LOVING REMOTE: A PATH TO LEADING AN INSPIRATIONAL CULTURE THAT EMPLOYEES LOVE!

REMOTE FATIGUE: Understanding the real cause of your exhaustion.

Before we begin, let’s state the obvious: global pandemics are hard. Even our team, who absolutely loves remote life and would never trade it for anything, has found working during a pandemic extraordinarily difficult. If we, who are experienced at remote work are struggling, we can only imagine how difficult it is for those new to this work experience.

That’s why we put this book together. We really are in this together, and if we can make things even a little bit easier for your team, then we’ve earned our company name. As we gathered and discussed this book as a team, it became clear there are three main considerations that we feel are foundational before getting into remote strategies and tactics for your organization. 

1. Being force-fed anything makes it taste awful—even if it’s ice cream!
   Unlike most of the people reading this book, InspireHUB employees didn’t have a remote life thrust upon them; they opted into it. We have spoken at length in our teams about the power of freedom and choice. Not EVERYONE loves ice cream, but many do. Now imagine for a moment, something that is generally enjoyable is forced upon you, and it’s done in such a way that you have absolutely no choice in the matter. Suddenly, something you have found enjoyable has put a bad taste in your mouth.
   
   If your first experience eating ice cream was mandatory, it would absolutely diminish the experience. For some, it would be understandable if you even decided you hated ice cream altogether. The problem, of course, is not necessarily the ice cream, but the fact you had no choice in the matter. The same holds true with finding remote work thrust upon you. Is remote work amazing? Absolutely. However, we’re not sure we’d feel that way if we hadn't been provided with the luxury of choosing this way of work and creating an environment that we love. If you are hating working remotely, we ask that you be open to the reality that you and your team may be hating remote work for all the wrong reasons.
   
   
2. Learning something new is tiring.
   Researchers have proven that your body gets tired when your brain is fried. Mental fatigue happens for numerous reasons including problem-solving, learning new skills, trying to do more than one activity at a time, and working in a stressful environment. Just the act of learning anything new is exhausting because you must exert more energy until the default mode network (aka the auto-pilot) in your brain gets trained on a new skill.
   
   If you’ve ever made a jump to a new job and found yourself feeling more tired than usual in the first few weeks on the job because there’s so much to learn, then you’ve had a taste of learning fatigue. At InspireHUB, we realized that new employees don’t just have to expend more energy learning a new role but also learning an entirely new way of working. The sheer effort of learning so many new things at once is exhausting. If you’re tired, there’s a good reason.
   
   
3. A crisis exhausts us emotionally. 
   Crisis fatigue has been studied closely over the years. Even emergency responders who have been trained to help in a crisis are educated on how to identify crisis fatigue for their own well-being. 
   
   We are at a time in history where everyone is doing their best to manage in a global crisis. It’s important to understand that when we are in crisis, our bodies have a very real physical response to the stress as our adrenal glands are flooded with a stress hormone called Cortisol. At InspireHUB, even before the pandemic, we make a point of ensuring our technical staff understand the impact to their physical health when they are put under prolonged periods of stress as they troubleshoot difficult problems with significant consequences on the line.  We discuss the importance of margin in our ability to problem-solve, schedule recovery days around major software releases, and we are extremely intentional about holding one another accountable when it comes to getting proper rest.  Whether you’re an athlete or mathlete, the reality is that optimization and performance are directly linked to active recovery.
   
   Life before COVID-19 was already filled with stress and crisis moments, but there were at least times of relief. Now we are all dealing with our daily baseline being a constant state of crisis as we are met with worrisome news headlines around the world. In our case, the devastating news came from within our own company as multiple loved ones contracted COVID-19, but not all recovered. This takes a serious emotional toll as we walk through the stages of anxiety and grief with our teams.
   
   

   We are all feeling exhausted, and Zoom is the least of the reasons. 
   

   All of these elements, foundationally, are exhausting in and of themselves, which means your exhaustion may have nothing to do with remote work, technology, or other things you may be thinking.

