For most employees, remote working was something unimaginable just a few years ago. But ever since COVID-19 forced us to set up our offices virtually, many have been able to experience the benefits: a greater work-life balance, no rush-hour commutes, and distraction-free concentration.
Thanks to the significant advancements in technologies, processes, and the evolution of workplace culture, remote working has become the model of choice.
In fact, 83% of employees don’t want to go back to the office full time. And, of that subset, 20% want to work remotely full time. Clearly, remote working is here to stay.
The idea of working from anywhere can be thrilling but is still unfamiliar to a lot of people. That is why, when joining a tech startup that offers full-time remote working – like BOOM – you want to be prepared.
Here are three things you need to know to manage the transition to remote working:
1 – Familiarize yourself with the technologies
Even before joining a tech startup, you’ll want to check out if they can offer the business-critical technologies to support remote work so you can thrive in your new role. This could be access to shared drives, collaboration and communication software, productivity solutions, and more.
It’s also more important in a remote role to attend technology onboarding and training sessions because you’ll be interacting with your team via your laptop.
Additional top tips to help navigate new technology:
- Check your WiFi at home – if it’s not speedy or reliable enough to enable you to make video calls or run programs you may need to invest in a WiFi booster.
- Make a note of who you can ask for support or troubleshooting when IT plays up (as it inevitably will do at some point!)
- Keep all your login credentials for different software memorable.
- Noise-canceling headphones, wireless keyboards and mouses and second screens are all great add-ons to your workspace to make it more comfortable and productive. Check whether your new company will provide any of these.
2 – Build a rapport with your team
In your first week of work, your new company should organize meetings with other members of the team to say hello and get to know you – this is a great way of easing you into the role and finding out a bit more about the company culture.
As you settle into your new job, one can often feel a little isolated if you aren’t getting much screen time with colleagues or clients. To create those ‘water cooler’ moments like you would have in a physical office, schedule regular video calls with team members. Although not spontaneous, they are a great way to build a rapport with each other virtually. They can even be useful ways to creatively solve problems or spark ideas – or just have an enjoyable catch-up over coffee!
If there is the opportunity to join an off-site gathering or meet with a colleague face-to-face, these are always incredibly valuable to help cement good working relationships with others.
3 – Find your own unique work/life balance
The merits of working from home are many but you can easily get sucked into distractions that cause your work hours to spill into your leisure time and vice versa. This is why it’s important to structure your days efficiently – and in a way that works uniquely for you.
Some tried and tested methods of finding that balance from remote workers include:
- ‘Clocking in and out’ of work at the same time.
- Going for a walk before and after work to simulate a commute – but without the rush-hour traffic!
- Setting aside the most important tasks for the part of the day you feel most productive – whether morning or afternoon – and doing your admin around that.
- Setting up a predesignated workspace to help stay distraction-free and set a healthy work-life boundary.
The increased flexibility and autonomy that remote working provides opens up so much opportunity for both employees and employers: increased productivity and happiness are just two of the benefits.
That is why now is a great time to work at a dynamic, forward-thinking technology startup.
Fancy working at BOOM? Check out our current job offers now!
