Best Remote Work Practices: Thriving in a Distributed Work Environment
Publié le 21 May 2024
Make sure that your workforce is thriving in a distributed work environment through best remote work practices.
It has been exactly a year since World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the end of the emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the way people have lived and worked has drastically changed, and what was once a minority has become a necessity for the modern workforce—remote and hybrid work.
The new reality of the modern workforce is forcing the hands of employers to shift to a wholly new and unprecedented kind of work environment (well, not totally—pre-pandemic reported 5.7% of U.S. employees as remote workers already). On the other hand, employees needed to adapt to a work environment in PJs and wake up at 8:59 AM for a 9:00 AM meeting as remote workers or freelancers.
While remote work can be pretty daunting and exciting, adjusting to this new norm requires a fresh set of determination, discipline, and self-control to thrive. In this article, we will discuss the best remote work practices you can observe to remain productive, involved, and connected despite the physical disconnection in today’s distributed work environment.
Best remote work practices for modern remote employees
Knowing the best practices for remote work can help you perform effectively and efficiently despite not being in an office space—and most of it is by trying to mimic some of the best aspects of your office space in your home. Here are some secrets how:
Create a routine
Being at home evokes a sense of comfort and laziness in everyone, making remote work such a struggle for people who are used to the hustle and bustle of office space. Creating a fixed routine is the first practice you must observe to thrive in a remote work environment.
Try to mimic a traditional office where you log in from 9 to 5 or 10 to 6, even without a schedule or a meeting. Creating a fixed routine helps your body and mind focus on work at fixed schedules daily, making you more efficient and productive.
The advantage of a remote work routine is that you can tailor your work hours based on your own best productivity times, like working after lunch if you’re not a morning person.
Define a clear line between your rest space and workspace
Most people think of remote work as working in your most comfortable space (like your bed), but that’s not the most helpful advice when working remotely. Not only does working in bed decrease your productivity, but it also decreases your sleep quality by bringing your work into bed—literally and figuratively.
“Remember to set a clear line between your workspace and bed, whether a thin partition or a curtain. If you have the extra space, try to set up another room as your working space so you don’t get distracted by wanting to lie in bed every time. If you’re into gaming, try to set up a separate space for that, too, as gaming equipment exposure may also affect work productivity unexpectedly,” says Tony Mariotti, CEO of RubyHome
Set expectations
Before starting any kind of work, setting expectations between you, your colleagues, and your employer will help streamline work communication and responsibilities and avoid misunderstandings, especially in a remote work setting.
Specifically, create expectations and discuss the following:
- Availability and schedule
- Scope of work
- Communication
- Work tools
- Deadlines
- Goals
- Performance and evaluation
Ian Sells, CEO of Million Dollar Sellers, says, “Keeping everyone on the same page regarding work assignments, schedules, responsibilities, and goals will make remote work more efficient and productive, reducing the chances of misunderstanding and conflict that may affect deadlines and overall work quality.”
Keep your finances in check.
According to Roman Zrazhevskiy, Founder & CEO of MIRA Safety, “The advantage of a remote work environment is the huge savings you get from eliminating fuel costs, eating out, and daily allowance. While this is true, most non-remote workers don’t realize that working remotely increases electricity costs, tech investments, internet, and food delivery apps. When kept uncontrolled, these costs can snowball unknowingly, and you will spend more than you actually would when working in the office.”
To keep your finances in check when doing remote work, we recommend:
- Budgeting your money when it comes to investing in work-from-home tech or communicating with your employer for employee tech benefits
- Reducing food deliveries and doing more groceries
- Keeping electricity costs down by making sure appliances that are not used are turned off or removed from the socket
- Brewing your own coffee at home
- Skipping gym membership and doing more home and YouTube workouts
Communicate and connect
The challenge with remote work is maintaining communication and connection between teams despite the lack of physical contact.
Sergey Taver, Marketing Manager at Precision Watches, states, “Disengaging and disconnecting from a team can become very easy, especially if team members operate in different time zones. Without proper avenues for communication and a willingness to participate in online socialization efforts, employees may easily feel disconnected and out of the loop within the organization.”
To thrive in a remote work environment means that communication is at the top of your priority list to become a stellar team player, including:
- Being present at work meetings
- Participating in online social events
- Getting involved in team initiatives
- Giving and receiving feedback
Maintain a good diet and exercise
The first step to thriving in any work environment and maintaining a healthy work-life balance is to ensure that your body and mind are prepared for any kind of workload and work setting unexpectedly thrown at you.
Remote work makes maintaining a good diet and exercise easier for most people as you don’t need to wait for after-work hours to go to the gym, walk, or run. You can do simple home exercises using your home workout equipment 30 minutes before logging into work, during lunch break, or at any point during the day you wish to do so.
It is also easier to watch your diet when working remotely because you are generally less susceptible to processed outside dishes and can easily make healthy homemade meals at your convenience.
Aside from keeping your body healthy, you can also quickly do mindfulness activities like meditation at home to keep your mind healthy, focused, and present.
Dress productively and comfortably.
Working remotely gives you complete freedom and autonomy to dress however you want and in your most comfortable state—even if that means working in pajamas. However, it is still essential to create a clear distinction between home and work, despite working remotely, just like how you would make a distinct line between your workspace and your bed.
Studies have shown that dressing the part does indeed make a difference in your brain activity and productivity,
Try dressing up more professionally, even in a remote work setting. Doing so would help bring you into a professional state of mind, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity compared to working with pajamas, tempting you to go to bed any time.
Conclusion
Organizations and modern workers are not stopping from working remotely, especially with the continuous technological and internet developments in the years to come.
The best remote work practices for thriving in a distributed work environment mean that one must be in the right state of health and mind to perform work even in a comfortable home setting, eliminate anything that may cause distractions, maintain a clear schedule and routine, and set up clear communication avenues and work expectations within the organization.
