological state of introverts themselves.

Be sure to call team members via the video link (will be the reason for hair washing), schedule joint meetings in coworking. By maintaining communication with other people you will be freed from loneliness and isolation from the rest of the world.

Additional nuances

Imagine – you work in the office, you go to your favorite coffee shop every day to drink coffee or have breakfast in the office kitchen. These actions became a kind of ritual because of their repetition and helped to regulate the work mood.

It is important to develop new rituals when moving to remote work. This could be reading the news, walking to the bakery before work, jogging in the park, reading 10 pages of a book, exercising, and more. By following the ritual, it will be easier for your brain – after all, there will be an understanding that after the ritual you need to start working.

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Tools for remote operation

ᲙCommunication

Slack, Microsoft Teams, Telegram Chat (for small teams) are suitable for teamwork. For video calls – Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, Bluejeans and Gather.

Also be reminded that the virtual workspace should be protected from spam. Do not post the latest coronavirus news or funny photos of your dog in a job chat or dialogue. Make another chat for informal communication and have fun there.

Assignment planning

The most popular are Trello and Asana. In them you can easily create projects and tasks, attach various files there, set deadlines and track progress. You can also add extensions to them and then the functionality of the platforms will become huge.

Other handy tools include Sunsama (integration with Trello, Slack, and Calendar), Wunderlist, the super-popular Todoist, and Evernote. The latter service covers the entire workplace: you can create notes and lists, save files and connect.

ᲓRoy Management

RescueTime is a service for controlling and analyzing the working time of the computer. This helps you keep track of what you spend on your work day. For Pomodoro followers there is a Focus Booster app or Strict Workflow extension based on this time planning method.

Use Calendly to reduce call and video conferencing time. In the service you can schedule free time for communication, divide it into convenient intervals and synchronize with your calendar. Just send people a link to Calendly and they will select the convenient time from the one offered to them.

With visual accompaniment

Communicating remotely, sometimes it’s not easy to figure out what you mean – you have to show it. For example, in Slack there is a drawing on the screen – it is convenient to use it to attract the attention of the listeners. You can also use Miro, Figma, Screen Sharing tools.

Additional tools

We recommend using Stayfocusd, a Chrome extension that allows you to block sites at specific times. Analogous to Productivity Owl, it also analyzes your productivity by trying to access blocked websites.

Also noteworthy are Clearly (covers all disturbing elements on websites) and f.lux (regulates screen color temperature for eye health).

Well, for those who hate call silence, we can recommend video or audio with certain sounds – open space, subway car noise, sounds in a coffee shop or library.

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What to keep in mind when working remotely

.Take care of your health

The trouble of working remotely is back pain. If you at least sit in a special chair in the office and walk to and from the subway, then you can remotely sit at home all day, literally sitting. Take care of your health, be sure to relax with light exercise, do not work all day lying in bed – sit at the table.

Remember this is work

Some people perceive remote work as an opportunity to sit at home and watch a TV show. No, working remotely is a job and should be treated just like office work. Get a job, do not work in your pajamas, memorize assignments.

Take care of your audio hygiene

It is a background TV that plays music or a TV series. Extra sounds can irritate your nervous system, reduce concentration and, of course, significantly affect your productivity. Get soundproof headphones if you can not control the sound of outside noise.

Negotiate with families

An urgent problem in quarantine conditions is the agreement with the family on comfortable cohabitation. When every member of the family is in the apartment around the clock, it is not easy and you have to establish rules that you have to follow.

For example, clearly define what time you can not touch, even for a “minute”. We agreed on an acceptable noise level in the apartment – without the full volume of movies. Inform non-working family members that you work from home and not just sit at the computer.

Do not forget about socialization

Dedicated to loners and introverts – get out of the house (but not quarantined). At normal times be sure to change the environment, walk more and breathe fresh air. In addition, leaving the house is another reason to change your pajama pants for jeans and remove dust from your hair brush.

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source: i can choose