11 Best Practices for Working Remotely
11 Best Practices for Working Remotely
Remote work is completely different.
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula. Everyone has different way of working. Different times at which they work. Different work locations. Different time zones.
Even though the rise of remote work isn’t a new trend, many people are still figuring out how to work remotely through trial and error, doing their best to stay happy and productive. The challenges exist both for those who are remote work veterans and people who are just getting started.
And it’s not just people, entire companies struggle at making remote work too.
What’s the key to getting remote work right?
At FYI, we wanted to understand everything we could about working remotely. Including its challenges, how people feel about it, and the best ways to work remotely. Plus people’s tips and best practices for working remotely.
So we surveyed almost 500 people about remote work and put our findings together in the Remote Work Report.
We had a hunch before we did the research that in spite of the challenges with remote work, people loved it. We were right, except we underestimated just how much people love remote work:
It’s the flexibility. The lack of commute. The reduction of distractions. The ability to travel and live anywhere, including outside of major cities. The increased productivity. And of course the ability to be closer to one’s family.
But even though most people love working remotely, remote work has a lot of challenges. It’s easy to fall into many of the traps of remote work, especially if you’re new to it.
- Communication topped the list, with 27% of people mentioning it as their #1 challenge. Remote work makes it harder to read body language, hear what people are saying, ask follow up questions in the hallway, or quickly ask a coworker for clarification at their desk.
- Lacking social opportunities was the second largest challenge cited by participants. Office culture doesn’t exist when there’s no office. That’s why people struggle with the lack of social opportunities, like grabbing drinks with coworkers.
- Loneliness and isolation was the third most-cited challenge. Sitting at home alone day after day can leave you sapped of energy and feeling down. A few survey participants even mentioned not quite feeling like they were part of the company.
How to thrive as a remote worker
With some consistent effort, you can overcome the challenges of remote work and create a healthy, happy, productive environment for yourself and for your team.Here are 11 ways to ensure you succeed at remote work in spite of its challenges based on everything we learned. You’ll find tips and best practices from people who are working remotely, plus personal advice from my co-founder Hiten and I.
