With so many of us adapting to remote working, we thought we’d share some of our approach in the hope that it’s helpful for others. Since our business needs to scale quickly wherever our clients need us, we adopted a remote-working code of conduct when we were founded, to ensure that we could execute the collaborative working style that makes for a white-glove service across a global client base.
We ask that when we’re digitally together in meetings:
- Our video is always on during conference calls – don’t be camera shy!
- No multitasking, please. It’s a question of respect, but also of efficiency.
- Have an agenda, and assign reading if it helps – everyone does better when prepared.
- Notes from meetings should be shared publicly; don’t hide your digital notebook from others, and post into our CRM or Wiki if it’s relevant.
- Whenever possible, use digital whiteboards that can be shared equally to all meeting participants – they work surprisingly well at communicating complex ideas that can be cumbersome to express in words.
- Take advantage of recording capabilities for important meetings, where every detail matters. It’s hard to get it all on the first time around, so give everyone a chance at a second pass.
When we’re not in meetings, we ask the team to remember that they should:
- Be available during business hours on your voice and camera apps; regular hours help everyone align their priorities and work more efficiently on shared tasks.
- Take your normal breaks by all means – just make sure everyone knows you’re on break so they can plan accordingly.
- Stick to a regular meeting cadence that keeps everyone oriented. A daily kick-off that brings together everyone in a semi-structured way helps us know what we’re all working on, and how we are feeling.
We’ve found that with a little advance planning, remote working can feel surprisingly seamless, even for “on the desk” lifers, and we hope you’ll share your thoughts on how to be successful with us, too!