   When observing a scientific phenomenon, it can be difficult to distinguish between a causation versus a correlation. Before COVID–19, we all understood there were more car accidents during peak commuting times. Yet, the fact that you are driving during that time is a correlation, a factor that may increase the odds but does not necessarily mean you are the cause of an accident.

   At this time in history, many people are looking for an easy reason to explain why they are so exhausted after their conference calls. While there is a correlation (just like there is with you driving during a peak commute time), we believe it is not the technology that is causing your fatigue.

   We believe this because we spent seven years experimenting with strategies and tactics to a point where having back-to-back video calls posed no more or less draws on our energy than back-to-back meetings did in real life. It took us many failed attempts to get it right and to get us to a point where our employees PREFER video over everything else and love this way of working.

   This book will help you with the many strategies that have allowed us to LOVE working remotely. Our employees even share their own insights into what helped them find success. That said, we are also struggling because global pandemics are hard. Our goal is to hopefully help you and your team unpack the various challenges so that you can find a path that works both now and in years to come.

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GAMIFYING REMOTE WORK: How InspireHUB's online gamers showed us the way.

One of the most fortunate things to happen at InspireHUB is that we hired a number of MMO Players. If you’re not familiar with Massively Multiplayer Online gaming, then understand this: it’s a massive billion-dollar industry with standard players logging in to play anywhere from 1 to 5 hours a day during the business week. Lest you think that online gamers are a bunch of kids, let us debunk that. Less than 25% of MMO players are teenagers.

MMO is a serious business both for the industry, and it’s players. eSports in this industry was on the rise before the pandemic, with the United States Army attributing its investment in Call of Duty as one of it’s most effective recruitment tactics.

At InspireHUB, we were even more fortunate to have attracted not just MMO Players but Guild Leaders. These are the players that help to lead other players in missions for World of Warcraft and many other MMO games. One of the interesting things we’ve observed about those who game is that they hold a number of key relationships and digital skills when it comes to remote work. This includes the fact that they:

• are experienced in building strong relationships with people they have never met;
• typically have excellent communication and problem-solving skills; and,
• understand the importance of physical comfort for optimal digital performance on everything, including chairs, keyboards, and headsets.

With this background, here are a few do’s and don’ts they brought to our team. The main one was that employees needed to understand what the digital rules of engagement are within a company just like players must in any game. Here are a few do’s and don’ts for your company:

• Do: Ensure the employees understand the specific digital rules of engagement for the company.
  
  
• Don’t: Assume employees have a reasonable foundation of common sense when it comes to digital interactions.
  
  
• Do:  Put the rules of engagement into writing. Your expectations may be different from their expectations.
  
  
• Don’t: Assume that just because you’ve been on a video call that it means you’re good at video calls. Video calls need their own set of rules and practice to ensure people feel comfortable with engaging.
  
  
• Do: Be detailed about the various digital tools your company uses and what the expectations are for each, including which ones take priority.
  
  
• Don’t: Place the blame on technology for your lack of experience and knowledge in leading people remotely.
  
  
• Do: Frequently review with the team what they find useful and not useful.
  
  
• Don’t: Blame a disengaged and toxic culture on working remotely. You can have great teams that win and horrible teams that lose.  It all comes down to the person who is leading that guild...errr...team. :-
  
  
• Do: Stay on the look-out for new and fun tools to help employees and leaders in their digital engagement. (This book is a great start! How about building your own  online community next using a tool like the IHUBApp? :-)

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VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENT ETIQUETTE: Teaching your team a new set of virtual business manners.

et·i·quette (noun)
the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group.
"the rules of etiquette are changing"

A new way of engaging!

The dictionary is always correct and never more so than now.  A new world has been thrust upon many and with it, a new set of ways to engage. Unfortunately, many are trying to apply the old rules of engagement to this new world.

For example, in our previous world, being on a video camera was a very formal thing. Reporters have long struggled to get their interview subjects to just ‘act natural’ once the camera starts recording. Why does our behavior change with that little red light? It’s because we know what it all means. The challenge is that in today’s new remote world, being on a web camera is an entirely different experience.

