It’s no secret that Coronavirus has caused a seismic shift in the way that we work. Remote working has been part of our lives for a number of months now and it seems it will be a feature that will continue to influence the way we do business, even after a return to an office environment.
Cambridge Angels has since the start of lockdown, hosted regular online sessions with both its members and our portfolio. One of the key topics for us, as for most people, has been the non-trivial matter of making remote working work. We’ve collated a list of the top tips for remote working that we’ve heard from our portfolio and our members.
As we head into the summer season, and as remote working fatigue may be starting to set in, we hope that you’ll find these reminder tips handy.
Look after your and your team’s mental health
Exercise regularly, take regular breaks, create a routine, manage your information intake, set a daily ‘no meetings’ period in your team’s diaries
Set the tone
Create an informal chat or social sessions to keep spirits high. Allow for feedback for employees to submit improvement suggestions for how we communicate and work together at this time. Make remote working work for you. Change where you sit, put on music, whatever helps you work. And enjoy the perks – no commute or uncomfortable shoes, and all your home comforts!
Keep in touch
Have a ‘war room’ call with your team at the start of each day and keep all communication explicit and transparent. Keep up one-to-one contact. Be prepared for each meeting to communicate effectively
Conference call tips
Always switch on the camera. Seeing each other’s faces really helps. Use facilitation technologies to help (e.g. Mentimeter and Kaptivo)
Remote customer contact
Behave as if every dollar of revenue is the last you’re going to see from that customer and focus on upselling. Engage with your customers on a human level – their businesses are going through the same crisis. Consider the risk associated with every revenue assumption and put contingency plans in place for each.
