One of the most important hacks that most organisations are practising at this time of the year is to find new ways of working and bring in new sets of protocols in managing teamwork. The challenges for entrepreneurs have grown and micromanaging is getting important.
In times like this, one has to not only prepare employees in creating a dedicated workstation for themselves at their home but also build a set of protocols to ease work and ensure employees are prepared to follow the procedure with utmost decorum.
Organisations are swearing by the concept of team conference calls in a time like this, especially agencies. We all know that briefs are a very important process for agency folks, so a proper understanding of the same is a must. Unlike working at office, the teams are not physically present around to make a quick run and solve each other’s doubts. Organisations have found a way out: once the team receives the brief on mail, they get on a conference call together to discuss the same. By the end of the call, they all remain on the same page with a proper understanding of all that needs to be done. So: call for clarity!
The teams are making sure that they fix a common in-and-out time to break for lunch. The organisations are telling employees the importance of taking breaks, of sparing time to temporarily drain their brains and completely recharge to ensure that once they satiate their appetite, they’re back online to being their productive best.
Employees at creative agencies facing a creative block aren’t uncommon. But working from home shouldn’t hamper one’s ability to get in touch with colleagues for help just like they do when they’re in office. Ask your employees to feel free to get in touch for help, irrespective of the hierarchy. Considering the current situations, everyone including the top management must come forward to help.
Entrepreneurs and organisations are turning to technology to keep their teams connected. Employees working in the digital advertising industry are the most digitally savvy and brainstorming while at home is tough, but manageable. Wonder applications such as DRAWPILE which acts like a remote whiteboard is the ultimate hack to discuss and brainstorm with your team; it allows your team to create their own virtual conference room, with a white board for everyone to doodle on. Voila!
In a time like this, a lot of companies, agencies and organisations have turned to tech savvy applications and technologies that are helping employees to follow their daily tasks, meet the deadlines, stay connected with the teams and communicate with each other. Here are some we all can refer to:
- Serene: A tool that cuts out distractions, helps you stay focused and complete tasks faster
- Slack: Team communication, the way it should be for remote workers
- Zoom: Video and voice calls for groups and one-to-one
- Spark: A smart e-mail client that stops your inbox from getting in the way of productivity and turns it into an asset
- Chrome Remote Desktop: Access your computer securely from any device and screen share with teammates for stronger collaboration
- Zapier: Save time on repetitive tasks and switching between apps by automating processes (for example: automatically saving Gmail attachments to Google Drive)
- Daywise: Schedule notifications to stop work interrupting your free time
These tools are not only helping organisations and companies to adapt in the current situation but also are also opening newer ways to use technological innovations in the future. It will be interesting to see how the adaption of these changes the work culture in the future.