Traditionally we have always enjoyed face to face interactions, loved getting into meeting rooms for quick chats, discussions, white-boarding or just simple conversations on current affairs. Being together at one place has always been integral to a team culture. Working from home and flexible working hours have been more of exceptions to manage personal and professional priorities. Working at a common location was the norm till sometime back.
With the onset of COVID pandemic the situation changed rapidly, we soon realized that a new normal was in the making and it came with its own set of challenges. Quick actions, simulations and trials helped us to get prepared and enabled us to sail through the challenges of working with distributed teams. Here are few things that saw us through the transition:
Logistics and Equipment: We made sure that all the team members were fully equipped and prepared for remote working and mobility. Everyone got access to remote working kits consisting of laptops, headphones, extra screens, cables, and connectors. Specs were drawn to help team establish a comfortable and productive setup at home. Remote working enablement trainings helped in sharing guidelines and best practices with the team.
Employee well-being: Ensuring employee well-being was one of the main motives to make an early transition to work from home. Employee safety and health and those of their near and dear ones continues to be a number one priority for us. We have regular online team interactions to ensure that people do not miss being part of the team and stay connected. It also helps us in disseminating information and updates to keep up the morale.
Right tools for communication: Choosing the right tools for communication, collaboration, and project management has helped us during this crisis. We have used communication channels that are cloud based and can be accessed across devices. We have defined communication protocols and the teams can access multiple channels to avoid any gaps in communication. Our tool suite supports web meetings, document collaboration, instant messaging with support for Mobile devices.
Learning and Training: During this total work from home transition, it was important to keep up the momentum for learning and training. We encourage teams to setup calendars, sharing their project experience and knowledge bytes through virtual meets. This helped us to keep the engagement high, remain connected and effectively use collective experience of the team.
Pulse check: Regular dipstick surveys with relevant questionnaire to gauge the mood and sentiment of team helped us to plan and re-plan strategies.
Fun time and team bonding: One of the biggest concerns of working from home is missed interactions and celebrations. Though this need cannot be completely met in a remote setting, we have regular online team games, recognition and awards that contribute to team fun and bonding.
Being proactive is important to cope with the challenges of working in a distributed team. Also, taking care of oneself, staying healthy, continuously engaging with the team, and supporting each other can go a long way in being productive in these turbulent times.
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