It's very easy for remote working to fail if the company doesn't invest in it. It requires buy-in from the entire company, but the benefits are significant:
Since giving this talk on Tuesday I've seen @fox sharing links about remote teams as well as part of some upcoming posts - I haven't read these yet but I suspect she'll have some interesting things to read Real Soon™:
- https://baremetrics.com/blog/remote-hiring-interview-process
- https://www.helpscout.net/blog/remote-work-resources/
- https://zapier.com/learn/the-ultimate-guide-to-remote-working/best-posts-articles-resources-on-remote-work/
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consider what tools you currently need:
- are you able to use them outside the office?
- are there risks when doing this? (security/access/data)
- are there processes in place to mitigate this? (VPN/remote wipe/etc)
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have a good chat system in place
- e.g. Slack
- a place for the conversations you'd normally have in the office
- empower your employees to tailor rooms so them get the most out of it
- integrate your other systems into chat -> "chat ops"
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use video as an alternative, for when synchronous stuff is helpful
- e.g. BlueJeans
- let people do things face-to-face
- it should be easy to setup and use
- record events and make them available for those who couldn't attend
- invest in decent recording equipment for large events
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collaboration
- e.g. GitHub
- define teams within your organization around responsibilities
- make it easy for people to add themselves to teams
- try and mention teams instead of people -> information sharing
- provide context about what you need from the team
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treat it like you were working in an office
- have a routine
- put on pants
- remember to take lunch
- do get out of the house and interact with people
- try and focus on work so your day doesn't drag out - e.g. Pomodoro Technique
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watch for the creeping workday routine
- set boundaries on when you are available for colleagues
- avoid notifications that can drag you back to work
- do you really need email on your phone?
- set Slack's DND so you don't get notifications
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have a decent workspace at home
- good chair
- external monitors
- as few distractions as possible
- if others are at home, indicate when you should not be disturbed
- e.g. "on air" light
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be aware of the timezones of your colleagues
- they too will probably be away or trying to avoid notifications
- treat communications as asynchronous by default
- fight the urge to be in chat all day and night
- schedule things long enough in advance that others may make themselves available
- do not mandate this
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capture important things for posterity
- link back to relevant chat discussions in issues or PRs
- summarize where decisions have been made so others not present are in the loop
- recording video conferences
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plan to have some of your day overlap with colleagues
- this helps address blockers and raise suggestions or issues
- for things that can be resolved quickly, do it
- socializing is also pretty important, even if it's only chat
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co-ordinate work so that everyone is on the same page
- have plans for the immediate term (e.g. the current sprint's release)
- know roughly what everyone else is up to - "is everything covered?"
- have multiple tasks on the go; switch when you become blocked
- show initiative - are there places you can help out when you find yourself with some spare time?
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create an environment where you can trust your colleagues
- there will be hard times as well as good times
- knowing you can raise problems or issues within your team is important
- remote people can often feel isolated - being able to be candid and honest helps avoid this
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be mindful of your written words
- text lacks much of the nuance and context that we take for granted with speech
- emotive or rushed replies can inflame an already tense situation
- cultural differences between colleagues can confuse things
- don't consider everyone as a strong English speaker
- as much writing can be done asynchronously, take your time with it
- try and be succinct - you want people to read the whole thing, not stop midway through due to exhaustion
- if a long reply is unavoidable, have a TL;DR: at the start to summarize it
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as a team, catch up in meatspace from time to time
- when you know the person on the other end of the keyboard, the remote stuff is much easier
- use this time to do non-work things - strategy, team building, etc
- the sooner new team members can meet with everyone, the more likely they'll feel like they fit in