In the field of software development, remote work is generally quite natural. Historically, and especially with open-source projects, developers have been accustomed to collaborating remotely and asynchronously (in other words, without expecting an immediate response from their counterpart). With COVID, remote work has become more widespread, reaching other sectors. Over the years and through lessons shared by some companies (notably in tech), best practices have emerged to work remotely effectively. In this article, we share those we have adopted and our toolkit.
🕰️ Asynchronous by Default
To be effective in communication, it should be asynchronous by default. This allows your counterpart to respond to your question when they have finished what they are doing and when they are 100% available to focus on it.
Most of the time, you don't need an immediate response to continue your own work. You can therefore wait a few minutes and avoid disrupting each other's work. For this, you can use an internal messaging tool such as Slack (Note: Slack can be used as an instant messaging tool, but it becomes particularly interesting when used asynchronously).
This asynchronicity applies to exchanges between colleagues but also to announcements that might be more vertical. For example, when a manager or leader needs to convey a message to all employees, they can do so by recording a video, and everyone watches it when they can. If someone is absent, they can view it upon their return without the need to schedule a new meeting. Finally, everyone can rewatch the video if needed.
This is a time saver for everyone, and your communication is accessible to all, at any time. At the agency, we use Loom for this purpose, and we can tell you that it works!
👥 The daily meeting: a routine that maintains connection
Communicating asynchronously does not prevent having routines where people see and talk to each other. This is the case with daily meetings: every morning, the team gathers, and each person describes what they will be working on that day. Each intervention lasts about two minutes. This helps coordinate team members and maintain a social connection.
These daily meetings should be brief. If a team member raises an issue they are facing, it should be addressed in a meeting with the few people who can help, but it should not disrupt or lengthen the daily.
📓 Having a limited number of tools
A full remote organization is highly dependent on its tools. There are tools for many needs: centralizing knowledge, communication, project management, etc. It's easy to get lost and multiply tools. The first step is to identify your main needs and limit the tools. Set a limit of three to five tools. Remember that each new tool requires time to learn, so the more you use, the longer and more tedious the overall learning of your procedures will be to maintain.
🎏 Flexible but Predictable Hours
When working asynchronously, having "rigid" work hours is less important. Ultimately, if the work gets done, it doesn't really matter whether it's from 2 PM to 5 PM or from 1 PM to 4 PM. This allows everyone to have flexibility in their daily lives. However, this flexibility does not prevent scheduling periods where everyone is present to potentially respond to others within an acceptable timeframe or participate in daily meetings. Even though it's possible to work with staggered hours, it's simpler to work remotely when you know there are common work periods.
✏️ The Culture of Writing
Communication is one of the main challenges of remote work. Ensuring that everyone has the right information can be complicated and very time-consuming if these details need to be repeated to every new team member. To overcome this challenge, adopting a culture of writing is essential. This means putting all your procedures and useful information in writing to ensure the smooth operation of your teams.
Thus, when a new person joins your organization, they have all the information at their disposal and can refer to it independently whenever they wish.
💯 The Importance of Results
Evaluating team performance can seem complicated when working remotely. Sometimes, managers fear that their colleagues might slack off while working from home. To alleviate these concerns, clear and measurable indicators must be established. This allows you to know if the results are being achieved without having to monitor everyone.
📦 The Toolbox for Effective Remote Work
Here is a list of the tools we use. Alongside this list, we recommend the excellent “Remote Work Guide” produced by GitLab (in English).
Managing emails, contacts, and documents
Google Workspace: your emails, shared calendar, contacts, everything you need to create your documents.
Communication
Slack: the go-to messaging tool.
Loom: perfect for making videos of yourself or your screen.
Centralizing knowledge
Notion: the go-to tool for documenting your company
😇 A mindset above all
Beyond tools and methods, remote work is primarily about trusting your team. If you are constantly worried that people aren't working unless they are near you, there is a problem, and it has nothing to do with remote work. This type of organization requires granting everyone autonomy and freedom.
