5 Challenges of Remote Working
A Developers Perspective
We are very fortunate in the way we work at Attollo in these unprecedented times. We work remotely and purely in the cloud, so having an office is more of a social aspect in building and strengthening relationships within the team and a common meeting point for people to help out doing their everyday work. Since the self-isolation, working from home has been a seamless transition apart from the following which I took for granted back in the office. On reflection I would say the following tips:
1. Sociological need
The need to belong is very important, especially within society (we are social creatures after all). This is no different within a team where every person has an important role to fulfill but the isolation can sometimes make you feel alienated. It’s good to keep the social connections going with can be alleviated by setting up communication channels within Teams/Skype/Zoom etc. to keep that interaction going with regular chats. Here at Attollo, we have a Monday stand-up (what we did last week, any issues that need to be raised/addressed and what the plan is for this week), with Weds and Fridays 16:30-17:00 where we all get on and have some banter and is a great stress reliever. Laughter is certainly good for our team’s morale unless you are the butt of the joke. 😉
2. Connectivity
When you are in the office you take for granted how much you use the internet. Internet reliability, high speeds, and low latency becomes second nature like turning on a tap and getting cold, fresh, clean water.
When you are at home, ensure your modem, the router is configured correctly and working as expected. Making sure they have the latest firmware and updates to them, nothing worse or frustrating than randomly losing your connection all of the time more so when you are remoting onto another computer/server.
We use the internet for all “kinds of things” in Attollo from communications, documentation, meetings, installations, development, writing new functionality/apps or simply bug fixing which are all vital “in the day to day” running of Attollo.
Making the most of your connectivity is vital for home well-being with the ease of connecting to the outside world.
3. Creature comforts
We’ve all been there, when you have a boring task ahead or just need to crack on with it, having your creature comforts around you can “make or break” stimulation and creativity whether that be plants, family photos, music, lighting, and even temperature.
Weather permitting here in the UK, we are now entering Spring and is a good opportunity to stretch the legs if you can, bearing in mind of the isolation rules.
4. Creating an inviting workspace
In the office being regulated by the DSE which is a legal requirement but at home these lines become blurred. Ensuring you have the right equipment, hardware, software, and tools, so you can fulfill your role to the best of your ability is crucial to mind, body and soul. Desk height, monitor size, correct posture; have a decent chair (as you are going to be sat in it for 8 hours a day and your back with thank you for it) is going to affect your state of mind to do your work. Just having these basic things can make a world of difference to your efficiency, tenacity, energy and work ethic.
5. Discipline and fairness
It’s easy when working from home to get distracted with chores/jobs that need to be done around the house and yet it can go the other way. Having clear and defined boundaries of when you should work and when you shouldn’t. Keeping to your regular work pattern and working within your time allocation required for you to complete your work. It’s easy to keep working beyond 17:00-17:30 when you are not required to.
Taking breaks and having a change of scenery helps as well. We’ve all been there when you are stuck on an issue/problem and no matter how much you try to resolve it nothing seems to work. Take a break from it or focus on something else. I always find that after a day sleeping on it helps immensely.
These are just some of the approaches I adopt to help me the way I work. Self-isolation is going to be tough no doubt, but we have no choice but to keep ongoing.
Regardless if you are on your own in a room, you’ll always have your team behind you, supporting you emotionally and mentally. You are never alone; we are all in this together.
Keep doing what you are doing. Keep strong and most importantly, keep safe.
If you’re interested in ways to combat these challenges, check out our latest infographic here the remote workers’ checklist. Making sure you can get the best out of you and your team whilst you’re working remotely.