Best Practices for Working Remotely

Ensure your technology is ready for working remotely. But it takes more than just hardware to be successful.

Team communication is key

Supervisors and teams should agree on their preferred method(s) for staying in touch.
You will be missing context clues when communicating in writing only. Try to be neither overly long nor too abrupt.
Keep your calendar up to date and let your supervisor and/or co-workers know when you are stepping away for a meeting, break, or lunch.
Respect the busy and off times of your co-workers. Save non-critical messages for email.
Respect your main working communications channel for work. Set up a social channel or tuck friendly/fun chat into threads.
The rule of work communications always applies: “Don’t say anything in email/chat that you wouldn’t want read aloud in a court of law.”

Set boundaries around your work time. Let family, neighbors, and that guy at the coffee shop know you aren’t available for a 20-minute chat.

Check that your headphones and mic give you sufficient ability to hear and be heard.
Find out whether your network connection gives you good quality audio and video when conferencing. You may have better results if you call into a conference with a phone rather than using computer audio.

Stay muted except when talking. Background noise from everyone’s environment is distracting for all the participants.
Look like you are working if you will be on video. Pajamas are not appropriate for work meetings, even from home.