Leadership and Self-Leadership for Remote Workers

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Dear reader,

The coronavirus crisis has forced millions of workers around the world to work from home. Of course, remote work has been a trending concept for years, as more and more employers recognize the advantages of letting people work from home. getAbstract has been an early adopter of remote work. Partly out of necessity when collaborating with our worldwide network of writers, our company has combined remote and office-based workers in a hybrid workforce almost from its inception 21 years ago.

Indeed, it has always been clear to us that home office can offer great opportunities for employees and employers. Workers can enjoy a more comfortable environment, carry out their jobs more efficiently, save time and benefit the environment by ditching the commute. Yet these advantages for employees only translate into improved performance if companies do a good job managing their remote teams.

This guide will take you through three crucial steps to make remote work a success. The guide draws on expert content from our own library and highlights the summaries we have found the most useful. Sprinkled throughout the guide are recommendations and best practices shared by some of getAbstract’s most experienced remote workers. We hope you will find this guide useful.

Sincerely,

Patrick BriggerCo-founder and Chairman

Foreword

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Take-aways

• Remote work offers advantages to both employees and companies. It even helps the environment.

• Remote leaders must develop healthy work habits and set up a sensible work schedule for themselves to ensure their own well-being and to provide a model for their employees to emulate.

• Leaders of geographically dispersed teams must choose appropriate communication tools and specify how each of them should be used.

• For leaders of remote teams, it is particularly important to follow well-established management practices, including clarifying expectations, coaching employees and fostering team spirit.

Contents

Take-aways

Introduction

Structure Your Day

Organize Your Communication

Build Trust and Team Spirit

Conclusion

About getAbstract

References

Contact

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Remote work has been a trend long in the making. Although the concept has been around for over 50 years, telecommuting really took off in the 2000s, when households started to have broadband internet access and computer equipment became widely affordable. Indeed, the advantages for employees, companies and society are plentiful.

But remote work also comes with its challenges – for leaders as well as employees. In fact, managing a team of remote employees is as much about leadership as it is about self-leadership. Leaders who succeed at sensibly structuring their workday and establishing a healthy work-life routine serve as a model for their employees to emulate. This guide introduces you to three key pillars of a remote worker’s leadership toolbox.

For a concise overview of the many benefits of remote work, getAbstract recommends:

link: getab.li/wp804

Introduction

“Working from home has allowed me to channel my inner hermitess. I find I’m so much more productive when I can work in silence away from the bustle of the office. I greatly appreciate that modern technology, coupled with an open-minded company, has allowed me to remain a dedicated and connected member of my team.” – Deirdre Cody, Managing Editor, Cork, Ireland

Increaseworkers’

wellbeing

Save time commuting

Cutgreenhouse

gas emissions

Reducetraffic

accidents

Increaseemployee

satisfaction

Increaseworkforce diversity

Save money on office space

Reduceemployee turnover

Increase talent recruitment pool

Accommodateindividuals with

disabilities

Boostproductivity and

performance

A perk that costs employers

nothing

Relievetraffic congestion

The advantages of remote work

The Future of Work Looks Like Staying Out of the OfficeKate Cox

Recommendation

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Structure Your Day

When working in a traditional office environment, simple routines like getting up at a set time, getting dressed and commuting to the office give your day a structure. Being able to physically remove yourself from your workplace in the evening helps maintain the boundary between your work- and private life. The lack of such a structure can give rise to a range of challenges. Without structure, the dividing line between work and the rest of your life can blur. Working from home, you may suddenly feel the need to be responsive on a 24/7 basis and run the risk of burnout. Or you succumb to distractions at home, draining your ability to focus on your work. You may also struggle with feelings of loneliness, a lack of fresh air or the urge to snack constantly. To avoid the many pitfalls that the freedom of remote work can bring, you need to become the author of your daily routine. Here is how:

Identify your most important tasksAmong all your daily activities, find out which ones yield the most value. As you put together your daily schedule, prioritize these tasks above anything else. Find a goal setting and time management method that resonates with you, adjust it to your particular circumstances and try to stick with it as much as you can.

“I work on public-facing things – tasks that require communicating with getAbstract colleagues – first thing in the morning while the Lucerne office is still open. In the afternoon, I do editing, curating and other quieter hands-on work, and I communicate with US- and Canada-based freelancers.” – Erica Meyer Rauzin, Senior Managing Editor, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Allocate time for deep workCarve out a few distraction-free hours each day to pursue your most important and challenging tasks in a highly concentrated fashion. Let your employees and coworkers know what these hours are by blocking off your schedule or marking your online status accordingly.

