5 Tips on How to Work from Home Like a Pro

There is no lie that COVID-19 changed the game in pretty much everything – from home office to unproductive video calls, it’s all been a learning curve to say the least. In this article, we will explore how you and your team can step up your a-game when it comes to productive meetings and projects from the comfort of your home – or couch! 

We’ll look at:‍

1. How to respect everyone’s productivity terms

2. How to boost team comradery

3. Clarifying uprising tensions at work

4. Make everyone feel included when it comes to group decision-making

5. Let your team members take ownership of their own roles‍

The year 2020 has changed and shaped society into a virtual one. E-commerce boomed while some local stores were highly affected, and the workforce was forever changed and molded to what we know today as – home office. Whether you like it or not, working from home has been, in fact, beneficial to many companies and employees, allowing both parties to cut costs and become flexible with timings and places. According to a study and survey run by McKinsey, companies are already thinking of continuing “home office” due to the positive responses they have had: “A move that will reduce the overall space they need and bring fewer workers into offices each day. A survey of 278 executives by McKinsey in August 2020 found that on average, they planned to reduce office space by 30 percent.”

As this continuous shift unravels, virtual meetings and conference calls will continue to happen. “20 to 25 percent of the workforces in advanced economies could work from home between three and five days a week. This represents four to five times more remote work than before the pandemic and could prompt a large change in the geography of work, as individuals and companies shift out of large cities into suburbs and small cities,” states McKinsey in its report. ‍

So What Happens Now?

Don’t fret if you think virtual life is not for you due to the constant battle between miscommunication within your team, or unproductive video calls. Here are some tips to ease into home working life:

TIP #1 - Respect Everyone’s Productivity Terms

Respect is a huge part of a harmonious workflow, especially outside an office environment. Each employee comes with a different mindset for productivity – for some a morning meeting could work, while for others an afternoon check-in is the way to go. According to a Harvard study, feeling respected is what matters the most to employees when it comes to leadership behavior. “In environments with too little owed respect, we typically see Tayloristic over monitoring and micromanagement, incivility and abuse of power, and a sense that employees are interchangeable,” adds the report when it comes to respecting employees and letting them be productive on their terms.

And how can you enhance productivity?

Be productive with your team by having efficient tactical meetings from home – tips:

• Set a timer to make sure everyone stays on track with the meeting.
• Discuss about what is happening/ongoing projects between everyone. This is great for visibility and everyone can pitch-in. 
• Discuss and share metrics and measure your actions and efforts being made. 
  

With Holaspirit you’re able to set Tactical Meetings with a myriad of actions/tools to make your meetings tailored-made for your teams and organization.

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TIP#2 - Boost Team Bonding and Comradery

Home office could perhaps not be suitable for everyone, and oftentimes with wifi going wrong – working solo can get tedious and stressful. So how can you boost comradery between your colleagues and teams? 

Create work-free check-ins with your teams at a flexible time suitable for everyone! Suggest interesting topics to delve on and discuss – these are great icebreakers to talk about and test how everybody is doing.

Quick and easy games to start off your week could have a positive impact on people, especially if they are struggling with being alone – or if you have your kids at home, this could be a massive de-stresser!

Here are some tips on great icebreakers:

TIP #3 - Clarify Uprising Tensions at Work

Tensions at work are totally normal and tackling them ASAP is a must if you want your workflow to be a smooth ride. 

Communication is key when it comes to sorting them out – and my advice would be: talk them through via scheduled meetings, effectively, so everyone contributes to solutions and decisions-making. Don’t let your team members feel alone if there are any issues that might be troubling them. 

Tips on how to voice your concerns:

• Create a meeting. This could be five to ten minutes, in scope, to discuss what is blocking you from continuing with your working tasks. 
• Don’t let your concerns pile up. This not only will create a big question mark at work, but it’s always good to keep things clear to avoid misunderstandings. 
  

With Holaspirit you’re able to voice your concerns during Tactical Meetings with our tool: Tensions. You're able to shed light on what is bothering you and colleagues are able to give their input as well on the matter. Also, solve the issue faster and more efficiently, even than using unified communication services.

Discuss, clarify and move on!

TIP #4 - Make Everyone Feel Included When it Comes to Group Decision-Making

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt excluded from your team and partaking on decision-making? I know, I have! It doesn’t feel nice to be left out, especially if it’s your project you’re working on. I feel you. 

One way to make your colleagues feel included is coming up with group decision-making techniques where everyone is involved and partakes on the decision process. For instance, if you practice Holacracy –to which we highly recommend you switch – there are several ways you can include everyone. 

Decision-Making techniques:

• Voting
• Brainstorming
• Delphi Technique
• Weighted Scoring
• Nominal Group Technique 
  

Coach Alex Lyon, shares methods on how to navigate group decision-making – effectively!

TIP #5 - Let Your Team Members Take Ownership of Their Own Roles

Working from home would be a lot easier if we could only let our team members take ownership of their own roles. And by that, I mean, take full control of tasks and projects without the need of micromanagement. Studies have shown that in order to encourage our team members it is vital we let them lead and shine: “By encouraging others to lead, you can more easily achieve company goals and create a nurturing, supportive work environment.”

Allow each team member to take action and become their own actors within their assigned roles. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how some truly take action and mark a difference in the company. 

Tips on navigating role ownership within teams:

• Respect that each team member has its own role
• Check-in with your team for effective meetings
• Use OKRs - this will put everyone on the same page with the ’s global purpose 
  

How to take ownership with Holaspirit?

The Project module allows you to organize your projects in Kanban boards. The boards are organized in 4 columns: Future, Waiting, Current, Done.

Usually associated with Agile or Scrum management, Kanban boards allow teams to track progress and identify problems. 

Each circle has its own board to organize projects and tasks, track progress and collaborate with other circle's members.

Projects are represented as cards that can be moved in the Kanban from one column to another. The cards include different information and options:

• Labels: to add a pop of color, categories, and clarity
• Member(s) or role assigned
• Due dates: to stay on track for your Projects and Actions
• Todo list: to breakdown important projects into smaller tasks
• Attachments: to link cards to documents or images to keep everything is organized in a single space
• Comment cards: to engage in a conversation and communicate updates in a more meaningful way 

So whether you’re into ‘home office’ or not, there are plenty of tools to your favor and make this new way of working a more pleasant one. ‍

Work from home with resourceful tools – book your call!