While remote work isn’t a new concept, not all companies are created equal when it comes to their remote work policies. In this guide, we provide best practices for management teams implementing remote work policies for the first time, along with best practices for people working remotely.

Remote work means the flexibility to work from anywhere outside the traditional office setting, whether due to travel or distance to the local office, or by choice. Employees who work remotely might do so 100% of the time or part of the time. Some companies maintain a team of remote or distributed workers, while others call upon a mix of office workers and remote workers.

Why does remote work matter?

Today, more companies are incorporating flexible jobs and remote work into their businesses as a response to the increasing distributed workforce. It’s no wonder the concept of remote––or flexible––work is on the rise. According to Global Workplace Analytics, 40% more of U.S. employers offer flexible or remote work options today than they did five years ago. Research from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy has found that employees become 13% more productive after working from home for an extended period of time.

It’s not just about the technology, it’s about the culture

Remote-work preferences are creating a new work paradigm where employers must provide flexible work options to attract top talent and also acknowledge how and when employees work best. That said, optimizing the performance of remote workers takes deliberate effort. At 8x8, we are huge proponents of practicing what we preach and have worked closely with our employees to create a positive and efficient remote work culture. The 8x8 platform has played a critical role in creating seamless communications and frictionless, high-quality collaboration experiences across voice, video, and messaging regardless of location. But the technology alone is not enough. To truly foster a culture of remote work, organizations need to pair technology with other key elements:

1) Culture/People: Openness, adaptability, and a non-hierarchical culture that values the work-life balance.

• The right hires: self-starters who are likely to perform well outside of the traditional office environment.
• A focus on performance and productivity versus attendance as the real measure of employee value.

2) Process/Policies: With the right framework in place, organizations can empower their remote workers. This includes:

• Accommodating the communication preferences of different generations.
• Implementing company-wide, virtual-work policies and security measures.
• Developing standards for handling meetings and projects remotely and working with freelancers as part of the gig economy, such as by clarifying workstreams and responsibilities.

Establish a workspace that feels comfortable

It goes without saying that even if you have the necessary equipment for a remote work setup, you need somewhere to put it. Find a place in your living space where you can comfortably settle for a few hours. Break up your time by taking a walk around the block, getting up to make lunch, or taking a meeting. Even in the tiniest apartment, you can re-organize your space (or even add a makeshift desk) to make yourself comfortable for the work week.

In video meetings, maintain eye contact with your camera, not your screen

When we video chat with people, it’s typical that we look at the images on our screen and speak directly back to the picture shown there. However, for a more personal approach during meetings, speak right into the camera built into the top of your laptop, desktop, or conference room setup so that it appears you’re making direct eye contact with meeting participants (or whoever is speaking). This really helps intensify a connection and shows you are both concentrating and fully immersed in the meeting itself.

Keep yourself on mute when not speaking

As a courtesy, it’s best to keep yourself on mute while you’re not speaking during a call or meeting. Especially if you’re remote, there might be anything from a dog barking in the background to people laughing next to you in the coffee shop. There is usually some feedback during video conference meetings anyways, as well as potential background noise that can be disruptive. For example, if you sit in an office with an open floor plan, the background noise of your office might be too disruptive for the call. By muting yourself, you allow the call to progress more smoothly and show respect to the host and other meeting participants.

For a virtual meeting, set a clear agenda

As the meeting host coordinating participation across different locations — even time zones— you want to make sure things run smoothly once your meeting begins. In advance of the call, set an agenda that you can share with other participants to set expectations. When the call starts, it always helps to introduce yourself as the meeting host, identify the participants on the call and their roles, and review the objective for the call. This can help participants get a visual sense of who is involved in the project, and what will be discussed, and prepare their talking points or questions for the meeting as well. During the call itself, follow meeting etiquette (when not speaking, mute yourself) and ensure other attendees are engaged. As a follow-up, share a summary of what was discussed and the resulting action items each team member should be working on.

One last consideration when setting up your remote workspace is ensuring that you have both a strong and reliable network connection. We suggest using a wired connection when possible. This way, your work day won’t be interrupted by spotty internet connectivity or poor audio quality, and your video conferencing meetings won’t cut out. If you are using wifi, consider reviewing recommendations from review sites to learn how to boost your signal. One way to guarantee strong connectivity is by using a VPN (virtual private network) connection. VPNs allow remote users to still gain access to their company network and, in turn, access files and resources that they wouldn’t be able to otherwise open. In addition, VPNs add another layer of security ensuring your company files, documents, and IP stays secure.