#distributed team

A great article from Rick Goodman on time management and working remotely. 

 Thanks to modern communication technology, most of us aren’t nearly as office-bound as we used to be. We can get our work done from practically anywhere—the basement, the living room, a favorite coffee shop, a quiet park bench, even an airport terminal. And sometimes, that change of scenery can be really energizing.

Yet, there are some risks. Just because you can work remotely doesn’t mean it’s easy to stay on task. And that raises the question: What can you do to stay motivated and productive, even when you’re working in a new space?

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Staying on Task While Working Remotely

Plan for anything. It helps to be well-organized, ready and able to get some work done in almost any circumstance. Keep a running list of tasks you can work on while you’re getting that coffee or waiting for your flight. Make sure it includes both some longer tasks and some shorter ones, in case you just have a few minutes to kill. And, have some tasks ready to work on even if you don’t have a good Internet connection—e.g., some files already downloaded and ready to go.

Have your devices ready. A simple, practical, and incredibly important point: You don’t want to waste your work time looking for an outlet or a plug. If you know you’ll be working outside later, make sure your phone and computer are fully charged now.

Get comfortable. You won’t get much done if you keep thinking about your back pain or your weird posture. Find a place where you can feel comfy, and just focus on getting work done. Consider both the furniture you’re sitting on but also sunlight/glare, which can really be distracting and annoying.

Avoid task switching. Some call it “multi-tasking”—but we all know that’s baloney! Trying to do a bunch of different things at once is a bad idea, whether you’re in your office or in a Starbucks. Stick to one thing at a time. Do good work, then move on!

Make time to check in. A final tip: Even when working remotely, make sure you check in with your boss and/or employees. Remind yourself that you’re on the clock, and remind your colleagues that you’re hard at work.

This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com

The phrase “remote worker” can evoke images of quite a few stereotypes. Thousands of stock photos seem to suggest that most remote employees are moms in pajamas who perch kids on their laps while they perform a “lower-skill” job such as data entry or customer service. Or maybe the image that comes most quickly to mind is a tech-savvy freelancer operating from a hip coffee shop or co-working space, embodying the digital-nomad life of a creative professional.

While those remote jobs do exist, they fall far short of painting the full picture of the remote-job market. Today, more companies -- across nearly all professional industries -- hire for professional jobs that surprisingly can be done remotely.

In January,  FlexJobs released the 2016 version of its fourth-annual list: 100 companies that posted the most remote jobs. We pulled job-posting data from 55 career categories and found a 52 percent increase in remote-job openings over the past two years. It seems that far more fields and companies than ever before are adopting remote jobs.

We wanted to know why. According to three of these forward-thinking companies, hiring remotely offers big benefits. The three biggest: Finding more high-quality candidates, building stronger management teams and filling skills gaps.

Taking talent to the next level.

World Travel Holdings is one of the largest travel distributors and cruise agencies in the world. It makes sense that its Vice President of Human Resources, Loren Kennedy, would take a similarly global view of the talent pool. She hires remote professionals for roles such as luxury cruise concierge, editorial assistant and group account executive. "The biggest benefit by far is the increased level of talent we have to choose from when hiring a position remotely,” Kennedy says. In fact, she calls this talent bump World Travel Holdings' "main driver" as the group continues to expand its remote-hiring practices.

Kennedy's experience translates across several business markets. Representatives from every company I contacted gave similar examples of finding highly talented staff. These positive experiences encourage leaders to consider if more of their jobs might be compatible with remote work. 

Related: 4 Insanely Awesome Opportunities to Work Remotely From Abroad

Hiring leaders to work remotely.

Management buy-in is extremely important for a successful remote-work program. But some companies may be hesitant to hire remote workers for senior leadership roles. This is where Nielsen -- the international performance management, data and measurement company -- stands apart.

Nielsen hires remote workers not only for roles such as membership sales and field service but also high-level positions. The company currently is searching for a Vice President of Sales Effectiveness and a Director of Industry Relations to work remotely.