Today, our web cameras are simply an extension of our eyes and being ‘on camera’ can be an informal, casual experience. Yet, old habits die hard. If you find that your virtual meetings don’t have the same ‘spark’ that your in-person meetings have, it may be that you simply haven’t transitioned to the new etiquette rules.

We’re here to help! We’ve assembled the etiquette rules that we’ve developed to make our life at InspireHUB—inspiring!

Recreating IRL (In-Real-Life) to Virtual Life
Your workday at the office has a number of predetermined routines that you don’t likely give much mind to but that help to create your office environment. When your staff are remote, recreating these moments are crucial to keep the connection and relationships strong.

• The morning hello.
  When you get into the office first thing in the morning, you likely greet various people on the way to your desk. It lets people know that you’ve arrived and are ready to get to work. Ask all of your team to log-on to the real-time messenger you will be using, like Slack or Google Hangouts, and say a good morning as they arrive.
  
  
• Have daily standup meetings. 
  Most teams have a version of a daily standup, even if it is informally standing around talking about what everyone is working on for that day.
  
  Schedule your virtual daily standup to start at the beginning of your day for at least 15 minutes. Use tools like Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, Zoom Video, UberConference, Flock or other simple video-conferencing apps.
  
  
• Create a virtual watercooler. 
  Steve Jobs talked about the importance of “casual collisions and spontaneous meetings” but how do you make this possible in a virtual world? It’s actually simpler than you think. Creating a hangout where people can jump in for a break from their work is important. In the early days of InspireHUB, we had a space called the “Watercooler” to encourage people to come in and just connect. Today, the team is comfortable enough to just share, opening with “You have got to come and see this!” and whoever is available will jump in.
  
  A part of the watercooler experience is understanding the importance of “shooting the breeze” and not talking about work. Don’t worry, virtual work means that your peoples’ interruptions are significantly reduced, so anytime spent in a virtual watercooler chat is something to be celebrated not worried over.

Recreating your physical workspace as a virtual one is the first step. Still, your team needs the rules of engagement to understand what your expectations are on when it comes to managing their time and how they connect with one another.

• Ensure you’re available during core business hours.
  It may seem obvious, but when working remotely, people have flexibility put into their days. Ensuring that your team understands they must be logged on and at their respective workspaces during the times they normally kept is important. It means that everyone can count on having the resources and people they need to get the work done.
  
  
• Close your “virtual” office door to get focused.
  Interruptions, whether it be a “ding” on your messenger or a “knock” on your office door, still have the same negative impact. We allow employees to close their office door by announcing that they are “going dark”. What does this look like? Usually, it’s a message from an employee that says “Hey guys, I’m going dark for the next hour. Before I do, does anyone need anything?” It’s usually followed by a “See you on the other side” comment. When employees go dark, it means that all their chat notifications and email will be off. If there’s an emergency, we can reach the person via their text.
  
  
• Work from home when you’re sick.
  This one always gets chuckles from new employees to InspireHUB. One of the strange realities of working virtually is that you are more likely to work even when you are feeling under the weather. In a physical office, you would say “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to work from home today.” Sometimes, it IS possible to still work when you are not feeling well, but not always. You need to set expectations that sick days can be used even if people are working from home. Our experience has taught us that most people will work if they have a cold, but when someone is seriously ill, the best use of their time is spent resting. It means fewer mistakes, and having your staff back on, and strong is important.
  
  

At InspireHUB, we have a few more virtual etiquette items that we developed over the years.  While people initially laughed when we shared them, a few horrifyingly embarrassing viral moments have now made others realize the wisdom of why we have these rules. 

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REMOTE MEETING ETIQUETTE: It's polite to interrupt and other rules that will surprise!

In-person meetings and virtual meetings share many of the same fundamental rules of engagement for success. However, there are important differences. At InspireHUB, we have created specific rules over the years that have helped us make our virtual meetings extremely productive. We’re happy to share our “Happy Meeting Rules” with you!

• Prepare to arrive on time.
  It’s crucial that you not treat virtual meetings as optional in any way. Prior to your meeting, it’s important that you test your technology to ensure it is working. Nothing is more annoying than having to wait on someone who is installing something in order to get into a meeting. While it may happen from time to time, ensuring you are ready to go before the meeting starts keeps things productive and respects everyone’s time.
  
