7 Productivity Tips for Remote Startup Teams
Guest post by Jane Hurst, https://www.lifehack.org/author/jane-hurst & https://blog.getresponse.com/author/jane-hurst
The world is rapidly changing, and so is the way that many people work. Instead of trudging to an office every day, many people are opting to work remotely. They can work from pretty much any location in the world, as long as they have an Internet connection and a device to work on. Many startups are opting for working remotely, because it can save so much money and time. But, working remotely also comes with its own set of challenges, such as being productive when there are so many opportunities to waste time. Let’s take a look at seven ways that your remote startup team can be productive.
1) Communicate Regularly – When you aren’t working together in an office and can’t just go to someone’s desk for a chat, it can become pretty easy to stop communicating. It is important to find ways to communicate with your team, and to do it often. Use email regularly, even if it is just to send a message to say “hi”. Use instant messaging, Skype, and other forms of Internet communication as well.
2) Have Daily Meetings – It is a good idea to get into the habit of having a short meeting each morning. This is a great way to be able to find out if there are any new developments, discuss ideas, etc. These meetings don’t need to be long. Just five or 10 minutes will get everyone caught up on what is going on and ready to start the new work day.
3) Have Weekly Meetings – In addition to communicating with each member of your team regularly, it is also important to have regular meetings, so everyone knows what is going on with various projects, what is done, what needs to be done, etc. This is where you will wrap up the week, talk about plans for the following week, etc. Record all meetings for those who are unable to take part due to world time differences.
4) Upgrade Your Tech – If you or other team members are working with old technology, you are losing productivity. It may be time to sell laptop that you have, and upgrade to newer and faster tech so your team can start working a lot faster and be much more productive than they are with their current tech. You can sell the old tech and use the money towards the upgrades.
5) Try to Meet in Person – If it is possible, it is a good idea for team members to get together in a social atmosphere. This gives them a chance to relax and get to know each other, and it also gives everyone a chance to bond. When team members create a bond, this bond carries over into their work, and it is going to benefit your startup.
6) Don’t Set a Strict Schedule – One of the reasons why working remotely works so well for many people is that they are able to set their own hours, and work when they are the most productive. It is never a good idea to set a strict schedule for remote workers. Let them work according to their own schedules, and you can be sure a lot more will get done.
7) Meet as a Group Annually – It is a good idea to set up an annual team building event where everyone meets in person. Basically, it is going to be like a paid vacation for everyone on the team, including yourself, but there will be a few differences. Use this time to take part in team building activities that will make your business even better in the coming year.