3 #WFH Tips from the Experts

Everyday, we hear another announcement that a tech giant’s employees can expect to work from home permanently.

Even for those who still plan to return to the office, the road back may be longer than we thought.

How do we adapt to our new circumstances?

Watch the video below for 3 pieces of advice from the experts. And keep scrolling for some of the best resources on how to thrive in remote work.

Transcript of the Video

Remote work isn’t going anywhere. And that raises a lot of questions.

How do you avoid burnout over the long term? How do you strengthen team bonds? How do you motivate (and stay motivated)?

Here are 3 pieces of #WFH advice from the experts…

 

1.  It’s all about the boundaries, baby!

 

The pre-pandemic commute was useful. It helped you shift mental gears.

Dr. Sara Perry of Baylor University says you need to preserve that mental shift when you’re at home — “even if you’re just moving from one spot on the couch to the other.” Set a time to end the workday, and stick to it! Put your work things away and make room for home life.

Dr. Perry says it’s critical to do this because “you’re already being challenged in terms of your personal resources. You still have to take that recovery time from work.”

(Jen A. Miller, “How to Work From Home, If You’ve Never Done It Before,” NY Times)

 

 

2.  All you have to do is call… you’ve got a friend!

 

“When there’s no office to influence spontaneous informal communication, you must be intentional to weave it into your day.

Create an always-on video conferencing room that your team can work from. (And remember, in a remote setting, it’s OK to look away!

Schedule regular virtual coffee chats and happy hours using a video call.”

(The Remote Playbook from the largest all-remote company in the world, Gitlab)

 

3.  Eyes on the prize!

 

“In remote work, we don’t need micromanagers. We need ‘macromanagers‘ to highlight our contribution to the team and reinforce the broader purpose of our work. One of the most meaningful parts of a manager’s job is making other people’s jobs more meaningful.”

(Adam Grant, Organizational Psychologist at Wharton School of Business)

As a leader, connect projects to the larger story. Why is it important? How does it get us closer to achieving our goals? What progress have we made?

As a team member, ask the questions that get you (and the rest of the team) to see the “why.”

 

 

Great Resources for Remote Work

• Gitlab is the world’s largest all-remote organization – with more than 1200 employees across 67 countries. They offer a wealth of WFH resources, including: The GitLab Remote Playbook: Covering Fundamentals to Long-Term Strategy. Leadership teams and employees alike will find useful explanations on how to build culture remotely. No surprise here: they’re very focused on documenting cultural standards. No rule shall go unwritten!
• Gitlab also offers this more tactical take on adjusting to working from home: Remote work starter guide for employees: how to adjust to work-from-home
• Zapier is a 100% distributed company with over 300 remote employees in 17 time zones and 28 countries. They’ve compiled a huge compendium of remote work resources: Zapier’s guide to working remotely
• This Career Karma Guide to Remote Working busts some common myths about remote work, including the myth that you need to work longer and harder to compensate for being remote.

 

 

Do you have your own #wfh tips? Let us know and join the conversation!