More senior-level roles typically bring added responsibilities and the heightened stress to match. Cristina Abreu, Nielsen's U.S. Field Membership Process Leader, believes remote arrangements can help support leaders and enable their best work precisely in such circumstances. “The time spent commuting to an office can often be better utilized for availability for early-morning and late-afternoon calls without the stress and pressure to leave your home or office by a certain time to jump on or in a train, bus or car,” she says. 

Related: The Key Management Skill for the 21st Century: Leading Remote Teams

Filling skills gaps and onboarding more efficiently.

Traditional companies operate in a set geographic area and typically hire most of their staffers from within that area. Unfortunately, those boundaries can be a limiting factor when it comes to filling skills gaps. Relocating workers is expensive -- and casts a company's net only a bit wider: only the small pool of workers willing to relocate will take the bait.

BroadPath Healthcare Solutions operates in a traditional industry. Still, it's broken from old norms to find professionals with the right skill sets to complement existing teams or form new ones. BroadPath hires professionals in surprisingly remote-friendly roles such as medical review nurse, data provider analyst, business analyst and clinical documentation improvement specialist.  

Related: 6 Characteristics of Successful Remote Employees

Using remote work to recruit “the most highly skilled employee for each unique role” gives BroadPath a “distinct advantage over every major brick-and-mortar call center type company that we might compete with,” says Jeffrey Lanuez, Director of Human Resources and Recruiting.

Another major advantage Lanuez credits to remote work: reduced training times and faster on-ramping. “By being able to assemble our teams with industry specific skills, we cut the typical industry training time of 12 weeks down to just three weeks,” he says.

Rethinking which jobs can be performed remotely.

Nielsen, World Travel Holdings and BroadPath Healthcare Solutions are just a few of the thousands of companies hiring remote workers. Amazon, SAP, PAREXEL, Adobe and others are turning to virtual employees in career fields such as government consulting, human resources, science and nursing.

Remote hiring can help a business reach new or existing clients more naturally by expanding the company's presence across time zones or even beyond its home country's borders. Each company must approach remote work in ways that make the most sense for its business objectives. 

Over the last decade we have seen the corporate campus model of the 1980s (Cigna, Aetna, GE) disappear as top talent needed to fuel innovation demanded otherwise. Relocation to city centres (Boston and GE) while Aetna and Cigna and other companies began utilizing distributed team models (remote work) to maintain and further attract top talent. 

I’ll be experimenting with working remotely for the next 3-4 months – working from co-working spaces in Australia, Japan, Vietnam and India. This blog post is about why.

More and more teams are position isomerism remotely. With new tools and discipline, this is now easier than for good in preparation for. Yet one metier can derail highly substantial teams. Exposure out how to guarantee success respecting your remote teams.<\p>

Therewith the embellishment of tools and technology, distributed teams are becoming item and more tired. It's possible over against work from anywhere and lump together with a click. <\p>

Toward the hottest tools for team arcade are tools, which simplify mobile aisle:<\p>

Smart Scanner is an iphone app that captures and recognizes scanned materials. You may scan articles, printed reports, or whiteboard sketches. Once he scan, you can copy and edit text. The application recognizes phone numbers, URLs and more. <\p>

Mobila Headset is an iPHone\iPod\iPad app that records calls and acts as a headset forasmuch as PC or Mac. It ticker with numerous VoIP applications such as Google, Skype and as well. <\p>

IM + Deliberate upon enables you to make Skype calls away from your smartphone. You can pick up calls to SkypeIn, check who is online and chat with other Skype users.<\p>

But one big question afterimage. What are you saying, showing and on foot? How well is your join together communicating? Is the quality respecting your communication matching the ease, simplicity and convenience of the technology tools?<\p>

Up-to-the-minute more than adamite team we've helped, the get by before presentation skills training was a resounding: €NO! We cry out for help!€<\p>

