For many, how we manage and teach on campus has undergone some significant changes this past year. We are doing our best to deliver classes and keep the university running while many are working remotely. This has brought some unique challenges and opportunities to our work life. One of the challenges is learning how to be successful when working remotely. I recently read an interesting article where several CEOs shared their best tips for successful remote work. Here are my favorites:
- “Have a disciplined schedule. Working from home makes it much harder to delineate work time from personal time. I encourage all of our employees to have a disciplined schedule for when you will work, and when you will not, and to stick to that schedule.” – Dan Springer, CEO of Docusign
- “Invest in relationships. Find creative ways to still informally connect with your teams, to build and strengthen relationships.” – Niren Chaudhary of Panera Bread
- Build in breaks throughout the day. James Park of FITBIT shares, “I think we all know that being on Zoom calls all day can be challenging, so I try to build in breaks throughout the day—even just 30 minutes—where I can step away from my computer. I’ve been able to squeeze in a quick workout during those breaks, too, which helps break up the day and improve both my physical and mental health.”
- “Be more flexible about timelines by expecting the unexpected. When you or others have unexpected delays, it’s easier to be empathetic and to roll with it.” – Ellen Pao, Project Include
- “Perfect your connection. Get a big screen, good lighting, and a decent camera. And plug in with a cable, not Wi-Fi.” – Jeff Maggioncalda of Coursera
Even if you are not working remotely, there are some great ideas in there. What tips would you share that have helped you be successful while remote? Let me know at greg_danklef@byu.edu and we may use your idea in an upcoming newsletter. You can find the full article at FastCompany.