10 good teleworking practices to know

What are the best teleworking practices you need to know to turn this new working environment into a total success?

Between new professional aspirations and confinement, the home office has intensified in recent months, offering a number of advantages: cost savings, flexibility, increased productivity, and so on.

But the period of confinement has had one particular feature: telecommuting has sometimes been undergone, total and carried out in cohabitation with loved ones. All the more reason to look into the best practices for avoiding the pitfalls!

There are 10 of them, and we reveal them to you in this article.

No.1: Draw on a teleworking charter

In order to set the framework and establish clear rules, it is recommended that companies draw up a charter of good teleworking practices. By defining the conditions of the home office, the employer is reassured and every employee has the same level of information.

This charter may, for example, cover the definition of :

• which days can be teleworked, as some companies prefer to maintain compulsory face-to-face days to preserve team cohesion ;
• possible workplaces. Does the employee have to work from home? Is it possible to work remotely from a relative's home or from a coworking space?
• time slots during which everyone must remain connected;
• communication rules. What channels should be used? Should an employee be allowed to remain undisturbed while carrying out tasks requiring intense concentration?
• Etc.

N°2: Adopt good teleworking management practices

If you're a manager, you'll need to adopt a number of practices to provide a better telecommuting experience for both the employee and the company.

Here are a few best practices for learning to manage from a distance:

• Avoid micro-management. Micro-management is already not recommended in normal circumstances, and even more so in telecommuting, where some managers feel the need to control everything.
  So how do you go about it? Set your teams objectives and deadlines, then let them organize themselves to achieve them on time.
  
• Careful communication. Always be clear about the objectives and stakes of the missions entrusted to your employees. Also, establish frameworks for your exchanges, setting out in advance the recurrence of points and their purpose.
  
• Empower and trust. It's a well-known fact that employees who feel empowered are more committed and productive. So, even when working remotely, trust us!
  
• Remain available. Even if you give your teams a certain amount of freedom, make yourself available and responsive when they need your support.
  
• Be a good listener. Some employees sometimes encounter difficulties, particularly when forced to telework. For example, some parents have had to juggle their professional duties with their children. Show empathy and adapt, for example by adjusting meeting times.
  
• Help them get to grips with the tools. Finally, it's worth noting that managerial support also comes into play when it comes to getting to grips with digital tools. While they are absolutely essential in such a context, bear in mind that some teleworkers find it extremely difficult to use them.

N°3: Use the right tools to collaborate

When working from home, you need to be able to continue communicating and collaborating with your team, without the virtual world becoming a barrier.

To do this, it's important to use professional tools designed to facilitate and secure exchanges and processes.

For example:

• 🛠️ Communication software → like Slack, these tools are recommended for spontaneous communication, when you need to unblock a situation, escalate a difficulty for example. They also enable you to stay connected to the company and reachable, a token of trust for your managers.
  
• 🛠️ Videoconferencing software → solutions such as Zoom are indispensable for holding remote work meetings and other one-to-ones. What's more, they humanize long-distance relations, a benefit for isolated people.
  
• 🛠️ Document management software → with a tool like Google Drive, you create, share and store your work documents. It's also possible to collaborate remotely on the same text, spreadsheet, etc.
  
• 🛠️ Project management software → project management solutions, such as Project Monitor, enable you to allocate and track different tasks and assignments, and organize work and resources in general.
  
• 🛠️ Collaborative platforms → these software packages, such as SharePlace, go even further, offering a wide range of collaboration and communication-related functionalities (project management, task management, document management, messaging, etc.).

The Digital Transformation Barometer, conducted by Appvizer in November 2020, highlights the importance of being well-equipped to work effectively from home:

N°4: Guarantee IT security

The confinement caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an increase in cyber-attacks... all the more so in a context where many companies are not sufficiently training their employees in IT risks.

Here are a few best practices to be aware of:

• If your company has an IT security charter, please respect it scrupulously, especially if you work from home.
  
• Only use the equipment provided by your company, and never your personal tools. In fact, your work computer is already set up to ensure its security, particularly in terms of antivirus software. Likewise, don't install applications not authorized by your company.
  
• Secure your access to company tools. We recommend the use of a password manager such as LockPass. 100% French and ANSSI-certified, this software allows you to centralize all your organization's logins, share some of them and simplify access to your applications.
  
• Make sure you install the various updates, which are often offered to close security loopholes.
  
• Stay alert to phishing attempts. Beware, for example, of e-mails and attachments from unknown senders.

N°5: Get the right equipment

While we've seen that you should first and foremost use the computer or cell phone provided by the company, we also suggest that you have :

• an external screen, useful if you're working with several tabs;
• a headset and a microphone, so that you can take care of your videoconferences with complete peace of mind, especially if you're working close to family and friends;
• and, of course, a good wifi connection.

N°6 : Work from a dedicated space

Whenever possible (because we're not all in the same boat), recreate a real workspace in your own home. Avoid working from your bed or sofa, as this forces you to adopt positions that are not very ergonomic and not recommended for your health.

The ideal solution is to dedicate a room in your home to telecommuting, or at least a desk. Not only will this be good for your posture and productivity, but it also creates a much-needed boundary between your professional and personal life.

N°7 : Set rules for yourself

Getting organized at home requires discipline... for you and for your loved ones.

For example, set yourself daily and weekly goals and try to stick to them. Impose strict timetables on yourself (start and end times in particular), with breaks in between, just as you would at the office.

At the same time, establish rules with the people who live with you so that you're not disturbed all the time while you're working. In particular, communicate your meeting times, or the times when you need maximum concentration. And of course, plan joint breaks with them, such as at lunchtime.

N°8: Structure your working day

Knowing where to start can be more complicated when telecommuting than when working face-to-face. That's why we suggest structuring your day, using an online diary for example. This allows you to :

• plan urgent tasks or those requiring greater concentration in the morning, before fatigue sets in;
• avoid multitasking, a practice reputed to be highly detrimental to productivity;
• let your colleagues know when you don't want to be disturbed;
• take breaks to recharge your batteries.

💡 Have you heard of the Pomodoro method? This technique involves structuring your day as follows: 5-minute break every 25 minutes of work. The result? You can concentrate intensely on one task at a time.

N°9: Create moments of conviviality with your colleagues

Informal communication is one of the pillars of the company. And the good news is that it's possible to reproduce them when telecommuting!

Your company shouldn't be deprived of this, as social moments and spontaneous exchanges not only maintain the social bond between employees, but also prevent the isolation of some people in the event of forced teleworking. Encouragement, celebrating victories, catching up on news... we need them more than ever in the home office.

So why not introduce virtual coffee breaks? Or set up a little morning greeting ritual, for example?

N°10: Disconnect!

Let's not forget that the boundary between professional and private life becomes increasingly blurred when telecommuting. That's why you need to learn to disconnect:

• It's out of the question to check your e-mails in the evening after your day's work. The right to disconnect also applies at home!
• Take advantage of your lunch break to do some exercise or meditation. You'll soon see the benefits to your physical and mental health.
• Listen to your body. When the need arises, take a break to pour yourself a cup of tea or stretch your legs.

All these moments of disconnection are opportunities to recharge your batteries, and come back even more productive so you can tackle your missions with the utmost efficiency.