As COVID-19 virus health concerns continue to grow, businesses are moving quickly to mitigate the spread and potential impact by mandating work from home policies.
Glassdoor, one of the world’s largest job and recruiting sites, is sharing advice for those that now find themselves unexpectedly working from home. In addition, Glassdoor is among the companies that has proactively implemented a mandatory work from home policy for all employees across its ten offices globally, to help keep employees, loved ones and the communities where Glassdoor operates safe and healthy.
Five tips for leaders managing remote teams:
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Honour regular one-on-ones and team meetings: Establish a sense of structure and framework.
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Adopt real-time collaboration apps: Apps like Slack and Asana can facilitate collaboration and line of sight into the status of deliverables.
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Establish virtual drop-in hours: Set up a virtual office by using a video conferencing platform that allows people to pop in and out to have live conversations with you.
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Embrace video calling: Seeing each other live retains connections and replicates the in-person conversations you would normally have in the office.
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Schedule time to blow off steam: Remote workers need time to bond with their colleagues. Host a standing virtual cocktail hour or create a Slack channel dedicated to a shared obsession.
Five tips for remote employees:
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Dress the part: When you look good, you feel good, and you’ll always be ready to jump on any last-minute video calls. Get dressed, don’t wear your pyjamas all day.
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Keep your calendar current: Keeping people appraised of your availability, even if it’s to step away to grab lunch, is especially important when you are not in someone’s direct line of vision.
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Know when to step away from your desk: Everyone needs a break from their screens at some point; step away to recharge and return ready to take on the rest of the day.
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Figure out how you focus best: Whether you need music to cancel everything out or complete silence to concentrate, change your environment accordingly.
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Honour quitting time: Working remotely can make it hard to set boundaries between work and home. When the day is done, close your laptop and walk away.