“Inner distractions can be as disruptive as outer distractions. I use a browser extension to block myself from accessing social media and my favorite news websites during work hours. You will find that within days, your inner compulsion to check these sites automatically disappears.” – Sara Kupfer, Staff Writer, Lucerne, Switzerland

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Eliminate distractionsKeep your workplace free from clutter and physical distractions. Also be mindful of technological distractions. Delete social media apps on your work devices and block access to your favorite social media websites during work hours. Turn off automatic notifications as much as possible.

“Have a dedicated ‘place of work.’ I am lucky to have a home office so mentally I know that when I’m in there, it’s time to work.” – Mashood Rahman, Enterprise Relationship Manager, London, UK

“Do not let your work take over your entire house. Create a workspace dedicated to your office (if you do not have a traditional home-office). Organize yourself as you would in the office with all of your supplies and materials in the same area.” – Danielle Goodrum, VP Client Services, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Explore the underlying reasons for procrastinating Procrastination is a tactic the brain employs to avoid difficult emotions in the moment. To break your procrastination habit, you must identify the beliefs and emotions that hold you back. These might include a lack of self-esteem, fear of failure or strong perfectionism. Popular methods to give your brain a more positive kick than avoidance provides are self-forgiveness and self-compassion.

Work when you’re the most productiveRemote work allows for more flexibility in deciding when to work. Some of us have the most energy at 5 o’clock in the morning. Others operate most effectively later in the day. Find out when you are the most productive and adjust your work schedule to optimize your productivity.

Limit your working hoursWorking overtime on projects that are going well or following up on ideas that occur to you at odd hours are both tempting time-eaters. The temptation intensifies if you collaborate with team members working in different time zones. But if you overwork, you run the risk of burnout. Know that working more won’t make you more productive. Plan for a 40-week workweek – and stick to the schedule you’ve set for yourself.

“I start with going on ‘work mode’ at a specific time every day. I am based in the Philippines but I work US Eastern hours – which means I am on ‘graveyard’ shift. This works very well for me, being the night owl that I am! Because of my work hours, my environment is peaceful and quiet, and I can concentrate well on my tasks.” – Jet Reynes, Customer Success and Account Manager, Manila, Philippines

“It’s so important to know when to switch off. Fortunately, I have a family and 2 young kids to keep me busy outside of work.” – Mashood Rahman, Enterprise Relationship Manager, London, UK

“My top tips for a neophyte remote worker are to be a strict timekeeper for the first three months while you establish a routine. Once you have established good rules and habits, maintaining a positive work-life balance becomes easy.” – Deirdre Cody, Managing Editor, Cork, Ireland

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Schedule time offSchedule – and fiercely protect – time for leisure, including socializing, exercising and pursuing your favorite hobbies. As working from home no longer enables you to physically leave your workplace at a set time, it becomes all the more important to establish clear boundaries between work and “guilt-free play.”

For remote leaders, practicing good self-leadership sets an example for the rest of the team to structure their workdays in similar ways. HubSpot executive Matthew Barby, for example, shares his personal calendar with his entire team. By showing time blocked out for personal commitments and leisure, leaders can give employees a more realistic picture of their availability and work practices – and promote more healthy work habits among remote team members in return.

“I make it a point to allow myself a break to ‘recharge’ at some point during the day. My favorite thing to do is go on an hour-long walk around a lake near my house. It’s a great way to clear my mind and come back to my desk ready to work.” – Holli Addison, Account Manager, Houston, Texas

“Treating my daily workouts as a non-negotiable aspect of my daily schedule keeps me from procrastinating as I know I don’t have any time to spare to get my work done.” – Sara Kupfer, Staff Writer, Lucerne, Switzerland

The Productivity ProjectChris Bailey

Productivity expert Chris Bailey explains the 25 most effective techniques for making the most from your time and efforts.

link: getab.li/wp807

Recommendation

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Good communication is a vital leadership skill – even more so when leading a remote team. As a remote leader, it’s hard to over-communicate. Don’t rely too heavily on written communication. You will miss out on important nonverbal cues. Pick up the phone or video-call more than you usually would. When an issue arises, even if it seems small and straightforward, pick up the phone and resolve it before it mushrooms into a bigger problem.

Organize Your Communication

“With over 50% of our workforce working from home, our yearly company get-together is hugely important for culture building. But there are other important ways to foster team spirit and communicate company strategy. Posting daily videos on the intranet are one possibility. Another is simply picking up the phone and talk to people. Virtual meetings are also very effective.” – Thomas Bergen, Co-Founder and CEO, Lucerne, Switzerland

Agree on at least two hours per day during which all team members are reachable and available for meetings. Schedule and adhere to recurring meetings, such as weekly team meetings and one-on-ones with direct reports. Inform team members on your typical response times depending on the communication channel – for example four hours for Slack and 24 hours for email.