  
• If possible, be on camera.
  Over the years, we found the ability to be on camera makes a significant difference in closing the gap for remote workers. 90% of how we communicate is done with non-verbal cues. The great thing about today’s technology is that it allows you to have face-to-face communications. If your laptop doesn’t have a built-in camera, you can opt for your phone camera. If that doesn’t work, for a small investment (under $20) you can purchase a webcam. It really is a difference-maker.
  
  
• Give your full attention. Be fully present.
  It is extremely tempting to do other work when you are sitting in a meeting. It’s just too easy to quickly check an email, or read an article. When starting our meetings, we ask our staff to please take a moment and close down all their other windows so they won’t be tempted. Additionally, we ask them to face directly into the camera. By committing to being fully present during the meeting, you ensure you won’t miss any important points, and you don’t have to worry about doubling back on items already discussed.
  
  
• Discuss how to interrupt to make a point during the video chat.
  Agree on a system of moderation, whether using the “hand raise” feature available in some video conferencing tools or doing the same by simply indicating that in the chat window. Not everyone is comfortable interrupting others who are talking even in a traditional meeting environment. The power of a virtual meeting is that employees who may be quieter, shy or introverted will be able to pose their questions in this new environment.
  
  
• Hold your meeting in a quiet space whenever possible.
  It’s not always possible to accommodate this, but it makes a huge difference. In a traditional meeting, you are typically in a quiet room with a door shut. Virtual meetings offer more flexibility, but without the quiet, it can be difficult for everyone to focus. The more sensitive the meeting, the more a quiet space is required. For example, it may be okay to take the conference call for a creative brainstorming session from the airport but not for a sales call where you want to make a great impression. Some quick tips to quiet?
  
  

  • Shut the door of your room, if possible, to reduce noise and distractions.

  • Mute your microphone when you’re not talking.

  • Set your microphone to reduce ambient and background noise.

• Interrupting an on-going virtual meeting.
  The same etiquette that applies to meetings at your office applies to the virtual world. You may ask someone: “Should I be at that meeting?” but you wouldn’t just invite yourself to the table (necessarily). However, sometimes something really important will happen, and you need to interrupt a group of people in the middle of a session to deliver some news. In this case, we usually opt for a ping to the group on a message. However, we’ve had the odd occasion that warranted someone jumping into the call. Explain to the employees WHEN this can happen in advance. Also, interrupting any meeting requires that certain etiquette should still apply. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think you guys need to see this…” is usually effective. We also use humor at times like these. My personal favorite was when a staff member jumped into a virtual call and declared: “Wait? Is this room double booked again, or am I just in the wrong office?”
  
  

• Follow all the same success rules for meetings that you follow now.
  Just because a virtual meeting is “different” doesn’t mean the rules change. At InspireHUB, in addition to the virtual meeting rules, we also follow these:

  • Don’t call a meeting if it can be done through email.

  • Have an agenda and a goal.

  • Ask yourself the question: “Why am I in this meeting?” and if you’re not providing value - leave.

  • Take detailed personal notes for your future reference.

  • Review the minutes taken from the meeting for accuracy.

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REMOTE MANAGEMENT SUCCESS: Everything has changed, and absolutely nothing has changed.

Remote work is not a new phenomenon. For thousands of years, leaders have been managing people that are distributed, and there is a formula that predicts success.

• How is that some rulers were able to lead their nation to great prosperity when others failed?
• How did successful generals overseeing thousands of soldiers dispersed across vast lands still manage to fulfill their missions successfully?
• How are today's greatest leaders overseeing Fortune 500 companies with thousands of employees spread across different campuses still able to be profitable?
• We are going to show you how your MOM is the biggest predictor of your ability to oversee a remote workforce successfully.

When I was a young professional, I had the good fortune of being hired into a Fortune 500 company.  It‘s still one of the leading Financial Services companies in the world today. The city where I worked included their five campuses, and they eventually bought a mall to house their ever-growing workforce. Interestingly, as I was in technology, I found it necessary to interact with all the divisions, and while I visited the various campuses occasionally, the bulk of my work was conducted remotely.

