Remote Work Playbook

REMOTE WORK PLAYBOOK

INTRO In the past two years, the face of the workplace in Australia has completely shifted. Almost every single organisation in the world has been forced to trial remote work, and for many employers and employees alike this experience has transformed their views on how they‘d prefer to work.

In the past, the ability to work from home was seen as a luxury, only offered by a select few companies.

Now, we’re seeing a shift to having at least a few days remote as a higher priority, with candidates only applying to companies that meet their newfound desire for flexibility.

As Australia begins to open up again, a report from GitLab found that 34% of surveyed employees would look for a new remote role if remote options were removed from their current position. A further 84% of respondents viewed having the option to work from home as a competitive advantage for an employer.

Harnessing the power of remote work is essential for any company, so in this playbook we wanted to dive into the do’s and don’ts to consider when looking at continuing a work from home option.

Proportion of Australians working from home at least some of the time*

42%

67%

Pre-COVID

NOW

*Results of The Families in Australia Survey by The Australian Institute of Family Studies

STAGES OF REMOTE Remote work has become especially popular in the wake of COVID-19, and has been shown as a way to balance the demands of life and work. Remote work covers many different types of jobs, with two dominating categories: fully remote and hybrid.

Fully Remote With fully remote workers, employers can save money on office space, commute costs and acquisition cost for new employees. Employees who work remotely often have more time with their families and friends while working in the comfort of home.

This kind of work also offers a lot of flexibility, with many employees reaching a better work-life balance.

There are some drawbacks to fully remote work. Many companies have a strong culture of collaboration and communication through in-person meetings and informal conversations over coffee at the water cooler.

Some employees thrive on this type of atmosphere, and creating a similar environment online is a challenge for all remote workplaces.

In addition, while many people have seen an improvement in their worklife balance, others have found it increasingly difficult to “switch off” from work.

For companies that offer remote only work, it’s essential to have the infrastructure to support a healthy approach to remote work.

A key element of this is creating a supportive environment that encourages employees to take appropriate breaks. This includes both during the work day to get up and away from your work desk, finishing the work day and taking holidays as appropriate to reduce the risk of burnout.

Employers looking at remote options should consider whether their industry will be able to accommodate it. For example, some industries such as engineering and manufacturing require employees to be onsite.

However, many other businesses can benefit from allowing their workers more flexibility in where they work so long as the job gets done.

Hybrid There are many variations of hybrid work, and each company’s definition can be different. For some organisations hybrid work means allowing all employees to work the occasional day or two from home, while others have fixed in-office and from home days. Some organisations may also only permit a selection of

their employees to work remotely, either due to the nature of their role or other criteria such as tenure at the organisation.

Generally, hybrid work can be defined as any arrangement where employees can do a number of days in the office and others remotely. This class of work is becoming increasingly popular as workplaces continue to open up.

From an employer’s perspective it makes sense to have a mix of employees working from home and in the office to take advantage of the benefits each type of work offers.

Hybrid work also comes with individual challenges. While organisations can reap the benefits of fully remote and onsite working in hybrid environments, this kind of work requires a more focused, well-executed strategy to work successfully.

The biggest consideration in hybrid work is the divide between onsite and remote workers. Some workers may work completely onsite or remote, and as a result their experiences within organisations without sufficient infrastructure to support these two different styles can create a rift between staff. These issues can be addressed by adopting a remote-first approach.

34%

of respondents would look for a new remote role if remote options were removed from their current position

84%

Of surveyed candidates viewed having the option to work from home as a competitive advantage for an employer.

ADOPTING A REMOTE FIRST APPROACH 68% of healthy teams are hybrid or fully remote Source: The State of Teams, Atlassian, 2021. A study of 1568 knowledge workers across Australia and the U.S.

Whether you’re going completely remote or reopening your physical office for staff to use in a hybrid approach, adopting remote-first practices will be beneficial to your team. While there was a rush to go remote in the early months of 2020, employers now have the time, and hopefully some experience, to be intentional about how they structure their remote first approach to work.

It’s not an easy task, but with the right tools and strategies it can be done. If you’re looking to hire remote employees or want to grow or maintain your current team, these are things that you need to ensure everyone feels supported and can do their best work.

Treat every employee as remote If your organisation has a mix of both in-office and at home employees, it’s important that they receive consistent treatment. The easiest way to do this is to treat all employees as if they are working remotely. This in turn ensures that there is organisation wide adoption of remote platforms, and that remote employees have equitable access to information and promotion opportunities.

Lead from the front Senior members of the organisation working remotely is one of the easiest ways to demonstrate an organisation wide commitment to remote work. It will also make some employees that are potentially wary about missed opportunities feel more comfortable with continuing the practice.

