10 good teleworking practices to be aware of

What are the best teleworking practices you should be aware of to turn this new working environment into a total success?

Between new professional aspirations and confinement, the home office has intensified in recent months, offering a number of advantages: savings, flexibility, increased productivity, and so on.

But the period of confinement has had one thing in particular: teleworking has sometimes been imposed, total and carried out in cohabitation with family and friends. All the more reason to look at the best practices for avoiding the pitfalls!

There are 10 of them, and we reveal them to you in this article.

1: Draw on a teleworking charter

In order to set a framework and establish clear rules, it is recommended that companies draw up a charter of good teleworking practice. By defining the conditions for home office working, the employer is reassured and every employee has the same level of information.

This charter may, for example, cover the definition of :

• which days can be teleworked, as some companies prefer to maintain compulsory face-to-face working days in order to preserve team cohesion ;
• possible places of work. Does the employee have to work from home? Is it possible to work remotely from a friend's home or from a coworking space?
• time slots during which everyone must remain connected;
• communication rules. What channels should be used? Should an employee be allowed to remain undisturbed while carrying out tasks that require a high level of concentration?
• And so on.

2: Adopt good teleworking management practices

If you're a manager, you're going to have to adopt a number of practices to provide a better teleworking experience for both the employee and the company.

Here are a few best practices for learning how to manage from a distance:

• Avoid micro-management. Micro-management is already not recommended in normal circumstances, but even more so in teleworking, where some managers feel the need to control everything.
  So how do you go about it? Set your teams objectives and deadlines, then let them organise themselves to achieve them on time.
  
• Pay attention to communication. Always be clear about the objectives and challenges of the tasks assigned to your staff. Also establish frameworks for your exchanges, setting out in advance the recurrence of points and their purpose.
  
• Give responsibility and trust. It's a well-known fact that an employee who feels empowered is more committed and productive. So even when you're working remotely, put your trust in people!
  
• Remain available. Even if you allow your teams a certain amount of freedom, make yourself available and responsive when they need your support.
  
• Be a good listener. Some employees sometimes encounter difficulties, particularly when forced to telework. For example, some parents have had to juggle their professional duties with their children because of the confinement. Show empathy and adapt, for example by adjusting meeting times.
  
• Help them get to grips with the tools. Finally, note that managerial support also comes into play when it comes to getting to grips with digital tools. While they are absolutely essential in this context, bear in mind that some teleworkers find it very difficult to use them.

3: Use the right tools to collaborate

Working from home requires you to be able to continue to communicate and collaborate with your team, without the virtual world becoming a barrier.

To do this, it's important to use professional tools designed to facilitate and secure exchanges and processes.

For example:

• 🛠️ Communication software → like Slack, these tools are recommended for spontaneous communication, when you need to unblock a situation, to bring up a difficulty for example. They also allow you to stay connected to the company and reachable, a sign of trust for your managers.
  
• 🛠️ Videoconferencing software → solutions such as Zoom are essential for holding remote work meetings and other one-to-ones. What's more, they help to humanise long-distance relationships, a benefit for isolated people.
  
• 🛠️ Document management software → with a tool like Google Drive, you can create, share and store your working documents. It's also possible to collaborate remotely on the same text, spreadsheet, etc.
  
• 🛠️ Project management software → project management solutions, such as Project Monitor, allow you to allocate and monitor different tasks and assignments, and organise work and resources in general.
  
• 🛠️ Collaborative platforms → these software packages, such as SharePlace, go even further by offering a wide range of collaboration and communication functions (project management, task management, document management, messaging, etc.).

The Digital Transformation Barometer, carried out by Appvizer in November 2020, highlights the importance of being well equipped to work effectively from home:

4: Guarantee IT security

The confinement caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an increase in cyber-attacks... all the more so in a context where many companies are not sufficiently training their employees in IT risks.

Here are a few good practices to be aware of:

• If your company has an IT security charter, respect it scrupulously, especially if you work from home.
  
• Only use the equipment provided by your company, and never your personal tools. Your work computer is already set up to ensure security, particularly in terms of anti-virus software. Similarly, do not install applications that are not authorised by your company.
  
• Secure your access to the company's various tools. We recommend using a password manager such as LockPass. 100% French and certified by ANSSI, this software enables you to centralise all your organisation's identifiers, share some of them and simplify access to your applications.
  
• Make sure you install the various updates, which are often offered to plug security loopholes.
  
• Remain vigilant about phishing attempts. Be wary, for example, of emails and attachments from unknown senders.

5: Get the right equipment

While we have seen that you should first and foremost use the computer or mobile phone provided by the company, we also suggest that you have :

• an external screen, useful if you are working with several tabs ;
• a headset and microphone, so that you can take care of your videoconferences, especially if you are working close to family and friends;
• and of course a good wifi connection.

6: Work from a dedicated space

As far as possible (because we're not all in the same boat), create a real workspace in your home. Avoid carrying out your tasks from your bed or sofa, as this forces you to adopt positions that are not very ergonomic and not recommended for your health.

The ideal solution is to dedicate a room in your home to teleworking, or at least a desk. Not only will this be good for your posture and productivity, but it also creates the necessary boundary between your professional and personal life.

7: Set yourself some rules

Getting organised at home requires discipline... both for yourself and for those around you.

For example, set yourself daily and weekly targets and try to stick to them. Set yourself strict timetables (start and end times in particular), with breaks, just as you would at the office.

At the same time, establish rules with the people who live with you so that you are not disturbed all the time during your work. In particular, communicate your meeting times, or the times when you need maximum concentration. And of course, plan joint breaks with them, such as at lunchtime.

8: Structure your working day

Knowing where to start is sometimes more complicated when teleworking than when working face-to-face. That's why we suggest that you structure your day, using an online diary for example. This allows you to :

• plan urgent tasks or those that require more concentration in the morning, before you feel tired ;
• avoid multitasking, a practice known to have a serious impact on productivity;
• let your colleagues know when you don't want to be disturbed;
• set aside time for breaks, which are essential for recharging your batteries.

💡 Have you heard of the Pomodoro method? This technique involves organising your day as follows: 5-minute break every 25 minutes of work. The result? You manage to concentrate intensely on completing one task at a time.

No. 9: Create moments of conviviality with your colleagues

Informal communication is one of the pillars of the company. And the good news is that it's possible to replicate this when teleworking!

Your company shouldn't be deprived of this, because social moments and spontaneous exchanges not only maintain the social link between employees, but also prevent some people from becoming isolated if they are forced to telework. Encouragement, celebrating victories, catching up on news... more than ever we need these things in the home office.

So why not introduce virtual coffee breaks? Or set up a little morning greeting ritual, for example?

10: Disconnect!

Let's not forget that the boundary between work and private life becomes blurred when you telework. That's why you need to learn to disconnect:

• It's out of the question to check your e-mails in the evening after your working day. The right to disconnect also applies at home!
• Take advantage of your lunch break to do some exercise or meditation. You'll soon see the benefits to your physical and mental health.
• Listen to your body. When the need arises, take a break to pour yourself a cup of tea or stretch your legs.

All these moments of disconnection are opportunities to recharge your batteries, and come back even more productive so that you can tackle your tasks as effectively as possible.