Since that time, I've overseen various large-scale projects, and in all cases, they involved a dispersed team. We didn't sit next to one another physically, but we got the job done. Ask any Regional Manager, and they will nod their head in agreement that it's not physical proximity that determines success but something else.

Interestingly, businesses are required to engage remotely with customers every day. They've proven they can serve and work with customers successfully without asking their customers to move in and live in their office building.

So why are some struggling with remote work, and how do you make remote work actually WORK for you? The first part of that question is rather simple. If you are having "trouble" with remote workers, it is much easier to blame "remote work" as being the problem than taking accountability for the issues that need to be faced in your organization. (Ouch!) Remote work isn't the problem, but rather your management of it is. (Double ouch.) The reality is that remote work will magnify any management issues you have within your company.

Don't worry; we're here to help you debunk the myths and to show you how using your MOM can make the difference in successfully engaging your team. MOM is an acronym that you can use to help you evaluate and understand the areas within your organization that may need attention.

M = MANAGEMENT: Don't let out of sight employees become out of mind.

We realize this seems pretty basic but allow us to state the obvious. You are only as good as the managers in your organization.  If you don't have good management, you will not have success. The same issues that you have sitting physically next to a person in your office will be the same issues you will have with a remote workforce. The bigger question is: "What does good management look like?" (There are thousands of books on this topic alone.)  Some of the basic principles include making sure that you are connected, that you are actually being involved, and that you're not just assuming that the members of your workforce all know what they are doing. According to Gallup, only half of employees know what is expected of them at work. 

An interesting exercise I love to give executives is to have them walk through one of their divisions.  Take a look randomly at one of the employees under your direction and ask yourself this question: "Do I know what this person is working on specifically today?" You'd be surprised to learn how many leaders don't have that level of insight into their people.  

Creating a healthy culture of engagement starts with your employees understanding how their work contributes to success, and having managers who can equally speak to that individual's contribution.  This is not an exercise in micro-management but an overall approach to your management.  

Remember: The same problems you had working with a group in a physical building will be the same problems you will have with a remote workforce.  When you apply the same level of management expertise to all your staff, you will see how performance issues equally affect your team regardless of their location.  One of the complaints from remote employees is that they are often made to feel like they are second-class citizens because they are not thought of for important opportunities or projects.

The problem is not the staff who are working remotely but rather a lazy company culture that doesn’t think with intentionality about who should be at the table. (Ouch! That’s a tough truth pill to swallow.) When you are working on projects or holding meetings, the first question your team should be trained to ask is: “Who needs to be at this table?”.

This will force your team to really think about what staff need to be involved, and it will also ensure that critical employees who are working remotely are not left out. Here are some other practices that we train our leaders to do at InspireHUB:

• Do daily “check-ins.” 
  It takes a fractional amount of time to send a message that asks: “How’s your day?” to your direct reports. You’d be surprised at what a difference this simple, human, touch-point makes!
  
  
• Set expectations and track progress.
  Chances are you already have something in place to do this even if you’re not part of a remote workplace. By managing your projects well, you will ensure that resources are properly allocated. Use tools like TeamWork, Asana, Basecamp, Trello or Monday to collaborate on setting tasks and managing time.
  
  
• Invite employees to contribute creatively.
  At InspireHUB, we’ve built a Digital Experience we call “The Office” that gives our employees the opportunity to engage with one another. It’s part private social network, part intranet, and part fun. Employees can post, like, comment, distribute, share, and reference a variety of materials. We have other clients who have built extranets and websites to engage the members of their audience. It doesn’t have to be a full portal like what we have for ourselves and for our clients. Something as simple as a shared Google Doc with a running “Wouldn’t it be great if…” list that allows everyone to contribute can be just as effective!

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O = OPERATIONS: A quick list of items for your operations team to confirm.

Operational processes are not the sort of things that lend themselves to inspiring Ted Talks or getting teams excited.  In short, they are boring, but you must have great operational processes in place to engage your employees. What that means is that, as part of your processes, you must be the active embodiment of what you are expecting of your staff.

