Remote Working in the Time of Coronavirus

There has been much talk of how to work in the time of Coronavirus:

• Several agencies are implementing a Work from Home (WFH) strategy
• Several are applying their Brexit Transport Gridlock Doom Policy
• Some are just putting their heads in the sand and hoping it will all go away.

 

Sales of Zoom and similar services are at an all-time high. And for good reason. The world doesn’t have to grind to a stop just because we can’t all work on the same office floor as each other.

So, how to create an all-remote organisation even if it is only for a short time?

Creating the all-remote principle is clearly the perfect time to re-emphasise and remind people of your company vision, mission and values… And by using the right tools you can make the communications as effective as is possible.

The fishing village can be used as a metaphor for the virtual organisation. I came across this in an article in Fast Company.

At night the fishermen and women get together to put the world to rights. To be social and have fun.

But every morning before the sun rises each of them heads out to sea, alone, in their individual small fishing boats.

They can stay in radio contact with each other, but basically each worker is on their own. To do his or her own thing. There is little direct help they can offer each other.

But once they get back to the village, they can get back together again and put the world to rights.

The all-remote organisation is a bit like this. Each team member is alone, working until the work is done. Every now and then the company brings everyone together to one place and there is time to be social and share fishing stories.

This is what remote working will be like as we switch over to it.

Need help with navigating your business at this unsettling time? Book a coaching call with our expert team.