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 with insights shared by some companies (notably in tech), best practices have emerged for effective remote work. In this article, we share those we have adopted and our toolbox.
🕰️ 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 currently doing and when they are 100% available to focus on it.
Most of the time, you do not 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 useful when used asynchronously).
This asynchronicity applies to exchanges between colleagues as well as to more vertical announcements. For example, when a manager or leader needs to convey a message to all employees, they can do so by recording a video, which everyone can watch at their convenience. If someone is absent, they can view it upon their return without the need to schedule a new meeting. Additionally, anyone can rewatch the video if needed.
This approach saves time for everyone, and your communication is accessible to all, at any time. At the agency, we use Loom for this purpose, and we can attest that it works!
👥 The Daily Meeting: A Routine That Maintains Connection
Communicating asynchronously does not preclude 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 contribution 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 separate meeting with the few people who can help, but it should not disrupt or extend the daily meeting.
📓 Limiting the Number of Tools
A fully remote organization is highly dependent on its tools. There are tools available for numerous needs: centralizing knowledge, communication, project management, etc. It is 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 master, 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 becomes less important. Ultimately, if the work gets done, it doesn't matter much whether it's completed 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 doesn't 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 easier 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 you have to repeat this information to each new colleague. To overcome this difficulty, it's essential to adopt a culture of writing. This means putting in writing all your procedures and useful information for 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 whenever they wish independently.
💯 The Importance of Results
Evaluating your team's performance can seem complicated when working remotely. Sometimes, managers fear that their colleagues might slack off while working from home. To put these concerns to rest, it's important to establish clear and measurable indicators. 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).
Manage your emails, contacts, and documents
Google Workspace: your emails, shared calendar, contacts, everything you need to create your documents.
Communicate
Slack: the go-to messaging tool.
Loom: perfect for making videos of yourself or your screen.
Centralize knowledge
Notion: the go-to tool for documenting your company
😇 A mindset above all
Beyond tools and methods, remote work is above all about trusting your team. If you are constantly worried that people are not working if they are not near you, there is a problem that has nothing to do with remote work. This type of organization requires giving everyone autonomy and freedom.
