If you are in the midst of a transition to remote work, we're here to help. This post includes a range of resources to document new policies, equip teams with the knowledge that they need to do their jobs (wherever they are), and get everyone on the same page during these complex times.
Top 3 priorities while transitioning to remote work:
Get everyone on the same page. Successfully transitioning to a fully-remote workforce means everyone needs to be aligned on policies, able to refer to them whenever they need to, and trust that they are up to date.
Support each other. There are a ton of uncertainties right now. Prioritize supporting those around you however you can.
If you’re feeling shaken-up by the sudden rush to remote work, you’re not alone. For companies with no pre-existing policy in place, this switch can be tedious and at times feel a bit disjointed. Properly outlining your policies and resources will help to ensure that people at your organization feel secure and ready to work from wherever they may be. Here’s a breakdown of the tips you’ll get from this blog to quickly ramp up your remote work:
Remote Work Resources Overview
Remote Work Guidelines
Remote Meeting Etiquette
Remote Communication Guidelines
Remote Scheduling
Remote Work Health & Well-being
Remote Work Help Roundup
Remote work resource hub
This Card serves as your overview for all things remote work. From policy information to mental health resources, this table-of-contents-style card holds the answers to whatever questions (and there are a lot of questions) your teams may have. We are all experiencing a period of rapid change. Information and policies have been changing day by day, hour by hour. Give your teams peace of mind knowing that this is a living document that will be updated and verified as things evolve.
If you’re interested in leveraging a knowledge management tool to get your remote work force up and running check out this step-by-step guide on how to use Guru to transition to remote work and get started with a free account today.
Guidelines for working from home
In times of uncertainty, we are all looking for some guidance, make sure your teams feel that they can rely on the information you’re providing as the best practices that they should follow while working remotely. This template provides ideas on how to frame your new remote work policy in a way that encourages normalcy.
Remote work communication
Communication, communication, communication! It can't be stressed enough. Quality and consistent communication is crucial to a successful remote workforce. Outline your organization’s best practices, tools, and tips for communicating while working from home.
Virtual meetings can feel awkward. Spotty wifi connection, mysterious background noise, and the inevitable “Oh no sorry you go ahead,” are basically unavoidable. To make your meetings run a bit more smoothly and restore a sense of normalcy, create a set of guidelines to follow. Muting yourself and putting on headphones makes a difference people.
When you’re communicating via chat rather than face-to-face (or face-to-screen?) it’s important to bear in mind that neither side of the conversation is able to pick up on the non-verbal cues. This Card outlines some tips on how to best express yourself when communicating over chat.
Solidifying and updating your schedules and calendars is another top priority while making this transition. To make remote work work your daily schedule must be as comprehensive and transparent as possible. This will allow you to set aside time for yourself to step away from work and maintain a healthy work life balance. Use this Card to model your scheduling guidelines, including information on calendar applications, setting boundaries, navigating time zones, and defining the difference between ‘out of office’ and ‘WFH’.
Remote work health and well-being
Understand that remote work can take a toll on mental and physical health. Whether you're transitioning to remote for the long-term, or suddenly in the wake of a global crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, the health and well-being of yourself and your loved ones is priority #1. Every time. Ensure that your colleagues feel supported by providing as much information and as many resources as possible. Here are a few examples of ways to document well-being resources for your remote workforces:
Learnings from remote workforces
If you’re new to working from home entirely; the shift can be daunting. There’s no shortage of new information to absorb. It can be helpful and reassuring to learn from companies and individuals who have been doing this for years. This Card highlights the industry trends of remote work as a whole and teachings from companies that are not new to this type of work.
At Guru we are firm believers that the knowledge you need to do your job should find you, wherever you’re working. Check out how Shopify, a remote and distributed team since 2014, leverages knowledge management to power their remote workforces. Proper documentation and a trustworthy knowledge base is at the core of healthy and effective remote teams. Find out more about why knowledge management is critical for remote teams.
If you're already a Guru customer and you want to import these templates to your own Guru instance, we’ve created our Remote Work framework to make the documentation of your remote work policies quick and easy. Learn how to import a collection framework to start working with them today.
We’d like to acknowledge the fact that not everyone has the ability to work remotely. Please bear in mind that workers across industries are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Find ways to support local businesses, tip generously (if you have the ability to do so), and continue to be mindful that those of us who get the opportunity to work remotely are among the few and the lucky.
