The first session of the webinar themed FOW Connect: Establishing Remote Employee & Developing Teams, first of which one of our business partners Expertera started, took place yesterday.

In the first session of the webinar with the participation of Gonçalo Hall, Hassan Osman and Karen LaGraff, we took many notes on the concept of 'home office' that we have been trying to get used to nowadays.

In our country, there is a lot to learn and practice about the culture of remote work, which many employees and employers have just begun to adopt. And what we all need to do first is to share the experiences we have gained these days.

Have a good read & practice! We wish you healthy days!

You're not alone!

First of all, let's agree on this: You are not alone, we are not alone. When these times pass and everything becomes normal, there will be times when we work from home (maybe even more than before), and then you will not be alone! Although people are physically separated from each other, it is very important to make the employees feel that they are spiritually together at heart. The executives have the biggest role in this sense. Texting every day, calling for a minute, asking "How are you?" and asking if someone has a need can easily replace the close contact that is lost while remote working.

Now it is up to you!

Preparation phases, traffic, money that is spent on the way to work...  In the culture of remote work, we abolish many more mandatory financial and emotional preparation phases that we have to perform while going to work. In this way, we save a lot of time. It is now possible to use these times well, take a rest, maybe do sports or spend extra time with your kids!

Clear and simple communication!

In this period, transparent, continuous and clear communication will keep us together. It becomes valuable that the top managements convey information to their employees regularly.

Teams can make short video calls at the same time every morning. Going through works together, or even doing a similar job at the end of the day while finishing up will make it easier for the team to follow up on their work.

If possible, use messaging services such as Slack or WhatsApp for internal correspondence, and choose e-mail for external correspondence. Write short and clear e-mails that do not exceed 5 sentences; if you think the problem is still not understood, do not dwell on it and switch to the video call immediately! The fact that those who know a lot cannot explain what they know is called the curse of knowledge. The other person may not have comprehensive knowledge about the subject as much as you do or the level of understanding between each other may be weakened because of your low physical contact... Do not get caught up in this curse; look for ways to solve the problem as soon as possible.

Stick to your rituals!

Try to get up at the same time every morning.

Dress like you're going to work, or at least take off your pajamas O

Do Facetime with your colleagues during your coffee breaks.

Do not be at the computer at lunchtime, try to eat with your family.

Stick to your time zone, there is no one to stop you because you are at home, but don't be fooled by it. If necessary, set up your alarm and avoid overworking.

To executives: Being home does not mean not working!

Unfortunately, many companies have common problems; interpreting "working from home" as not working at all O

To avoid this situation, executives have duties. If you have such an opinion, have a one-on-one conversation with your team every morning. Go through your work. Set measurable, clear goals. Once you see that most of these works are done at the end of the day, you will see that there is no such problem. If you encounter such a problem, do not hesitate to give your feedback transparently and go over the problem with your teammate.

Rules must also exist at home!

Just as there are certain rules you have to obey in the office environment, try to obey these rules at home as much as possible in terms of work discipline. For instance, make sure that your desk or background is not too messy and that your outfit is appropriate while making a video call with your client.

But what about the post-crisis?

These days will surely pass. Maybe because we will adapt to the culture of remote work, we will keep up with it more or return to our old routines by going back to our offices. Then what is going to happen? The post-crisis is as important as the crisis itself. What do we aim for when we return to our normal lives after these periods, what are the upcoming projects? It is good to start planning and thinking about them all now!

We will pick up from where we left off at noon today.

We will be waiting for you. Here the participation link: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fowconnect-thriving-in-a-remote-world-tickets-100536005900 

the 4C1H team