Web-based communication and collaboration tools are plentiful – and each comes with its own purpose. Remote leaders must deploy them effectively by defining how and for what purpose each tool should be utilized. Here a few pointers:

“It is better to talk and coordinate once too often than once too little, not only by phone but also via video call. Make sure you provide the technology to share screens.” – Patrick Brigger, Co-founder and Chairman, Lucerne, Switzerland

Good old emailThe enduring advantage of email is that it’s reliable and leaves a written record of your communication. It also allows for easy filing and retrieving if you cannot take care of a request instantly. Most important, emails don’t cause work interruptions, and they allow recipients to respond in their own time.

Phone and video callsIn-person conversations build human bonds. Pick up the phone to maintain rapport with members of your team and do weekly check-ins with direct reports. To avoid miscommunication, talk to people directly to resolve complex problems.

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“The Marketing team at getAbstract uses the Planner app to help keep an overview of resources, priorities and deadlines. Whichever tools you use, make sure you’re not wasting time or missing things by using several tools with the same aim.” – Anna Wehrt, PR & Communications Manager, Lucerne, Switzerland

“Once a week, on a set day and time, a colleague and I briefly chat via Teams and update each other about our current projects. It’s a great opportunity to learn about other initiatives that are going on in the company and ask for outside feedback and advice on projects I am working on” – Ramona Marcionetti, PR & Marketing Manager, Lucerne, Switzerland

“Reach out for a chat. We all need interpersonal encouragement and support. Just as long as you are not interrupting like-minded colleagues, reach out to them for a chat over an online coffee.” – Gordon Seymour, Regional Representative for Europe, Rinteln, Germany

Collaboration tools A user-friendly content management system (CMS) and collaborative spreadsheets allow you and your team to keep track of what everybody’s working on and their progress. Collaboration work tools like Teams and Slack allow you to solicit input from team members related to specified topic channels.

Informal chatsInformal team chats can promote team spirit and a sense of togetherness. They may serve as a – though imperfect – substitute for the “water cooler conversations” remote workers are missing out on. You could also encourage team members to check into the chat first thing in the morning to say “hi.” This helps employees feel like they are in an office work environment – even if they are

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physically sitting in their bedrooms. For employees working in the same time zone, author and leadership strategist Dan Pontefract suggests conducting daily morning huddles. Give a pep talk, provide project updates, recognize an employee, share a personal story or discuss what you are all up to for today. This will also help ameliorate feelings of isolation among team members.

The Virtual ManagerKevin Sheridan

Get actionable tips from human resources expert Kevin Sheridan on how to manage remote employees.

link: getab.li/wp815

Recommendation

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Every leader needs their team’s trust to be effective. Yet remote leaders must work extra hard to build and maintain it. Start by focusing on the following areas:

Set goalsTo accomplish anything, leaders must communicate their goals clearly and effectively. Remote leaders must be extra careful to ensure that everyone fully understands all relevant team goals, as remote workers often tend to be overly focused on their own goals. Give them the necessary context to develop a helpful sense of perspective about the way their individual goals fit the team’s goals. State your expectations often, and hold employees responsible for meeting them.

Build Trust and Team Spirit

“Superiors must communicate with clarity, simplicity and openness” – Patrick Brigger, Co-founder and Chairman, Lucerne, Switzerland

“Remote work doesn’t mean that people should stop learning. I call upon leaders to take the opportunities presented by remote work to implement new ways to ensure their teams continue their professional development. One awesome way to help your remote team learn is getAbstract.” – Dan Pontefract, author and leadership strategist, Victoria, Canada www.danpontefract.com

CoachYour effectiveness as a manager derives from your ability to nurture, develop and retain talent. Hence, it helps to develop strong coaching skills. To be a viable coach, always assume your remote workers have benevolent intentions, even when they make mistakes. Your long-distance interactions with your workers must be genuine two-way conversations. You aren’t coaching if you do all the talking; listen carefully. Frequently coach your remote workers, and regularly give them feedback.

Manage by resultRemote leaders cannot know what their remote workers are doing hour-by-hour, every day or every week (nor, incidentally, can leaders managing staff on site). For remote leaders in particular, trying to manage employee time is futile. Manage by result instead. After all, workers offer companies the most value through the results they deliver, not the time they spend on a task. Especially Millennials and members of Generation Z expect their managers to be flexible and to give them a sense of autonomy as they meet their obligations.

