Slack should not be considered synchronous, and in moments of conflict should not be used. Defaulting to a higher fidelity environment is crucial. Get on the phone or video if possible.
Share this tip
Slack should not be considered synchronous, and in moments of conflict should not be used. Defaulting to a higher fidelity environment is crucial. Get on the phone or video if possible.
Document more. Use asynchronous collaboration tools whenever possible (e.g. Jira, not Slack). Be respectful of other people's time. Solve things by yourself but if stuck for more than 15 mins then ask for help.
Share this tip
Document more. Use asynchronous collaboration tools whenever possible (e.g. Jira, not Slack). Be respectful of other people's time. Solve things by yourself but if stuck for more than 15 mins then ask for help.
You need to have more 1-1s and ad hoc calls then usual. Processes for sharing more in writing, like roadmaps, meetings reports, updates. Regular cadence of offline meetings at least once per quarter. Also - immediate ...
Share this tip
You need to have more 1-1s and ad hoc calls then usual. Processes for sharing more in writing, like roadmaps, meetings reports, updates. Regular cadence of offline meetings at least once per quarter. Also - immediate feedback when you see things are not working. You can have a conversation in the kitchen with the colleagues when you are in one office but it is hard to do it when you are remote.
If you’re headed offline for lunch, or need to step out to walk the dog for 10 minutes, it's helpful if you let the team know what you're up to and how quickly you can respond to messages. We’ve found that a best prac...
Share this tip
If you’re headed offline for lunch, or need to step out to walk the dog for 10 minutes, it's helpful if you let the team know what you're up to and how quickly you can respond to messages. We’ve found that a best practice for letting others know where you are is to set your Slack status. It helps your team know how quickly they can expect a response from you, rather than leaving them wondering where you’ve gone.
Overcommunicate on Slack/email and record as many meetings as you can (and share those on Slack for others to consume). Disseminating information is a major contribution in a remote environment. Remote teams which wri...
Share this tip
Overcommunicate on Slack/email and record as many meetings as you can (and share those on Slack for others to consume). Disseminating information is a major contribution in a remote environment. Remote teams which write clearly, succinctly and w/ enough context can minimize back and forth while maximizing understanding.
Adopt a write it down culture (Amazon narrative style). It enables everyone to contribute across time zones and languages. It also has an added benefit of ensuring that the loudest voice in the room doesn’t always car...
Share this tip
Adopt a write it down culture (Amazon narrative style). It enables everyone to contribute across time zones and languages. It also has an added benefit of ensuring that the loudest voice in the room doesn’t always carry meetings. It’s far more inclusive.
No such thing as overcommunicating. Write everything down. Send lots of emails. File issues for everything. Link your Slack threads from issues and emails so they're not lost in the wind. Accompany your PRs with scree...
Share this tip
No such thing as overcommunicating. Write everything down. Send lots of emails. File issues for everything. Link your Slack threads from issues and emails so they're not lost in the wind. Accompany your PRs with screenshots. When in trouble, ask for help immediately.
Define parameters from the beginning. Everyone needs to be very clear about how they prefer to engage. Decide what tools will be used. Always let everyone know they are valued and will be heard.
Share this tip
Define parameters from the beginning. Everyone needs to be very clear about how they prefer to engage. Decide what tools will be used. Always let everyone know they are valued and will be heard.
Making sure to follow up on assigned work is an important aspect when working remotely. Without following up, a project or task may be backlogged -- until you realize the deadline is tomorrow. Being consistent about n...
Share this tip
Making sure to follow up on assigned work is an important aspect when working remotely. Without following up, a project or task may be backlogged -- until you realize the deadline is tomorrow. Being consistent about notifying your coworkers and managers about your completed work allows your progress to be tracked and ensures goals will be met for monthly/weekly sprints.
If you don’t discuss Slack etiquette, don’t expect anyone to have good Slack etiquette. Every time you send a message, especially to a group, you are potentially interrupting their work. This is like standing up in th...
Share this tip
If you don’t discuss Slack etiquette, don’t expect anyone to have good Slack etiquette. Every time you send a message, especially to a group, you are potentially interrupting their work. This is like standing up in the middle of the office and saying loudly so everyone can hear everything you want to say. Would you do that, if it’s important, yes.
Since tone is mostly lost when reading Slack conversations... and you may not have met a fellow team member in person yet... we ask everyone to always assume best intentions with messages. Usually, the tone is just ac...
Share this tip
Since tone is mostly lost when reading Slack conversations... and you may not have met a fellow team member in person yet... we ask everyone to always assume best intentions with messages. Usually, the tone is just accidentally misinterpreted.
Don't sit around and wait for communication to happen. Fight your tendency to feel stupid about asking questions. Remember that you're not in the same room as that person, so you have to go out of your way to be commu...
Share this tip
Don't sit around and wait for communication to happen. Fight your tendency to feel stupid about asking questions. Remember that you're not in the same room as that person, so you have to go out of your way to be communicative and active in chat/emails. You'll feel more connected and be happier.
Learn to think asynchronously -- respect others' schedules, write carefully to be maximally clear, and don't hesitate to reach out in real time when that's what the situation demands. #1 error new hires make is trying...
Share this tip
Learn to think asynchronously -- respect others' schedules, write carefully to be maximally clear, and don't hesitate to reach out in real time when that's what the situation demands. #1 error new hires make is trying to tough things out when a quick call with an old-timer or their manager would solve the problem immediately.
Document everything. We recently moved to Notion and our docs and task templates and content boards are all much more accessible than they ever were before. I think in order to have a high functioning remote team you ...
Share this tip
Document everything. We recently moved to Notion and our docs and task templates and content boards are all much more accessible than they ever were before. I think in order to have a high functioning remote team you need well documented procedures, templates, and notes.
Judge on outputs. Default to trust. Always assume best intentions. If communication isn't working, change the medium or style. Empathy is the key to building relationships.
Share this tip
Judge on outputs. Default to trust. Always assume best intentions. If communication isn't working, change the medium or style. Empathy is the key to building relationships.
Overcommunicate. Being remote you miss out on the hallway conversations so it's really important to stay as connected as possible to the information that's being shared and the culture of the team.
Share this tip
Overcommunicate. Being remote you miss out on the hallway conversations so it's really important to stay as connected as possible to the information that's being shared and the culture of the team.
Voicing your opinion lets you engage in discussion and put forth your opinion and I believe that any discussion is a positive discussion that can be learned from. A great way to do this would be having weekly team mee...
Share this tip
Voicing your opinion lets you engage in discussion and put forth your opinion and I believe that any discussion is a positive discussion that can be learned from. A great way to do this would be having weekly team meetings where goals and accomplishments are discussed. In general, I try to speak up at least once per call and I am always happy when others ask for my opinion on certain designs/implementations. Contributing often shows that you care about your work and are welcome to criticism. By speaking up, you are taking a leadership role and steering the discussion towards a conclusion which everyone can agree upon.
Be clear and concise in all communication. A lack of physical cues and different semantic interpretations can cause misunderstandings and frustrations that would not usually occur in an office.
Share this tip
Be clear and concise in all communication. A lack of physical cues and different semantic interpretations can cause misunderstandings and frustrations that would not usually occur in an office.
Remote has a special place in our hearts at Nira. We’re a fully remote team with folks based all over the world. We love working remotely! And we love helping our team (plus everyone else!) have a better experience working remotely. Nira is a product that helps any team - remote, distributed or in an office - find information across the company, faster. Read our Remote Work Report