Editor’s note: Amanda Valle is the president and chief strategy officer for online strategy firm Mavens of London’s San Diego-based office.
As more people work remotely from home offices, shared spaces or even Starbucks coffee shops, effectively connecting with colleagues and clients around the world is becoming a vital career skill. Many of us have gone from working at corporate headquarters – steps away from the center of all power and decision making – to running regional and home-based offices, where the majority of our colleagues can be as far as 10,000 miles away.
People who work from home at least half the time grew by 103 percent since 2005 and 6.5 percent between 2013 and 2014, according to a Global Workplace Analytics report based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. While this is still a small fraction of the working economy, in the tech and research field, especially, remote work promises to keep growing.
In essence, we have to go where the business is whether it's down the street or around the world.
While it helps that most individuals in today's workforce are adept at using technology to stay in touch, it can still be difficult to find ways to work through time zones, get meaningful face time (or FaceTime), meet deadlines and collaborate with teams.
Here are eight tips that make the remote-office life more connected:
1. Make a point of scheduling human interaction.
It’s true, you can feel isolated, missing out on all the casual office drop-ins and impromptu pub celebrations happening at headquarters. These are the things that humanize work. When you work remotely, take responsibility for keeping relationships relevant and alive. That's why Google Hangouts, FaceTime or Skype are invaluable. Not only can you read body language, you find yourself throwing in some extra small talk (“I like the new haircut!”), which doesn’t happen with an e-mail. The smallest of interactions can take you out of your own echo chamber and into the bigger picture.
2. Routine meetings matter more when you’re off-site.
Conference calls and meetings with those at headquarters can be your time to pick up on news and business opportunities. It’s important to be alert and glean how one team is getting along with another. It's a good idea to share work you've done so others can leverage it and vice versa. No need to re-create the wheel in every time zone when you can share the load. Make absolutely sure to have regular check-ins with senior executives or the C-suite to help stay connected with the bigger picture.
3. For big conference calls, set the soundstage.
Take all conference calls from stable locations, where you know you have good cellular service. Everyone on a mobile should do this to cut down on interference. It's also a good idea to wear noise-cancelling headphones. On the company side, consider investing in soundproofing, especially if you routinely have 15-to-20 people in the room on the call. If the home office does not have good audio/mobile equipment, the people who are not in the conference room will be at a distinct disadvantage. It's also a good idea to pass around a mic during conference calls, so whoever is speaking has the floor. Remote employees will still miss some of the sideline chatter but these measures help.
4. Accept that you will have to take a 3:00 a.m. call sometimes.
There is no one, magic hour that is ideal for people across all time zones. Someone is either up really late or really early. If you want to work with an international company, there will be days you take the hit and have to get up at 3:00 a.m.
5. Trips to the main office provide quality time.
Headed to your company's global HQ for a quarterly or annual planning meeting with all your colleagues? Bring something that represents where you're from to break the ice. Big meeting in Japan? American snacks and candy are always welcome. Also, don’t spend all your time working on your laptop. It is critically important to grab a coffee with your colleagues, get some one-on-one time with as many of them as possible. Set up a group dinner so new hires get to know one another in casual setting. If you neglect taking the time to make those personal connections, odds are your colleagues won’t think of you when it counts. If you are going to interact with humans, you have to be involved in their personal lives to the extent they are willing to share with you.
6. Develop a radar for strained ties.
The minute you pick up on negative energy or get that feeling that a colleague is stressed, deal with it as soon as possible or your relationship can deteriorate. Write down your observations, then make a private call to cordially discuss. Sometimes there are personal issues on the other end that you don’t realize are happening. It is best to tackle issues immediately before things reach the awkward stage.
7. In written communications, keep it succinct and simple.
English may be the language of business but it may not be the first language of your colleagues. Rather than getting bogged down explaining quaint colloquialisms, keep language simple. And then validate to make sure that everyone is on point.
8. Yes, time is of the essence.
When you work in a different time zone than your colleagues it is important to end your day by thinking about everyone’s beginning and send out e-mails and update documents so that while you sleep, projects still move along. First thing the next morning, answer all the e-mails that have come in overnight so you can resolve as much as possible before your colleagues at the office head home for the night.