Know your employeesRemote workers differ from one another, often in substantial ways. One remote worker may want you to check in on a regular basis. Another may see routine check-ins as micromanagement. Tailor your interaction and communication with remote workers according to each individual’s work style, preferences, needs and personality. Don’t impose a one-size-fits-all interaction, communication or management style.Assess individual remote workers’ psychological orientation through such tools as DISC, Myers-Briggs, Insights or Strengths-Finder.

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Don’t play guessing games when you are working with remote employees and want to know how they’re doing and what communication technique will work best. Simply ask your workers how they want you to work with them and how you can help them succeed.

Foster team spiritTrue bonding between people can only occur on a person-to-person basis. That’s why organizing team get-togethers – both virtual and face-to-face – are an important aspect of every successful remote work experience. Companies that can afford it know that organizing team get-togethers on a yearly or bi-annual basis is worth the time and expense. These in-person gatherings enable teams to hold longer strategy sessions that are difficult to conduct remotely. Supplementing these sessions with team building events can help cement personal relationships. Alternative ways to facilitate human connection among remote workers are informal video chats between randomly paired co-workers. Other ideas are holding regular online book clubs and discussion groups.

“Our annual global company kickoff is always the highlight of my year because this is when I get to meet and spend time with people I work with very closely. They are never just names on an email, but special people I can call friends - and for an introvert like me, that’s as special as it gets!” – Jet Reynes, Customer Success and Account Manager, Manila, Philippines

“Our yearly company kickoff sets the stage for the entire year. For one, it offers opportunities to share best practices and hone individual skills. For another, it enables our international workforce to build personal friendships and get to know other people’s points of views.” – Patrick Brigger, Co-founder and Chairman, Lucerne, Switzerland

The Long-Distance LeaderK. Eikenberry and W. Turmel

Although the principles of leadership don’t change, “long-distance leaders” need tools specifically designed to address distance leadership issues and concerns.

link: getab.li/wp818

Recommendation

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Some companies are still in the early stages of experimenting with remote work models. Others have been operating successfully without a physical office for decades or more. Many more companies, meanwhile, combine home-based and office-based staff under a hybrid model or offer flexible work arrangements that enable employees to work from home at least part of the time. Home office is popular among employees and has many advantages for employers as well, including cost savings, increased productivity and less employee turnover. This guide has shared a series of best practices for leaders working with geographically dispersed teams. For one, leaders must develop healthy work habits and set up a sensible work schedule for themselves not just to ensure their own well-being but also to provide a model for their employees to emulate. For another, leaders must choose appropriate communication tools and define how each of them should be used. Finally, remote leaders must be very hands-on with putting tried and true management advice into practice, including clarifying expectations, coaching employees and fostering team spirit.

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About getAbstract

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References

Is Working Remotely Effective? Gallup Research Says YesAdam Hickman and Jennifer RobisonGallup, Inc., 2020

The Complete Guide to Working on a Remote TeamMegan BerryMedium, 2017

The Future of Work Looks Like Staying Out of the OfficeKate CoxArs Technica, 2020

The Productivity ProjectChris BaileyCrown, 2016

Why You Procrastinate (It Has Nothing to Do with Self-Control)Charlotte LiebermanThe New York Times, 2019

RemoteJason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonCrown, 2013

Deep WorkCal NewportGrand Central, 2016

Procrastination SucksBar FranekMedium, 2018

The Now HabitNeil FioreTarcherPerigee, 2007

The Procrastination CureDamon ZahariadesThe Art Of Productivity, 2017

The Remote Leader’s Guide to Managing a TeamMatthew BarbyMatthew Barby, 2020

Manage Your Day-to-DayJocelyn K. Glei and Scott BelskyAmazon Publishing, 2013

10 Rules of Professional Etiquette for the Digital WorkplaceAaron OrendorffLifehacker, 2016

Traditional Work Isn’t WorkingDiane MulcahyCatalant, 2017

The Leader HabitMartin LanikAMACOM, 2018

The Tools and Tricks that Let Ars Technica Function Without a Physical OfficeLee HutchinsonArs Technica, 2020

Coronavirus and Teleworking Employees: Set Guidelines, PrioritiesKathy GurchiekSHRM, 2020

The Virtual ManagerKevin SheridanCareer Press, 2012

The Long-Distance LeaderKevin Eikenberry and Wayne TurmelBerrett-Koehler, 2018

The Tao of CoachingMax LandsbergProfile Books, 2015

Introduction

Structure Your Day

Structure Your Day

Organize Your Communication

Build Trust and Team Spirit

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