The digital economy has created new ways for people to work and engage with staff, however these aren’t without their challenges. Many traditional metadata tools are not built to support remote working, so it is important to choose tools and processes that enable staff to perform their work wherever they may be.
We’ve selected our top 5 tips for remote working we use at Aristotle Cloud Services Australia and look at how the Aristotle Metadata Registry helps you implement these tips in your business.
You can also download the complete guide to remote remote working using Aristotle, which includes advice on how to implement all of these tips within the Aristotle Metadata Registry.
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Communicate clearly and often
Most communication in the workplace is non-verbal such as tone and posture. We lose most of these cues when we switch to email and instant messaging. Communicating clearly and respectfully is key to ensuring that everyone is working in sync.
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Seek and receive constructive feedback
Because of how our communication styles change online, it’s important to adjust how we receive feedback from co-workers. Invite your colleagues to provide feedback on work to ensure everyone’s opinions are heard.
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Accommodate asynchronicity
When working remotely it’s hard to know when co-workers are available. Just like in the office, when working from home people may be focused on a challenging task or taking a short break from their desk to clear their thoughts. Just because someone isn’t online doesn’t mean they aren’t working.
Instant messaging tools like Slack or Teams let you set statuses, so your team knows when you’re available. While you’re away, they notify you of what you’ve missed so you can respond to your co-workers.
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Document decisions near your data
Remote working can make it harder to track how decisions have been made – this is especially sensitive when documents or webpages are made public. Tools like Github and Wordpress include review and workflow tools so that draft content can be reviewed before it goes live. Recording decisions in the same place as your content lets others track work as it progresses.
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Keep people informed of changes
When remotely collaborating on documents or webpages make sure you let colleagues know of what you are changing and why. Online tools like Aristotle or Office365 make it easy to work together, but if you are sharing Word documents via email, use track changes and comments to help others know what’s been changed.
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Bonus tip - Have fun and keep it light!
One of the biggest shifts to working remotely is the lack of informal communication. Many guides to professional communication encourage dry writing styles which works for emails but may not be appropriate when instant messaging. When remote working it’s important to balance professional communication while retaining human connections.
Using humour and emojis, sharing personal stories and bringing water-cooler chats to online messaging tools keep us connected when we can’t be physically present. Online we have more control to filtering what we see and when we respond, so over-communication is key!
More remote working resources
Remote working can be a challenging new way to work, especially when it happens suddenly. Fortunately, there are lots of resources available online to help people integrate remote-working styles into their organisation.
