Working Remotely: Our Best Advice on Working From Home

Teams can successfully transition from an office environment to working remotely. The Hubstaff team has been remote from the very beginning, so, we've all become very accustomed to our home offices and slippers. Having the right tools and mindset will help you make the transition smoother...

Get Your Files Online 0:34

Before we cover anything else, it's incredibly important to make sure everything is accessible remotely. Here at Hubstaff, we have a few different tools that we prefer to use for this:

All Things Google (Drive, Slides, Sheets, Docs)

Dropbox to share files quickly and for additional storage capacity.

Invision for design; this allows us to design and gather feedback all in one place.

Moqups for wireframes, diagrams, and prototypes.

Hubstaff for time tracking and productivity monitoring, along with paying our team.

Learn More - https://hubstaff.com/

GitHub for web development

Open Communication Channels 1:17

One of the very first things you notice when you start working from home is the lack of built-in communication options. When working remotely, we recommend having a primary (and preferably) instant form of communication that you use for most interaction in addition to email.

Slack - This is a very popular option in the remote world. We use Slack every day to keep the team engaged and to see who's online and active.

Continue Having Regular Meetings 1:59

A lot of in-office teams might be under the impression that having regular meetings is too difficult when you work remotely. When in reality, that couldn't be further from the truth. Tools like Zoom make it very easy to have large teams join online or through the phone to attend a meeting. These meetings can also be recorded so anyone who had to miss can watch them later.

You might also discover new ways to get updates from your team, which can make your meetings less frequent. Here at Hubstaff, we rely on daily Stand-ups, which are short updates that each team member provides to their manager. These updates consist of three questions.

What did you work on today?
What will you work on tomorrow?
Are there any roadblocks in your way?

Daily updates like this allow us to save time by cutting down on the number of meetings we need to have each week.

Keeping Track of Your Work 2:42

In an office, it's easy to see when people are in and when things are getting done. When you're working remotely, it can be more challenging to keep things moving in the right direction. For this, we use our time tracking and productivity app, Hubstaff.

Time Tracking Features - https://hubstaff.com/time_tracking_software

Teams can easily track time to specific projects or tasks using the desktop, web, and mobile timers. This gives us a clear picture of who's working on what and how much they've worked on it.

Small Talk Matters 3:30

Small talk is still essential when you're a remote team. Casually discussing things like your playlist or what Netflix series you're currently watching helps everyone take a small break from their work.

Tune Out Distractions 3:57

This one is tough when you're working remotely for the first time. It's easy to get distracted by everything around you at home. So it's essential to close the door behind you out on some headphones and focus on the work you need to get done.

Seek Out (And Provide) Regular Updates 4:46

Over-communication is essential when you're working remotely. If you're not checking in with team members, frequently things can come to a halt. So touch base with everyone regularly. This way, if you come across a roadblock, you can help resolve it quickly and keep things on track.

Connect with us!
Hubstaff blog - https://blog.hubstaff.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubstaffapps/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hubstaff
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/hubstaff