July 2022

The Key to Remote Work Success We live in a post-COVID reality, and after the pandemic is over, the workplace is not going back to the way it was before. A recent study has shown that 52% of workers want to continue remote work even after the pandemic. With all the virtual workplace advantages, the only way WFH will continue is performance, and the bottom line increases. Here are some FACTOIDS on  remote work success: Be Focused Focus can be a problem for remote work success. The distractions can be multiplied from when you were at the office. Your spouse hands you a “honey-do,” then your 10-year-old and 12-year-old are at it in the other room, and you have to rush in to keep them from killing each other. Then, just when you think things are safe, you are writing an article for work. Suddenly, you get a notification of a post praising a politician that you hate! An Amygdala hijack occurs, and you gotta write a rebuttal or your phone rings. It looks like an important call, so you take it, and it is someone wanting to sell you solar panels when you live in an apartment. Dealing with these distractions is essential to your success.   To quote the Bible (and The Birds), “…There is a time to every purpose under heaven…” A time to check out Facebook and a time to work. A time to exercise and a time for family…. You get the idea! Utilize a calendar, let the calendar run your life, and use the Pomodoro system to work in 25-minute sprints and then break for 5 minutes. Your calendar can be your best friend in attaining remote work success.  Be Adaptable Since the Ancient Greeks’ time, we’ve known that the only thing in life constant is change, yet people still have a hard time dealing with it. That’s OK, though, because it means that people who do Change Management can make the big bucks. COVID is not the first interruption that has happened to the workforce, and it won’t be the last. There is a spectrum of ways to deal with change, from doing nothing but whine about the transition to cheerfully adapting and running with it. Adaptability is key to remote work success, and things will be done differently than what is familiar. The key is to run with it. Remember, The Coronavirus didn’t say, “Oh, everyone is whining; we will just go away.” People needed to adapt to the changing world. Be Collaborative. Several applications allow remote teams to collaborate. Some examples of these are Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Dropbox Business, Basecamp… The list goes on. If you are management, you should find an app or combination of apps that work best for your team, train your team on how to use them, and insist that they use them. I like Zoom, and I have found that I get more work done when I am Zooming with someone – Even when we are not working on the same project. Remote work can get lonely at times, and collaboration is a great way to deal with the loneliness. Remember, in remote work, there is no Foes Ball Table to gather around and brainstorm. Getting together in a Zoom can replace that by allowing you to collaborate.  Be Trustworthy: In remote work, the supervisor isn’t breathing over your neck, making sure you are getting the job done. You have to be trustworthy so that your boss rests easy knowing that you keep your word. It will not work if you are someone who does not usually keep your word as to work. Now we all have breakdowns, and things can get in the way. Still, when they do, you must communicate that the deadline won’t be met and see what you can do to rectify any situation that arises due to the breakdown. It would be best if you also were trustworthy and honest with yourself. When you commit, such as “I will exercise 1/2 hour today, and you spend the half-hour in front of the TV barely exercising, be honest about what occurred. Don’t say, “I exercised, and it did no good.” Be Organized It is difficult to get anything done when you are spending 20 minutes looking for your charge cord, 10 minutes looking for your reading glasses, and a half-hour trying to find where on the hard drive you put the file that your boss needs for the 11:30 AM Zoom. Studies show that one can have remote work success if that person has a dedicated space. Now some of us may not have the luxury of setting up a dedicated home office. You can still set up an area dedicated to working, even if it is the corner of the kitchen table. If you are in a noisy environment, find yourself an excellent noise-canceling headset that will filter out the noise. Set up a system to organize your files where you can find them. Oh, and make sure you have a strategy to deal with the cat before she sits on your keyboard, deleting that critical document. Be Inquisitive Especially when it comes to learning new technology. Zoom is new; you have to learn how to use it! You have to be willing to play with the technology to see how it works. You need to be able to use technology (such as YouTube) to learn how to use technology. If you are the manager, provide training and time to train to use the technology. Be forgiving when you fail and try again.   Be Driven For remote work success, you must be motivated. What is the next milestone to meet? Go for it with all the gusto you can muster up. Have the attitude that you will win, no matter what. In this changing world, you will face many challenges, and you must always push yourself to succeed. Your boss will also see that you are motivated by remote work and is more likely to see its