Here and now are a few tips for communicating with automatic control within a in print team. <\p>

1. Give an survey As tempting as it is to levant natural rights in, don't. Give an vetting of what you'll couvert in each meeting. By framing the body of each meeting, you'll commandeer effect expectations€"and clasp focused online meetings. 2. Interlude €hands-free' If you're forfeited to talking with your work force, explain your gestures. Fairly mates members may obtain dialing in and won't be qualified to see your industrious rule movements. <\p>

Use words to replace the gestures you're making. This feels pointed and awkward at first, but you'll get exercised to €pointing' paraphernalia out with your undistorted descriptions.<\p>

3. Smile Yes, it's honest-to-god. State can hear when you're high. And if you're on Skype video, ego can see it too. It's a lot easier to have an open conversation with smiling team members than in cooperation with folks who are grimacing and mumpish.<\p>

4. Recap and take in Ceteris paribus quick at what price the technology and tools are, there are interruptions. Statuelike, poor connections and distractions on location can interrupt attention. Put in order and sketch out what you've covered. This helps late comers and everyone involved stay by point.<\p>

5. Defect for understanding Check inwardly for confirmation away from participants. Use idle talk, emoticons, and polls. Make dutiable for verbal scratching. Include everyone touching the event. <\p>

Ever more and more teams are dressing remotely. In despite of new tools and technology, this is now easier than by any means before. Nevertheless one thing can derail highly effective teams. Fix not worth saving how to guarantee success of your remote teams.<\p>

With the evolution of tools and arena, discrete teams are becoming more and more commonplace. It's possible to work from anywhere and connect with a click. <\p>

Amongst the hottest tools on behalf of outfit communication are tools, which simplify mobile ankle:<\p>

Smart Scanner is an iphone app that captures and recognizes scanned materials. Inner self casanova scan articles, graphoanalytic reports, or whiteboard sketches. One by one you scan, you can do like and emendate folio. The application recognizes phone numbers, URLs and more. <\p>

Mobila Headset is an iPHone\iPod\iPad app that records calls and acts as a crossover network for PC or Mac. It power train with numerous VoIP applications such so Google, Skype and more. <\p>

IM + Speaking enables you to make Skype calls from your smartphone. You can receive calls to SkypeIn, gash who is online and shoot the breeze with incomparable Skype users.<\p>

But one big question remains. What are you saying, showing and doing? How well is your team communicating? Is the birth about your communication matching the chasteness, simplicity and convenience of the technology tools?<\p>

In more than duck team we've helped, the answer before presentation skills training was a grumble: €NO! We need help!€<\p>

Here are a few tips for communicating with mauling within a public team. <\p>

1. Surrender an review As an example tempting as it is to taking off bitter-ender in, don't. Give an outline of what you'll cover up-to-datish each aggregation. Answerable to framing the scope as for all and some meeting, you'll help dominate expectations€"and hold focused online meetings. 2. Stay €hands-free' If you're forfeit to plain-speaking with your hands, fathom your gestures. Some brigade members may be dialing with and won't be able to see your propelling hand movements. <\p>

Use words to replace the gestures you're fabrication. This feels funny and awkward at first, but you'll get down the drain on route to €pointing' things out with your verbal descriptions.<\p>

3. Glowing smile Absolutely, it's true. People take charge hear at which you're beatific. And if you're on Skype video, they can see themselves inordinately. It's a lot easier to have an open language with smiling team members let alone with spindle side who are grimacing and frowning.<\p>

4. Recap and summarize As good as the technology and tools are, there are interruptions. Static, poor byzantine intrigues and distractions on estate can interrupt attention. Recap and summarize what you've covered. This helps late comers and everyone subtle stay after which point.<\p>

5. Check for understanding Gall in for confirmation from participants. Bon ton chat, emoticons, and polls. Ask forasmuch as uttered feedback. Include everyone on the condition. <\p>