There are many reasons why working from home and remote teamwork are increasingly in demand but also necessary. In these challenging times with COVID-19, our society, the economy, public institutions, authorities and schools are facing unprecedented challenges.
For many employers, it is about continuing to participate in economic life despite massive restrictions and adapting the necessary limitations as best as possible. Working from home makes life much easier and offers the opportunity to maintain a (reasonably) normal working day. Enabling people to work from home is becoming a short-term necessity for many organizations.
No physical presence at the workplace is required to complete various tasks, whether in a team or alone, and the infrastructure for remote work is quickly and easily available!
Thanks to digitalization, various tasks can be carried out directly from different end devices (laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.), regardless of time and location.
Here are some examples that can be done from home:
- Collecting and editing information
- Operating specialist applications (e.g. ERP, financial accounting, HR)
- Conducting meetings and workshops (e.g. as part of projects and organizational units)
- Collaboration on content (documents, offers, presentations)
- Online socializing and informal exchange
The list can be extended almost endlessly - as long as the physical components can be digitized or are digitally controllable.
This article classifies different ways of working in the home office and should give you information on how you can organize yourself. At the end I have put together a few links with tips and further information.
Remote Work (me)
Mobile working can be provided quickly and the requirements are smaller than ever. What do you need for this?
- A work device (PC, laptop or tablet)
Tip: It's even more fun with a touch screen and a built-in video camera. For example, you can design solutions together in online workshops and write on the whiteboard, and have a personal touch thanks to the video camera.
- Internet access
- Easy access to central applications (software and systems) and data
- Encouragement from employers & employees
- A smartphone is also sufficient for simply consuming information
If you work with special portals and applications, access can also be guaranteed via oneklick, for example. In terms of working methods, not much changes: the specialist knowledge of the individual applications is already available; this remains the same as when working on site in the store.
This is not entirely new, and for some it has been completely normal for years (or even decades). Many modern companies allow and support working from home. You can find a few good tips on how to make working from home even more successful in this NZZ article.
Remote Teamwork (we)
In addition to face-to-face work, there is also virtual collaboration in teams (e.g. as part of projects, working groups, event preparations, meetings). This model is not entirely new either. The technologies for this have developed considerably in recent years and enable very good collaboration purely online using various end devices.
However, one challenge arises here, even if you have all the infrastructure in place: how do you get your employees to coordinate and work together, even if you don't physically see each other? How do you ensure that agreements are kept? In short, how do you keep your team together in different locations?
Distributed collaboration with SCRUM
Distributed collaboration has long been in demand in the context of software projects, as specialists are often more readily available and cheaper abroad. The rules of SCRUM are often applied or adapted in software development. The focus here is on various artefacts and discussions, such as daily meetings, short sprints and the central backlog with prioritized requirements.
And that is a key point: in contrast to "individual sport" (me), where everyone works individually with their own systems and tools, "team sport" (us) requires a common understanding, toolset, approach and set of rules in order to achieve the goals efficiently.
Let's take the analogy with football: if we have a team with 11 perfect individual players and stars ("I-athletes"), this does not mean that they will be successful as a team.
This requires far more than the skills of the individual player. It needs...
- A trainer who defines the common tactics and strategy
- Regular training and discipline
- A strong team captain and coach on the field who supports the players and ensures implementation
- Every single player who adheres to the guidelines and agreements
This all sounds very strict and regulated. But believe me: as soon as you have taken the first steps and see the clarity and efficiency gained, it becomes a natural process and is really fun!
So if you want to make remote teamwork successful, you need these and other components. You will also find the success factors in this article.
In general, we recommend that companies with around 100 employees or more start with a coached Microsoft Teams pilot test (various "real" teams with joint projects or work groups) before introducing the system across the board in order to gain experience, establish IT governance and benefit from best practices.
What if the home office structure needs to be set up quickly and at short notice? (Speed)
Even in this case - and despite an urgent need - we recommend not rushing headlong into the home office adventure with Microsoft Teams, for example. The complexity should not be underestimated and it is no help to anyone if everyone sinks into chaos at home.
A few basic things can be ensured within a few days and help you to be successful in the long term. After all, you will want to use this infrastructure in the long term, even if you need a solution immediately due to the current situation.
Tips for successful remote teamwork with Microsoft Teams (Fast Track)
Social components
Since the social component of online meetings and online teamwork is understandably not comparable to that of physical meetings (but the efficiency may be higher), here's a tip:
Make sure you switch on the video camera. It gives the meeting a personal touch, you can see your colleagues and their emotions and the online meeting comes a good deal closer to the real meeting. Holding a coffee break together online when you can't meet in person is definitely an alternative. Give it a try!
Switching on your own camera, even in a 1:1 call, usually leads to the other person also activating their camera (without being asked). Take the first step!
Current: Free consulting & fast implementation of a home office infrastructure
I hope that the information in this article is helpful to you. However, I am also aware that it is not easy for many companies to quickly adapt and find their way in the current situation. So don't be afraid to get in touch and take advantage of as much support as you can get.
Do you need help getting started? Benefit from our many years of experience in the home office, which we have gained both in our own working methods and together with customers.
To support you, we currently offer free consulting. We also provide solutions for accessing your specialist applications (such as ERM, CRM, SAP, Salesforce, etc.) from home and help you with collaboration in Microsoft Teams.
Please feel free to contact us.
