Fasten your seatbelts, and let’s start our journey!
When COVID-19 struck, the world had to get used to a new reality – working online. For many, it was a real challenge because they needed to change their approach to work. Some did not feel any difference because they already worked remotely, and all they needed was a stable Internet connection.
Our team members had their share of struggles. Even if it wasn’t difficult for them to switch to a new lifestyle, it might have been challenging for their friends and colleagues to adapt, so they had to help them make the transition.
When I asked the team about the challenges of remote work, I got a long list of items, but I saw a certain trend. There are three areas that need special attention: discipline, effective communication, and work-life balance. Let’s talk about these in detail.
Discipline
It is hard to organize time and manage resources effectively in the beginning. It may stem from many factors like a new work environment, a flexible schedule, being distracted by family members or pets, etc. These lead to a lack of concentration, procrastination, and productivity losses, as a result.
However, once a workplace is neat and organized, to-do lists are written and prioritized, and personal boundaries are set, remote work becomes a routine that is quite easy to follow, and staying organized is no longer a challenge.
Our backend developer Andrii who works remotely notes that he’s always laser-focused on his tasks. Our frontend developer Artur feels more concentrated when working from home on a problem that requires close attention. He says:
“It is a great opportunity to analyze, compare all advantages and disadvantages and finish a complicated issue.”
Ari, our CEO, who’s been working remotely for the last ten years comments:
“I am entirely self-driven. It is natural for me to generate ideas and have many projects ongoing at once. What is more difficult is to prioritize and to keep each project moving; for that, I rely on having very competent colleagues and regular communication so that together we keep work moving forward.”
Ari’s comment brings up our next topic – communication.
Effective communication
Remote work presupposes flexibility, and that’s an advantage. However, as everyone has different working hours, sometimes it is difficult to touch base and discuss work questions because you are walking your dog and your colleague wants to talk business.
Anna, our recruiting specialist, comments:
“[M]y shift ends at 7 pm and my teammate is still working till 9 pm. At 8 pm they have a question or something they consider urgent. So they will reach out. Don’t get me wrong. I am not talking about just sending some work-related things, but about actively demanding attention to the matter.“
I share Anna’s feelings, and totally understand why she considers different working hours a challenge.
There are more details that require attention if you want to maintain effective communication. These are the media of communication and navigating between them (with or without a compass). Ari shares his opinion on this:
“The first challenge is to understand how to communicate with co-workers: what times they are available, which channels (email, phone, Slack, Google Hangout, text…), and how to make sure days don’t go by without moving projects forward, just because of lack of communication.”
There’s only one cure for this which is talking to people and agreeing on the times and media that are comfortable for all parties included. Otherwise, you are in danger of falling into a remote work pit and sacrificing your free time for the sake of completing the tasks.
Work-life balance
When you start working remotely, you have to get used to a new workplace. If you work from home, that’s usually a space where you have rest. So, it’s definitely confusing to work from a place where you are supposed to relax, and Oleksandr, our director of engineering, backs me up on this. Moreover, remote work can trap you in the feeling that you work 24/7, especially in times of COVID, when remote work equals working from home. Trapped, you end up toiling overtime, neglecting proper rest, and, as a consequence, burning out. “Don’t work at night,” advises Oleksandr, and it’s a piece of very wise advice, I can tell you.
See you next week! Stay tuned and stay safe.
Yours truly,
CX Friend