HBR Guide to Remote Work
What’s inside
The advent of the digital age has brought about a rethinking in the mode of conducting business throughout the world. The biggest push in that direction came in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nation-wide lockdowns forced many companies to shift from offices to work from home. It became evident that most of the white-collar jobs did not require an office necessarily. These jobs could be done from almost anywhere. These remote jobs required nothing more than relevant electronic gadgets and high-speed internet connections. This calls for rethinking many day-to-day aspects of the job. In this insight, you will learn how to deal with the problems associated with working remotely and being productive and a team player.
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Lesson 1 – What Does It Mean to Work Remotely
Working remotely has taken away a lot of the aspects of office life. These include face to face interactions with clients, taking coffee breaks with colleagues or watching a live presentation in a conference room. Nowadays, emailing, video-conferencing, and other modes of digital communication have become the established norm. Remote work has deprived a lot of the humane aspects of office life. Remote jobs often lack certain elements of productivity such as going to the office at a particular time, a framework within which work is conducted, a near-tight schedule, and it all culminates into a routine that is carried out in a cyclic regularity. Remote jobs are associated with flexibility and freedom. Without boundaries of office culture, it is easy to blur the lines that bifurcate working time and personal time. Though it may seem that work from home is relaxing, several issues make working remotely nothing less than a troublesome pill to swallow. Whether feelings of burnout, lack of encouragement, or technological malfunction, they all contribute to making your work life difficult. We shall address some of the most common problems and certain tips to make remote work more humane and bearable and at the same time helping you make the most of your potential and capabilities.
Productivity is more about quality rather than quantity as measured in terms of work hours. Performance is best measured in terms of quality and productivity. Here are some basics one should keep in mind before dealing with more real-life situations with a pragmatic outlook-
- Get a good idea of what is required of you-that is, your role and duties- and align them to the priorities of the team. Maintain regular contact with your boss and direct reports in a structured manner.
- Learn when to say ‘no’. You cannot be available to take calls at any hour of the day. We shall dwell more on having clear work hours in the insights later on.
- You should learn how to say 'yes. Every 'yes' provides the opportunity for your to add value to your indispensability. Every time you say yes, follow it up with relevant questions to make the most out of it- that is being efficient and productive.
- Identify your best skills and work on them to improve and add other learnable skills.
- It is always better to finish a project before taking on other added tasks. However, it is okay to break your current assignment into parts for better performance.
- Relationship is
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Unlock HBR Guide to Remote Work Lessons!
- Lesson 1 – What Does It Mean to Work Remotely
- Lesson 2- Requirements of a Remote Job
- Lesson 3- How to Regulate Relations with your Boss
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FAQs
In the summary of HBR Guide to Remote Work book, there are 3 key lessons. These lessons include:
- Lesson 1 – What Does It Mean to Work Remotely
- Lesson 2- Requirements of a Remote Job
- Lesson 3- How to Regulate Relations with your Boss