Managing the Challenges of Working Remotely

Managing the Challenges of Working Remotely

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Working from home.

As a result of COVID-19, many employees are now working remotely, and that presents them with whole new set of challenges. The following are the five most common challenges and how you can respond to adjust to this new work environment.

Working Differently

Working from home will undoubtedly involve new distractions – kids, significant others, outside noise, house chores that need to be tended to. There are several steps you can take to help limit those distractions:

  • Confine your workspace to a specific area. Your whole home should not be your office.
  • Ideally, this will be a space with a door to limit distractions from others in the home, but when this is not feasible still set a defined work area.
  • Set hours that you will be working and ask that others in your home do not disturb you during those hours.
  • Block out noise, perhaps with a white noise machine or app, or calming music.

Additionally, do your best to dress the part. While it may be tempting to sit in sweats or PJs all day, you will likely feel much better and be more driven if you throw on a business casual outfit. Definitely do so when on video conferences.

Another important strategy to adjust to working remotely is to set professional weekly and daily goals. For the week, ask yourself:

  • What do I need to accomplish by the end of the week?
  • What do I want to accomplish by the end of the week?
  • What results do I want to achieve?
  • How will I track it?

As for your daily goals, make sure they are actionable and directly related to your weekly goal. Use your goals as a compass – the direction you are moving toward for the day/week – and as an anchor – what you should and should not be focusing on. And be sure to keep your supervisor and colleagues updated on status.

Remote work is not new but may be unfamiliar to some employees, leaders and businesses. For additional immediately applicable tips and best practices, click here.

Isolation, Loneliness, Loss of Connection

Working remotely can lead to feeling lonely and losing connections with your coworkers. It doesn’t have to. Start by regularly reaching out to others, including colleagues, your supervisor, family and friends, accepting that extra effort might be required more so than usual.

Also, establish new routines that foster a sense of connection. For example, have a virtual lunch with your team once a week or plan on “Water Cooler Wednesday” just to catch up on each other’s lives. It’s amazing what seeing friendly faces – even on a screen – can do to lift ones spirits,

Communication Confusion

You are now forced to communicate in different ways, so you will need to establish new norms to avoid miscommunication and/or an insufficient amount of communication. Regarding type (e.g., email, phone) and frequency (e.g., daily, weekly) of communication, ask yourself:

  • What are my preferences?
  • What are my colleagues’ preferences?
  • What are my supervisor’s preferences?

Answering these questions will give you a good foundation for establishing new norms.

Specific to communications with your supervisor:

  • Schedule one-on-one meetings (determine how often with them) to share project status, results, challenges, etc.
  • Provide feedback. Let them know what is working for you and what isn’t and how they can be of support to you.
  • Ask for feedback. Ask them . . . How am I doing? Is there anything I could do better or differently? What do you see as my strengths in this new work environment?

Be sure to use technology well, for example, update your availability on Skype MS Teams, etc. Keep your online calendar current. Use online shared project tools so your team can stay apprised of each other’s progress and the like.

Lastly, ensure your tone is correctly understood . . . and, when in doubt about anything, ask!

Conflict

Start by accepting that working remotely increases the possibility for misunderstandings and misinterpretations and, as a result, conflict. Therefore, you should focus on proactive conflict management. A good start is following the above guidelines regarding working differently, loss of connection and communication confusion.

Move from certainty to curiosity. Do not assume someone’s intentions are negative or malicious. Pause to ask yourself: What stories am I telling myself? What is another explanation? As mentioned above, ask questions to clarify meaning and intent when in doubt (even a little bit).

To prevent future conflict, discuss: How did we get here? What do we need to do differently so this doesn’t happen again?

And finally a few things NOT to do:

  • Communicate as you would in person. Are you using the right communication method? Is it time to pick up the phone?
  • Be a communication bully. Do you really need to text/email/voicemail the same message? Choose your digital volume wisely.
  • Think brief communication is clear communication. Sometimes brief is not enough, especially in remote situations.

Burnout

After the newness of working remotely has worn off, burnout can set in. Oftentimes, this is a result of things like working longer hours, timeframes becoming skewed and forgetting to take breaks.

Make sure you are connecting with others as discussed previously. This is critical to avoiding burnout. Also critical is setting boundaries! Stick to established work hours. Take regularly scheduled breaks – for your mind and body. Keep your work in your established workspace. Separate work from personal time; do not mingle the two.

Remember to regularly set and revisit your short- and long-term goals. Having goals to drive toward is motivating, and will result in a sense of pride an accomplishment when they’re achieved.

Lastly, be patient with yourself as you learn to navigate this new situation, which can be especially taxing during these turbulent times; this will go a long way in helping prevent burnout.

A Final Note – Take Care of You!

  • Begin to accept that change is the norm.
  • Laugh.
  • Communicate. Adjust. Communicate.

For more information on navigating remote work and leadership during COVID-19, click here to access our 3-Part On-Demand Webinar Series: Recordings, Presentation Slides & Additional Resources.

 

Managing the Challenges of Working Remotely~/Portals/0/PackFlashItemImages/WebReady/Managing the Challenges of Working Remotely.jpghttps://www.cbiz.com/Portals/0/liquidImages/WebReady/Managing the Challenges of Working Remotely.jpgAs a result of COVID-19, many employees are now working remotely, and that presents them with whole new set of challenges. The following are the five most common challenges and how you can respond to adjust to this new work environment....2020-04-27T11:33:21-05:00

As a result of COVID-19, many employees are now working remotely, and that presents them with whole new set of challenges. The following are the five most common challenges and how you can respond to adjust to this new work environment.

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