remote work: how to boost productivity — 9 proven tips

The transition to remote work was a stress during the pandemic. By 2022 almost everyone has overcome the stages of denial and anger, some are still bargaining, but the majority have leaned towards acceptance. Now, remote work is not a forced measure, but a modern format of work that opens up unprecedented opportunities for people - there has never been access to such a large number of talented individuals before.

Yandex, Skyeng, Zoon, Workle, Tinkoff Bank have been using full or partial remote work for a long time. We have also been working remotely for a while now, and our team is based in different countries.

Let's talk about how to effectively organize remote team work based on our own experience, not just about setting up a remote workspace or ensuring internet speed at home.

1. Core Principles

We have basic corporate values. These are not just "sterile" abstract concepts, but the foundation that we developed as a team a year ago. All values have been passed through each team member.

External values include openness, structure, and ambition. Internal values include proactivity, teamwork and respect. We also adhere to these values in remote work.

2. Goal Setting

The path to the company's global goal is set through the personal goals of employees. They were all identified during the rebranding process, and each member of the team knows what they are working for and how to achieve it. At the same time, the remote format does not contradict achieving goals.

3. Self-discipline

Colleagues independently manage their time and prioritize tasks. Each person has their own routine and self-organization life hacks:

• — control the information flow by turning off non-work messengers
• — do important tasks first
• — cross off completed tasks from the daily planner
• — take a 5-minute break every 1.5-2 hours for a recharge

4. Planning

Employees' days are scheduled in blocks on Google Calendar. Not only are general meetings or planners written there, but also daily tasks. This additionally organizes the employee, and everyone stays informed about current processes.

5. Flexible schedule

Our team lives in different time zones. Therefore, we practice a flexible start of the day with a standard eight-hour workday. We synchronize ourselves with Moscow time. We meet daily at 10.00 for a 15-minute planner - this sets the rhythm of work.

6. Communication and Collaborative Work

Remote work involves maximizing digital opportunities. It is important to find convenient programs for communicating with each team member. Here are several services we use:

Google Docs – a resource for documents that allows participants to make edits simultaneously and leave comments.

Miro – an interactive board for ideas, collaborative internal and commercial projects. A project in reality format.

Bitrix24 is a CRM system that is also used for internal communication among employees. It's an all-in-one solution.

Google Calendar is a service for scheduling meetings, events, and tasks. We use it for team collaboration, even if you prefer paper planners.

Google Meet is a platform for internal video meetings and allows us to transition from a task in Google Calendar directly to a video conference. It's perfect for internal calls.

Zoom is only used for meetings with clients.

Telegram is used for urgent communication within the team. The one.

WhatsApp is only used for communication with foreign clients.

Electronic document management (EDM) is used for exchanging documents with clients and partners. It deprives us of the title of kings of paper.

7. Control System

Our control system for completed tasks consists of daily meetings and weekly reports. During meetings, we discuss current processes, tasks, deadlines, responsible parties, what was done the previous day, and plans for the next day.

8. Corporate Etiquette

There are rules for remote work. Some of them are:

• — we do not write in group chats information that concerns only one person
• — we do not call without warning, we coordinate unscheduled calls so as not to distract each other from work
• — we respond to emails received in the mailbox within an hour
• — we communicate politely, greet each other, give detailed answers to questions
• — when criticizing, we offer solutions: for any remark, there is a suggestion on what and how to change

9. Trusting Relationships

We communicate in a non-work-related chat, send emojis, gifs, and top memes, ask about what's happening with each of us. We provide more autonomy, encourage and motivate working towards results, hold offsite meetings, and gather in coworking spaces — all of these bring the team together.

The effectiveness of remote work depends not only on an individual in the team. It largely depends on how successfully work processes are arranged in the company, especially in remote work. Then, remote work becomes not a limitation of opportunities, but an opportunity for growth.