During these unusual and uncertain times, communities are doing their part to reduce risks to public health and mitigate the problem as quickly as possible. One way companies are maintaining social distance is by adopting remote work arrangements to remain productive. For those figuring out how to work remotely for the very first time, the idea of replacing in-person meetings and water cooler chat with a laptop and a webcam can seem like a daunting challenge.
Across many industries, remote teams have relied on powerful communication and collaboration tools to stay productive across the globe. Many of these same collaboration tools are already in use by field teams, aiding in wind turbine inspections, aviation maintenance, and facility management services.
Here’s how to get started with team collaboration and working remotely:
Establish Clear Communication
Being able to reach remote team members throughout the day is critical to getting work done. While there’s no silver bullet to handle all workplace communication, it’s essential to pare down to a few essential apps to reduce being overwhelmed by a barrage of messages. Stick to solutions like Slack for work-related chat, cloud document management software for sharing electronic documents, and video chat to hold engaging meetings.
Find Project Collaboration Tools
Keeping remote workers busy requires access to tools that make productivity possible from any device. Whether it’s a virtual desktop that grants access to an on-site workstation or a tool like Airtable to help keep information organized and accessible, the right software can help employees get just as much done at home as they would in the office — if not more.
Embrace Digital Documents
Remote work depends on electronic documents, ensuring forms and papers can be shared and signed from anywhere in the world. Document management software like Fluix can help field teams review inspection forms, sign urgent contracts, and search projects dating years back. It can fully integrate with solutions like Dropbox, Google Drive, and Office 365 to keep files organized and accessible. Powerful workflow automation tools can also help ensure documents are reviewed and signed by the right people.
Trust Your Team
It’s easy to imagine remote workers abusing work from home policies, taking care of household chores, or binging TV shows rather than carrying out their necessary work tasks. But remote work relies on trust, and field managers should give their remote team members the benefit of the doubt and trust that they’re properly using their time in the field. If an employee is trustworthy enough to be hired to work in the field, they’re trustworthy enough to complete the work in due time, especially if armed with remote work productivity tools.
More tips on how to do the most out of your time at home can be found here.
