How to perform remote work efficiently and not go mad? One should bet on innovation

For many, the times of the pandemic, and related isolation, prove to be a substantial challenge. Not only due to obvious reasons, but also due to changes, that had to take place quickly in work organisation of many enterprises. While the largest companies possess experience in partial or full implementation of remote work, it remains a complete novelty to many employees. Therefore one cannot overestimate tips that will organise remote work and will increase its comfort significantly.

Asynchronous communication

While many may find it surprising, one of the keys to success in efficient remote work is the use of asynchronous means of communication. It may not be an obvious belief, particularly during the time when software used i.a. for video-conferencing has gained enormous popularity. However, many years of experience of the IT industry employees has shown, that transferring communication executed on a continual basis has also some disadvantages.

The key issue in retaining efficient remote work is the improvement of communication processes in comparison to working onsite, and not replicating, copying on a one to one scale, of the processes executed in office. If we assume such a point of view, it turns out that the more traditional forms of communication, e.g. emails or mailing list, possess a number of exceptional features that are valuable and worth attention, in comparison to video-conferencing.

Primarily, mailing lists based communication does not require simultaneous availability of all parties. Unfortunately, simultaneous availability is not always possible to achieve. Therefore, due to the exchange of emails, we are guaranteed, that a particular, brief communication will reach everyone. This way, we pass on to another advantages of asynchronous communication, in the form of accountability. The record of the conversation is its own meta-registry and may serve as the basis for making conclusions. Video conversations are usually not recorded.

Home is not, and will never be an office

If anyone has doubts regarding the efficiency of the asynchronous form of communication, maybe he will be persuaded by an argument, that this is the way how the largest open source enterprises have been developed for decades. Suffice to mention the example of the Linux core, or the plentiful network software, in order to realise, that programmes which we are all currently using on an enormous scale, can be successfully developed without instant messengers.

Additionally, in remote work, the ability to take by the handful from its benefits. During the pandemic, the majority of employees will not have a strict work time tracking, which may translate to the increase of their availability. In modern remote work being available in a strictly defined time-frame. Responsiveness in key moments is much more important, including hours, when offices are empty in the onsite mode.

Realisation of such premises is a win-win situation. Fresh look at remote work organisation, based on, i.a. discarding the premises of onsite work, allows to bring out the most of the former. Obviously, there are situations when video-conferencing will prove an irreplaceable means of communication, however, the balance between the modern methods that copy the real exchange information methods, with productive use of digital communication means, is key.

Let us allow remote work methods to shape themselves

Another notion which has been realised efficiently for years in remote work, is the self-shaping of its organisation. While many ambitious managers would like to implement their selected methodology and tools from the very beginning, most often, the best method of finding the optimal path is to allow self to have a spontaneous approach, test the efficiency of subsequent tools, and select them by means of deduction.

Obviously, feedback information from the employees themselves should play a particular role in the method and tools optimisation process. They are best aware of the advantages and the disadvantages of subsequent communicators and work management systems. While a consistent and unified architecture, may initially seem as the best solution, practice may negatively evaluate such approach, and lead to using a conglomerate of various services from different providers.