One of the mistakes we noticed prior to COVID-19 was that many leaders and managers had a remote workforce, but they had never actually tried working remotely themselves. Now that virtually everyone (pun intended) has had this chance, you have a much better idea of some of the challenges in working remotely. That said, here’s a reminder: just because you spent the last couple of months working remotely doesn’t mean you’re good at it. You’re just starting, and there are training and tools you’re going to need to get to the big leagues.

At InspireHUB, we have designed a number of processes (along with an approach to what we value) that helps new employees acclimate. This includes pairing new employees with “remote buddies” to help coach them and show them the ropes. 

We keep harping on this, but one of the most important things you can do in developing your remote workforce from a process perspective is to replicate in the virtual space all those things that would typically happen within a traditional physical office.

For example, if every morning, there is an informal update that happens in the kitchen between team members who share what they are working on that day, then you need to intentionally recreate that experience, virtually. At InspireHUB, our teams meet every morning on video chat (coffees in hand) for 15-minute stand-ups that ensure we are connecting. 

Do not underestimate the power of successful operational processes. Having proper engagement systems in place can address many issues, including nullifying resentment that can build between "offsite" and "onsite" employees by increasing trust and transparency. This only happens when you've designed the systems to facilitate successful engagement. Employee handbooks and policies should be updated with remote work processes, including:

• Company BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Policy
  What is your policy on personal device access to your company’s work resources? What is the backup plan for hardware failure?
  
  
• Company Remote Health and Wellness
  What will happen if your employee does not have a safe home environment? How will you manage a domestic situation during the workday?
  
  
• Remote Policy on Internet Access and VPN Usage Implemented
  Is your company covering costs?  Have you set up a VPN?
  
  
• Privacy and Security Awareness Training
  Have your employees completed security awareness training? (Example: https://wizer-training.com/ )

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M = MEASUREMENT: Place the focus on "output" and not "deskput".

 What is ’deskput’?  We define deskput as the ancient and outdated practice of measuring an employee’s success by watching them sit at their desk. At InspireHUB, we place the emphasis directly on output as opposed to where an employee is sitting. Over the years, our employees have completed their work from many different locations, including on a barge in Dublin, at the top of a mountain, and in the rolling hills of Italy. What we know is that the effectiveness of measurement is determined by the tools you use, whether that is a management approach or an actual piece of technology.

At InspireHUB, we have made this our mission. We have created the award-winning IHUBApp that gives organizations the ability to build whatever digital experience they need to better engage with their audience, and that provides the ability to see detailed analytics and reporting. 

We are a technology company, and while we use the IHUBApp for ourselves (always a good sign), it's not the only tool we use. Your tool selection for your team is going to be critical. In our case, we have various development and project management tools that we use to get our work done. Combined with really great people in management, excellent operational processes, and the tools behind all this, it creates an environment of success.

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INSPIRING YOUR REMOTE TEAM:  The fast way to build engagement? Empathy!

One of the lessons we learned as UN-InspireHUB was that remote work makes no discernible difference when it comes to having a culture you love. Our employees will tell you that in the early days of our company we were anything BUT inspiring. There were a number of reasons for this, including the fact that, as a new company, we had an incredibly low-trust environment because we had no history with one another.

What single trait is present in all inspiration? Pain!

Interestingly, during those early days, one of the things we did was conduct research on inspiration. Many people find different things inspiring, and we had wondered if there was a single indicator to know if something would be received as universally inspiring. We reviewed academic studies on everything including awe, motivation and inspiration and collected the various attributes into a matrix.

Then we found there was one, single trait that was consistent among all studies —the presence of pain.

That’s right.  If something or someone encounters pain, doesn’t give up and even goes on to overcome it, we all agree that is the definition of ‘inspiring’. Armed with that knowledge, we took a look at everything that was causing our team pain and decided to do something about it. It was not easy. We had many painful conversations, issued apologies, and set to work correcting situations. What made it all possible was our decision to really seek an understanding of what everyone was feeling: otherwise known as empathy. That entire experience deserves its own book, but in the interest of Loving Remote, we will share an article written by Sue Braiden that outlines the results of those efforts. You’ll see that being able to work remotely was (and still is) a top item we value, but the remote work is just one element of creating an inspiring and healthy culture.