If you are in the midst of a transition to remote work, we're here to help. This post includes a range of resources to document new policies, equip teams with the knowledge that they need to do their jobs (wherever they are), and get everyone on the same page during these complex times.
Top 3 priorities while transitioning to remote work:
Get everyone on the same page. Successfully transitioning to a fully-remote workforce means everyone needs to be aligned on policies, able to refer to them whenever they need to, and trust that they are up to date.
Support each other. There are a ton of uncertainties right now. Prioritize supporting those around you however you can.
If you’re feeling shaken-up by the sudden rush to remote work, you’re not alone. For companies with no pre-existing policy in place, this switch can be tedious and at times feel a bit disjointed. Properly outlining your policies and resources will help to ensure that people at your organization feel secure and ready to work from wherever they may be. Here’s a breakdown of the tips you’ll get from this blog to quickly ramp up your remote work:
Remote Work Resources Overview
Remote Work Guidelines
Remote Meeting Etiquette
Remote Communication Guidelines
Remote Scheduling
Remote Work Health & Well-being
Remote Work Help Roundup
Remote work resource hub
This Card serves as your overview for all things remote work. From policy information to mental health resources, this table-of-contents-style card holds the answers to whatever questions (and there are a lot of questions) your teams may have. We are all experiencing a period of rapid change. Information and policies have been changing day by day, hour by hour. Give your teams peace of mind knowing that this is a living document that will be updated and verified as things evolve.
If you’re interested in leveraging a knowledge management tool to get your remote work force up and running check out this step-by-step guide on how to use Guru to transition to remote work and get started with a free account today.
Guidelines for working from home
In times of uncertainty, we are all looking for some guidance, make sure your teams feel that they can rely on the information you’re providing as the best practices that they should follow while working remotely. This template provides ideas on how to frame your new remote work policy in a way that encourages normalcy.
Remote work communication
Communication, communication, communication! It can't be stressed enough. Quality and consistent communication is crucial to a successful remote workforce. Outline your organization’s best practices, tools, and tips for communicating while working from home.
Virtual meetings can feel awkward. Spotty wifi connection, mysterious background noise, and the inevitable “Oh no sorry you go ahead,” are basically unavoidable. To make your meetings run a bit more smoothly and restore a sense of normalcy, create a set of guidelines to follow. Muting yourself and putting on headphones makes a difference people.
When you’re communicating via chat rather than face-to-face (or face-to-screen?) it’s important to bear in mind that neither side of the conversation is able to pick up on the non-verbal cues. This Card outlines some tips on how to best express yourself when communicating over chat.
Solidifying and updating your schedules and calendars is another top priority while making this transition. To make remote work work your daily schedule must be as comprehensive and transparent as possible. This will allow you to set aside time for yourself to step away from work and maintain a healthy work life balance. Use this Card to model your scheduling guidelines, including information on calendar applications, setting boundaries, navigating time zones, and defining the difference between ‘out of office’ and ‘WFH’.
Remote work health and well-being
Understand that remote work can take a toll on mental and physical health. Whether you're transitioning to remote for the long-term, or suddenly in the wake of a global crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, the health and well-being of yourself and your loved ones is priority #1. Every time. Ensure that your colleagues feel supported by providing as much information and as many resources as possible. Here are a few examples of ways to document well-being resources for your remote workforces:
Learnings from remote workforces
If you’re new to working from home entirely; the shift can be daunting. There’s no shortage of new information to absorb. It can be helpful and reassuring to learn from companies and individuals who have been doing this for years. This Card highlights the industry trends of remote work as a whole and teachings from companies that are not new to this type of work.
At Guru we are firm believers that the knowledge you need to do your job should find you, wherever you’re working. Check out how Shopify, a remote and distributed team since 2014, leverages knowledge management to power their remote workforces. Proper documentation and a trustworthy knowledge base is at the core of healthy and effective remote teams. Find out more about why knowledge management is critical for remote teams.
If you're already a Guru customer and you want to import these templates to your own Guru instance, we’ve created our Remote Work framework to make the documentation of your remote work policies quick and easy. Learn how to import a collection framework to start working with them today.
We’d like to acknowledge the fact that not everyone has the ability to work remotely. Please bear in mind that workers across industries are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Find ways to support local businesses, tip generously (if you have the ability to do so), and continue to be mindful that those of us who get the opportunity to work remotely are among the few and the lucky.
Experience the power of the Guru platform firsthand – take our interactive product tour
