How to work effectively in a remote team? Spoiler alert: I’m still looking for an answer

In March 2020, my entire company switched to home office arrangements for all employees. It was a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe. As a tech-company, we were familiar with basic remote work concepts. Most of my co-workers (including me) had some occasional experience. However, we had never try it as a whole organization.

Dear diary: my remote work experience

Day 1: I have done a lot! And no one knows it.

The first day seemed outstanding at first. Without any distractions, I could focus on getting things done. I am a UX designer, and most of my time at work consists of conceptual thinking and drawing wireframes. I was quite impressed by how much I can do without the hassle of commuting to work.

Unfortunately, after I turned off the computer, I faced the sad realization that my client (I’m on outsourcing contract) and co-workers could think I was slacking off the entire time. I had not written them a single message, and I had been unavailable on chat.

I called my friend, who had been working remotely for several years. He advised me that communication matters a lot.

Day 2: Communicate hard and work harder.

The second day started with answering e-mails and replying to chat messages. I kept an instant reply mindset. The minute a message comes, an answer arrives. Juggling between multiple conversations, I tried to do some quality work. After eleven hours of work, I could finally admit it. I failed miserably. I hadn’t done anything of importance, just some minor tweaks. On the other hand, the client and co-workers could pat me for being so hard-working.

I called my friend again and told him how disappointed I felt. He shared his impression that I should get used to it. You have to be always available (as if you were in the open space in an office) and work hard to accomplish things. He didn’t cheer me up.

Day 3: On the journey to find the perfect balance

Since the third day, I have been struggling with mixing the approaches from day 1 (focus on work, don’t communicate) and day 2 (exact the opposite). I ask myself this one question, over and over again: how can I get things done and communicate when it’s necessary?

When in doubt, watch a movie!

And no, I don’t mean Netflix. Let me invite you to the TED cinema. I figured that I’m not the only one who wants to know how to nourish the productivity at work. The solution strikes as an easy one: find some experts in the field and ask them. Or at least listen to their public speeches. I have watched several talks on TED, and I have hand-picked the following:

Jason Fried: Why work doesn’t happen at work?

Jason founded Basecamp and is the author of Rework. He points out that people are too often distracted at work by their managers and meetings.

His recommendations:

• cancel all meetings,
• asynchronous communication (e-mail over a phone call),
• introduce silent days at the office (no talk Thursdays).

Linda Hill: How to manage for collective creativity?

Linda teaches at Harvard Business School. She studies how companies (e.g., Pixar or Google) create an environment for open and respectful ideas sharing that leads to solving problems innovatively. Linda published her findings in the book Collective Genius. In her talk, she provides real-life examples and explains why collaboration produces better effects than single solo genius aha moments.

Yves Morieux: How too many rules at work keep you from getting things done

Yves works as a thought leader at Boston Consulting Group. He states organizations shouldn’t focus on processes or micro KPIs. He suggests putting cooperation in the first place.

Adam Grant: Are you a giver or taker?

Adam is an organizational psychologist, Wharton professor, and best-selling author. He divided people into three groups:

• Takers take from others but never give back,
• Givers help other people and don’t need you to return a favor,
• Matchers adjust their behavior according to the relation history (if you give me something, I will return the favor and expect it will work the other way around).

During his research, he found out that Givers perform both the worst and the best at work among all three groups. If you want to increase productivity in your company, empower a Giver-friendly environment.

Cooperation is so much more (or less) than communication

At first, I was under the impression that the Jason presentation contradicts with the other three (Linda, Yves, and Adam talk about different aspects of working together). How can we harness the power of working together, if we are not meeting with each other? But then this meeting happened, and it became clear.

Case 1: Communication without cooperation

A few days ago, my Project Manager organized a teleconference with six people. He wanted to introduce two new team members to the project smoothly. It sounded like a good reason, right? Unfortunately, after 1 hour, the only conclusion we could come up with was that the new team members had to read some documents first. Even though we had a meeting, we couldn’t collaborate. Then it hit me: communication doesn’t equal cooperation.

Case 2: Cooperation without communication

What about the other way around? Can we cooperate without communicating? It seems counterintuitive.

My mom proved me otherwise. We are living under the times of the global epidemy and, we isolate each other to slow down the disease. However, we have to eat so from time to time we do some shopping. Mom went to the small local grocery. While she was the only customer inside, the other one entered. He noticed my mom was there and left the shop to wait outside until she finished. They didn’t communicate, but they cooperated at the same time.

Ask the right question: how can we cooperate better?

I’m an introvert. That’s why Jason’s ideas resonate with me so much. But some people blossom when they feel connected. Coffee breaks with laugher may energize and inspire them.

How to find the balance, so neither of the extremes (no talk vs. talk all the time) would dominate?

We should start by placing two fundamental questions:

1. What do we want to achieve as a team? What is our goal? In most companies, the answer will concern financial (make a profit) and social (employees well-being, environment responsibility) aspects.
2. How can we cooperate to achieve that goal better?

I don’t claim I know the answer, or even being close finding it. I also doubt there is a one-size-fits-all solution. Every team should work the optimal way for them. Good luck with your journey!

If you’re curious, what I believe could work in my situation, feel free to explore my next post: Alone at work. How to remotely cooperate with clients and colleagues?