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ADVICE FROM REMOTE PROS: InspireHUB employees share their tips to help love remote life!

With seven years of experience working 100% remotely, we have found that success strategies and tactics for loving remote life are as unique and individual as our people.  We asked our team what advice and tips they would want to share with those who are struggling to love working remotely.  Here’s what they had to say!

MOTIVATION
Motivation may be hard at home,
my advice is to set yourself a goal for each day and work towards accomplishing that goal.

SET HOURS
You’ll find your commute is suddenly shorter and for some, coming into the “office” early or staying late will happen much easier than you think. Set hours for yourself in the calendar and schedule lunch/breaks away from your desk. Also, be transparent with the time you have set on your calendar. People can see what projects you are working on/what meetings you are in and know if it’s a good time to DM/chat.

HEALTH
Taking care of yourself physically helps you mentally in the world of remote work. For me, I thrive off of stepping out of the office and going for a walk, 30-minute workout, group activity like Taekwondo or Spin class - anything that gets me out of the house and also interacting with other people.

FILL YOUR CUP
If you’re very extroverted and thrive off physical human connection, it may be difficult to work remotely. The key is being intentional outside of work to fill your cup. Make plans with friends on weekdays, join team activities and maybe even get a second job where you’re constantly interacting with humans if possible. The social interactions you have outside of working hours will fuel your remote motivation, so it becomes a welcomed rest instead of draining isolation.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS
Use tools and create routines that create clear distinctions between work and home. Because my kids are grown, I struggle with making work my "all". I’ve adopted a couple of practices that help habituate me toward turning work and home off and on in healthier ways.

I dress up as if I was going to an actual office. I actually feel different, and it puts me in work mode straight away. When I’m done, I change into something more casual. It may seem like a small shift, but mentally, it’s a disconnect that helps me balance.

SET ALARMS
I also find setting alarms to remind me to stand up and stretch for a bit, stop and eat lunch and get outside for a bit of a walk, and to turn work off at the end of the day helps. I make a point of choosing activities that take me out of work mode at a reasonable hour.

While this is more challenging during a pandemic, it’s not impossible. For me, it’s all about creating habits, so my brain anticipates not only connecting with the teammates I love, but the people outside of the job that earning a living is meant to be about!

SEPARATE YOUR WORKSPACE
Have a separate space for work. For the longest time, I had trouble working in the same space I played video games during my off-hours. It’s important to have a dedicated space you can shut the door of at the end of the day and step away from.

WORKSTATION DESIGN MATTERS
My personal experience is to first set up an amazing working station. Have a back-pain-free chair, extra 1 or 2 high-resolution monitors and useful tools like printer, paper, pencil within a hand reach distance.

EXPECT DISTURBANCES IN THE FORCE
Disturbance is common and inevitable when working from home, so instead of working on annoyingly short intervals, collect time and keep focusing on the work when you have a relatively long “peaceful” time.

PRIORITIZE ON-CAMERA
When having meetings with your colleagues, clients, etc., it is important to have meetings on-camera instead of voice-only. This will help communication and to understand the tone of the conversation and avoids misinterpretation of the message as more than 90% of our communication is non-verbal.

MEET SOCIALLY
It is important to have ‘social meetings’ where you can get together with your team and discuss non-work related topics, to strengthen team cohesion and rapport.

InspireHUB’s VP Global Sales was new to InspireHUB and remote work when COVID-19 arrived. 

As the newest member of the team and a long veteran of an office dwelling, I've had to learn a whole new "love language" in remote working. 

First, the permission (I daresay the requirement) to interrupt is something I have not really seen before in the work environment.    This simple guideline helps the team to have more direct, more open, and more honest
conversations.

Second, the "no multitasking" rule is absolutely essential.   The rule of always being on camera is key to attentiveness and mutual respect among the team.

Finally, meetings in the remote world are more than just business.    This is our time to connect, to bond, and to become family. 

Richard Brashear
VP Global Sales.  InspireHUB Inc.
sales@inspirehub.com
1.855.355.4482

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