INN has a distributed team, which means we work in different locations and time zones and sometimes in our pajamas. Working from home full time also means we have to think more intentionally about communication and work-life balance. Here are some tips and resources we've found helpful in learning how to work effectively as a remote team.
It's all too easy to get sucked into our work and not surface for hours at a time. To counteract this sort of faux-productivity, we try to take a lot of walks and other short breaks away from our screens. Snacks and coffee are important, too.
We use Slack, GitHub, video calls and other tools to stay in touch with each other throughout the day. We start every day with a brief standup meeting via Zoom, which helps everyone know what they should be working on and whether anyone else on the team needs something from them. Our weekly team meeting gives us space to discuss the bigger picture stuff, review current projects and set priorities for the following week.
Remote work offers the flexibility of setting your own schedule, but it also means you can feel like you're working 24/7. In addition to taking regular breaks, we try hard to set boundaries around our work each day. Work reasonable hours. Don't send or expect responses to non-emergency email after hours. Sometimes we're in different time zones, don't feel bad about reminding a team member that a late afternoon meeting in their time zone might be well into the evening for you. Taking time to not work makes our working time more productive.
Building habits and routines can help prevent the feeling of disconnect or isolation. Have a dedicated space in your home where you "go to work." Take a shower. Put on pants. If something isn't working, or you start to struggle with lack of direction or motivation, speak up. You probably aren't alone. Take advantage of coworking spaces in your town or the tried and true coffee shop work session.
We get together in person a few times a year. Working remotely is generally great but there are some things that are just easier to do when we're all in the same room together. These IRL meetups help us stay connected us a team by not only working together on long term planning and major projects but also by sharing meals and other social activities.
- Great remote work tips in this Source article by Christopher Groskopf
- Helpful tips on productivity
- The book on remote work
- An excellent post by Ben Balter on team communication at github
- Another excellent post on remote work at 18F