Ensure you have the correct infrastructure and processes Ensure you have a dedicated system, platform or process for employee communications that is consistent across the organisation and that all employees have access to. Making sure your team can communicate with each other in both a work and social capacity not only increases productivity but makes people happier as well and can increase retention rates.

Have clear channels of communication Create an open environment where remote workers feel comfortable asking questions without feeling like they are bothering anyone else. Be open with your employees so that there are no assumptions about what you expect from them and what kind of output you’re looking for when it comes to completing tasks or projects.

Create a cultural playbook When we work in offices, we often share and learn the workplace culture organically. When this is translated into a remote first approach, it’s important that any organisation has a clear, constantly updated playbook.

This gives staff new and existing alike a frame of reference for how they and others should interact, and details all the classically implied elements of your organisation’s culture.

When it comes to remote workers, try not to micromanage.

It is important that employees feel autonomous in their work so they can stay motivated and excited about what they’re doing. Micromanaging will only lead them to feeling unappreciated or like there’s no room for creativity when completing tasks. Employees should be given the freedom of choice when it comes time for them to complete a project, which gives them more control over how things are done; this helps make sure they know you trust their judgement!

Gather in person Regardless of whether your company is completely remote or hybrid, leaders should be purposeful about including in-person components as a method to develop relationships and strengthen culture. This can include annual conferences or meetups, local coworking days or providing staff with the resources they need to travel to other locations and offices to visit each other.

It’s not an easy task, but with the right tools and strategies it can be done

FIND THE RIGHT HIRES Make expectations clear during the hiring process.

If you want to hire remotely, make sure that it’s clear from the start what working remotely means in the context of your organisation. If taking on a hybrid approach, make sure you clarify and agree on the number of days in office and remote, to avoid hiccups further down the track.

Look for candidates that reflect your values Hire people who agree with and embrace your company’s principles. A strong alignment with company values often creates the strongest company culture, while being more inclusive than the classic “cultural fit”.

Find candidates with the right qualities for remote work While a candidate may be a good technical fit, there’s a lot more than that to making a good remote employee. Look for candidates that are dependable, trustworthy, empathetic and have excellent communication skills. Remote work candidates should also value self-development and autonomy in their work.

Consider the impact of timezones While remote work has opened up a pool of workers not just across Australia, but also the world, it’s important to consider one of the major impacts: the difference in time zones. When hiring internationally this difference is often most pronounced.

Think about how this fits in with how your business operates; do you have the ability to work asynchronously, or is it important for team members to be at work at the same time? On the other hand, if you need to offer around-the-clock service, can you hire candidates in different timezones to fill the gap when your local employees are out of work hours?

Hire people who agree with and embrace your Company Values

ONBOARD FOR SUCCESS A well implemented onboarding plan is crucial to the long term success of remote hires. Unlike in a traditional in-office on boarding process, new remote hires won’t have the same opportunities to ask questions and absorb information. Making sure you have the right structures in place to make a new hire feel welcome and empowered is crucial.

The three most important elements of onboarding are:

The organisation

The technology

The people

This is where an organisational playbook is essential. Through this the new employee can learn about the culture and values of the company, while also having access to answers for the many logistical questions they may have.

What platforms are new hires expected to use? How do they gain access to them, and who will train them on best practise? It’s important to get new team members using the correct tools as soon as possible, so they start their tenure with the organisation with good habits.

Make sure they have access to all systems and email access on their first day. These tools should also empower them to engage with and learn from other staff members.

Meeting everyone in an office on your first day can be daunting. Trying to get an idea of who’s on your team when you’re working remotely can sometimes be even worse. Make sure there is a social element to any onboarding process, and that new team members feel welcome to join in on staff conversation. Whether this is through a dedicated social platform or a virtual team meeting, feeling connected from day one helps build a positive work culture.

Structure new employee’s first few days day and pre-book face-time with the key team members over zoom. If you can buddy them up with someone even better.

MAKE YOUR REMOTE WORK SETUP SUSTAINABLE

A dedicated area to work If this isn’t available, consider a co-working space

An established schedule and routine Make sure you know when to start and finish work, and take breaks.

When working remotely it’s important to ensure that you have an ergonomic and sustainable workspace setup to reduce long-term strain and fatigue. It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that employees have access to the tools and equipment they need to work safely.

While every workplace is different and requirements may vary, some key elements of a sustainable set-up are:

A supportive chair

An eye-level screen

Your chair should support your spine and be comfortable enough to sit in for long periods of time.

Whether you choose to use an external monitor or a laptop raiser, the screen you use should be at eye level to reduce strain on your neck.

An external keyboard and mouse Your keyboard and mouse should be in a comfortable position level with your elbow that minimises strain and repetitive movement.

Bright and/or natural light Low light causes your eyes to strain and will quickly make your eyes tired.