Making Remote Work Work: Accept/Reject
Posted by Whitney Asnip on October 6, 2020
Learn the one behavior you should introduce within your organization to bring efficiency and clarity to remote work.
From Mountains Down to Molehills: 5 Ways to Simplify Work
Posted by Amanda Kubista on September 23, 2020
Stop, in the name of execution, before you overburden and burn out your employees!
OK, the bad song parodies end there. And some advice on simplifying work to increase productivity and efficiency—and reduce preventable stress—starts here. Instead of creating mountains out of what should probably be molehills, do these 5 things:
Equipment Checklist for Remote Teams
Posted by Amanda Kubista on September 8, 2020
Gear up for WFH Success
Your team has gone remote. Wondering where to start?
It's going to take more than additional Zoom accounts and power cables to make the transition smooth. Download this equipment checklist to keep team members productive at home. We've included everything you'll need immediately and if remote work goes long term.
9 Things to Watch for When Your Team Goes Remote
Posted by Amanda Kubista on September 1, 2020
Lite Paper: Making Remote Work Permanent
Posted by Amanda Kubista on August 26, 2020
Digging deeper on how to stay efficient when working remote.
If your WFH is turning into WTF, here's what to do about it.
Moovila CMO Jason Seiden highlights industry research around displaced teams working from home and outlines the benefits & challenges of remote work in this lite paper (deep enough to be a white paper, light enough to be enjoyable).
Download now to better understand what your team is feeling, how technology can help, and the 3 areas to focus on for successfully making remote work permanent.
Check Yourself: Is Your Never-Ending Checklist Keeping You Organized or Anxious?
Posted by Amanda Strungs on July 28, 2020
Let me start this off with a caveat: I love a checklist. Nothing brings me greater joy than marking a task off my to-do list. I have notebooks and whiteboards filled with lists for everything from my monthly Costco run to reading lists to weekend chores.
Keeping Unspoken Feelings of Loneliness from Sabotaging Remote Work
Posted by Amanda Strungs on July 14, 2020
Coronavirus quarantines have those living with family or friends reporting greater feelings of loneliness. But for the 35.7 million Americans living alone, those feelings can be extreme. Quarantine can mean working alone, eating alone, exercising alone—and risking social ostracization in trying to find human connection.
The New WFH Norm: Embrace Flexibility Without Risking Accountability
Posted by Amanda Strungs on April 14, 2020
As many of us are settling into our new normal during shelter-in-place protocols, it has become increasingly apparent how abnormal the scope and circumstances of our situation have become. While some of us are lucky enough to transition to a remote work environment, it’s important to acknowledge that this isn’t a standard “work from home” situation. We are balancing work, homeschooling children, waiting in 3-hour grocery store lines, trying to stay healthy, and experiencing waves of anxiety during uncertain times. The usual work from home tips and tactics helped to get our teams set up during the initial transition, but how do we create a remote work environment that is sustainable and manageable for the foreseeable future?
How to Ensure Success When Shifting to a Remote Workforce
Posted by Robert Lewis on March 18, 2020
As more local, state, and federal authorities take action to restrict the spread of COVID-19, a company’s ability to support an effective remote workforce has taken center stage in operational conversations around the world. At Moovila, we are fortunate to be able to shift to a fully remote model for the next several weeks to protect our employees, families, and communities. Although remote work can be challenging, we are grateful for the technology and tools available to keep us connected and running at full speed. Here are some best practices our team has implemented to keep everyone informed and accountable.
Ensure leadership is virtually present
When teams are physically separated, frequent reminders of the broader mission and goals are essential to keep employees aligned and motivated. Your leadership team needs to be present and available.
- Schedule a weekly all-hands meeting with company leadership.
- Get your entire leadership team involved. Rotate through leaders from each department and have them present updates from their project portfolios.
- Create a clear, company-wide vehicle for collecting questions or feedback. Team members should know where to go when they have questions that need to be answered.
Conduct daily stand-up meetings
Nothing beats actual conversation for addressing questions and issues quickly, so take a hint from Agile methodology.
- Begin each day with a virtual 10-minute team meeting. Have each team member cover what they completed yesterday, as well as what they have planned to work on today.
- Use this as a time for team members to escalate any impediments to ensure that roadblocks are remediated as soon as possible.
- If there are new requirements or additional needs that arise, make sure new tasks are documented immediately and that owners are assigned to each task, so nothing slips through the cracks.
Create a positive online experience
If you aren’t used to working remotely, seeing your face on camera can be a little intimidating. However, embracing the technology you have available can help maintain your teams’ routines and cadence.
- Whenever possible, turn the camera on! It’s important to create face time via video conferencing, even if some people feel a little awkward initially on camera. Reassure your team that t-shirts and cluttered offices are acceptable for internal meetings. No one is judging! We’re just trying to get through this together
- Use screen and document sharing solutions to eliminate confusion and create cohesion. It’s easier to follow along and keep everyone on track when everyone is looking at the same sheet of music.
- Make sure your team knows where to go when they need answers. Simplify systems to streamline communication and tracking so everyone knows exactly what they should be working on and when.
- Let a little small talk in. Given the current social distancing guidelines, it’s OK to encourage some small talk at the beginning of meetings if it feels appropriate. Connection is key, so take five minutes to ask about homeschooling, pets, art projects or TV shows before you get down to business.
Increase documentation for clearer communications
Leverage software solutions, like Moovila, to increase transparency and accountability. Avoid wasting time chasing status updates by email and chats asking, “How is this task coming along?”
- Keep all project-related tasks and ad hoc work in one, centralized location so that managers have a clear picture of exactly what each team member is working on and the overall progress of each project.
- Write clear requirements for each task and be sure to include supporting documents and links to reduce the back-and-forth necessary to get started.
- Look for solutions with automation that send daily reminders around due dates and status updates. Chasing down updates becomes increasingly more difficult in remote environments, so technology can help support your managers and peers to reduce their workload.
If you are looking for new ways to increase efficiency, transparency, and accountability within your projects and teams as you transition to a remote workforce, Moovila is here to help! Reach out to our Sales Team to learn more about our solution and the extended free Test Drive opportunities we have available to teams during this challenging time.