How to avoid distributed teams bad practices?

As explained in the article benefits of working with a distributed team, there are lots of gains involved when considering productivity and cost savings for a company. As individuals who are part of a distributed team, there are also many perks. Remote work allows us to work from any location, as long as there is a good internet connection. It provides us with more flexibility and better work & life balance. Yet, to ensure our success as part of a distributed team, you must avoid the following bad practices.

No dedicated workspace

Flexibility is great, yet working from the couch while watching TV, or in bed may not be the best place where to work. These places take away from your focus and make you less productive. Find a dedicated space in which you can call your home office away from others and do your best to set up that pace as you would at your company’s office.

Being available to others while at work

Just because you may be working from home, does not mean it is open season for others to request things from you while you are trying to focus on that report that needs to go out. This means that you are not available to take out the garbage or take your dog out for a walk while you are working. To avoid this bad practice, you must talk with your loved ones and help them understand that this time is not your own. It will take the cooperation of everyone to ensure that when you say that you are not available, you are just not available – period. (hint – a good set of headphones can help!)

Slow internet connection distributed team

You may be the best employee, but if you have at best a bad connection, you are setting yourself up and your team members for failure. Most communications happen over the internet nowadays, and the internet is not a luxury but rather a need for all distributed teams. So don’t skimp on that internet plan, get the best that you can.

Distractions during meetings

Avoid making calls or video conferences from locations like cafes, open-plan offices, or shared areas where the background noise takes away from what you and your team are trying to communicate and where others can interrupt you; if you are at home and have not yet found that dedicated space for yourself, it would be better to take the call from a closet or bathroom than from a common area.

The blurry line between work and personal time

Once again, being flexible does not mean that you should let your personal activities blur in with your work activities – this is called stealing. You must respect your work hours and ensure that what you are doing is work. If you need to take time off, or you need a break, request it from your manager and communicate it to your team so that they know not to interrupt you in your personal time. By you respecting your work hours, you will be respecting your team’s time and your own time as well.

Last but not least, remember that perception can make or break a good deal. By avoiding these bad practices, you will be managing perception, you will be more productive, and you will be well on your way to working from anywhere in the world!

Bibliography:

Book:  ‘Distributed Teams’ The art and practice of working together while physically apart. John O’Duinn

You may be the best employee, but if you have at best a bad connection, you are setting yourself up and your team members for failure. Most communications happen over the internet nowadays, and the internet is not a luxury but rather a need for all distributed teams. So don’t skimp on that internet plan, get the best that you can.