The-Accountant-July-Aug-2018

WORK PLACE
TIPS FOR TACKLING
6 BIG CHALLENGES
OF REMOTE WORK
Be more interactive
with workmates
By CPA Donald Obonyo
As you’ll hear from enthusiasts,
remote work offers incredible
opportunities for personal
and professional growth.
But being a team player and
building a career outside of a traditional
office setting also comes with a unique set
of challenges. The following are some of
the valuable insights about the ups and
downs of “Embracing remote” a company
value that means we witness, acknowledge,
and support the range of experiences
and emotions people might have when
working remotely. Thanks to the honest
group discussions of remote work at
Trello, our team has developed From
Social Butterfly To Social Butterflunk.
At the outset, moving to a home
office or working in a solo space can feel
quiet—even lonely. If you’re an extrovert
by nature, talking out loud to your cat
instead of an office mate can deliver lessthan-satisfying
results.
But ask yourself this: How much of
your socialization at the office is merely
chance encounters at the snack bar?
When you’re remote there’s no physical
communal snack spot, so you need to be
more intentional about when, how, and
why you’re communicating with others.
The thing is, being more mindful of your
social interactions at work will deliver
more satisfaction overall, remote or
otherwise.
The first step is to shift the perception
that work communication tools should
only be used for work. Technology is
enabling remote work, and should be used
to foster the best possible environment
for team-building of all types. Studies
have shown that small talk at work will
improve your decision-making skills, how
satisfied you are with your job, and build
psychological safety for you to share your
best and brightest ideas.
For example, set up threads in your
chat tool to talk about hobbies, world
events, travel, kids, cooking… you name it!
Do not feel guilty for chatting about your
favorite LaCroix flavor or best summer
vacation memory on work time. A great
way to get more comfortable with this is to
poll your co-workers for recommendations
on things you want to buy, places you want
to visit, or what to eat for lunch. It’s easy to
get people talking about things they love!
Seeing up to 10,000 non-verbal cues can
be exchanged in one minute of face-toface
interaction, video meeting tools are
essential for building relationships with
others. You can set up team –building
activities over video that play into the
strengths of remote work, like sharing
your office view or introducing your cat
to your coworker’s cat and watching the
furry friendship unfold. Video meetings
don’t need to be time-bound. Outside of
your immediate teams, the added time
you’ll have ditching the commute could be
used for group fitness classes, local meetup
groups with other professionals, or chill
time with friends. Set up weekly recurring
events, or simply make a personal rule
to venture out with others a few times
a week. Intentionally interacting with
others means you can reap the rewards
of choosing the best activities and
conversations for your personality and
social comfort level.
Working from home means you
can throw in a load of laundry between
meetings (yay!). The advantages of
multitasking work and home to-do’s
can also be pitfalls when you want to
procrastinate writing a less-than-savory
report for an impending deadline.
Just as with socializing, intention
comes into play with setting boundaries
between work and home. I strongly
encourage people to set up their work
station in a place where they can shut the
door, put on some headphones, and have a
dedicated space to concentrate.
If you want to take it a step further,
there are ways to customize your work
place to boost productivity. Plus, you
won’t have corporate restrictions putting a
damper on your scented candles or neon
green accent wall!
Context switching is a pitfall for both
co-located and remote employees. It can
take up to 25 minutes to regain focus after
a distraction, so use that as a check each
time you feel yourself wanting to get up
and check the mail: Can you afford this
unplanned 25-minute break?
32 JULY - AUGUST 2018