The interesting part of remote work is that while it isn’t really new, it has increasingly become an integral part of how businesses operate, and this is causing big changes in work models.
Making remote work a success — in the different ways it is being adopted by various organizations — is thus a non-negotiable requirement. While technology plays an important role, it is much than just that. The success factors for remote work encompass a wide canvas of re-imagined work processes, culture and relationships.
As employees poised to step into this world of remote, here are some key factors that can make it successful for you.
trust – the ‘must have’ ingredient for remote work success.
Remote work is a tightly knit network of a distributed workforce, and trust is what holds it all together. Developing trust calls for knowing how and when to communicate with colleagues in your team, but it also much more than that. You need to make sure that every team member has the mind space to receive the communication, and assimilate it amidst their priorities of remote work. As the next step, you must give your colleagues the trust to manage their schedules, while giving them the assurance of being in it together through empathetic ‘check-ins’.
leveraging digital support structures to the hilt.
Remote work is dependent on digital support to succeed. While as an employee, you look to your organization to provide this support, a lot depends on you, as an employee, to learn and gain expertise to utilize them for maximum success. Take maximum advantage of what the digital workspace offers, with its communication and collaboration tools — and build your innovative thinking on it to create new ideas and engage with your team.
enhancing the limits of digital learning and skilling.
Digital talent is what will accelerate success in the era of hybrid and remote work. This means digital skills is at the core of this acceleration. Step up to expand your digital skills and capabilities so that you not only plug the demand-supply gap in talent to your organization’s advantage, but you also will be better equipped to stand in the forefront of next-gen talent for the future.
a people-driven work culture.
Remote work, which boosts the velocity and impact of your organization to keep it ahead of the competition curve, rests on the foundation of a people-centric culture.
Additionally, hierarchies will become flatter and leaner, and this creates both challenges and opportunities to rewrite the concept of people-centricity. As an employee, you will have innumerable chances to step up and stretch your capabilities. While your
organization will do what it takes to build and encourage such a culture, as an employee, you must be ready to step up, stretch your capabilities — and be a willing participant in architecting sustainable relationships within your team and with the larger ecosystem of stakeholders
efficient and proactive task tracking.
Being a distributed team, you need to know the tasks you are working on, the deadlines — and how they stack up relative to your colleagues’ tasks for your team’s outperformance. Leverage the right task management tools to keep effective track of responsibilities without micromanaging your peers, so that tasks are completed in an
atmosphere of positive team work
The future of work will definitely be one of location-dependent and location-agnostic hybrid strategies. While your organization will determine the optimal balance, based on multiple parameters, you too have a vital role in being an integral part of all the success factors of remote work.
If you’re looking for your next career move or want a confidential chat about movements and opportunities in the market, contact Randstad's specialist consultants here.