RNI, the Remote Nation Institute, is holding a series of half-hour webinars to help you help your employees work remotely, efficiently, and happily. As part of these learnings, we offer tips, based on years of remote work experience.

Every day, we’ll give you one concrete action you can take with your team to keep your people focused and on task.

Sophaya’s Tip of the Day

Working from home may seem ideal but using different technology and methods might be frustrating for some. To keep the team from boiling over, put a system in place that will answer many of their questions.

Decide how team members will communicate on day-to-day matters, meetings, and crises. Remember what channels you already use so employees don’t have to learn everything from scratch. Create a document that describes what channel your team will use for each function and share it with your team.

• Use email for formal or long messages.
• Send a text when you need an immediate response
• Open chat groups to enable project teams to ask questions and collaborate
• Set up a group video chat for clarification or for team members to provide status updates
• Create a group video chat for team leaders to learn the progress of projects and discuss strategy
• Arrange one-on-one video chats to check in with each employee’s progress and wellbeing

Since your team doesn’t have access to their company PCs, they may be using their own laptops and cell phones for work. They might need login information they’ve never used before. Their work computers might be set up to skip logins for internal use. There are platforms you can use that enable you to save and share passwords securely. There are also IT folks who can help.

Remember, each employee has a different skill set. Some are tech savvy and others, not so much.

Above all, be kind.

Be kind to the IT people who keep the systems running.
Be kind to the managers helping their team learn a bunch of new stuff.
Be kind to your employees who are doing the best they can in an extraordinary situation.
Be kind to yourself. Take breaks, exercise, pet your dog, and watch a goofy movie. You deserve it.

To learn more about managing a remote workforce, join us for our RNI Remote Work Series: You sent them home to work remotely, NOW WHAT?