{"id":15755,"date":"2020-03-20T20:14:36","date_gmt":"2020-03-21T03:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devwww.3cloudsolutions.com\/post\/top-5-ways-to-increase-productivity-while-working-virtually-3\/"},"modified":"2023-07-28T15:59:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T22:59:36","slug":"top-5-ways-to-increase-productivity-while-working-virtually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/resources\/top-5-ways-to-increase-productivity-while-working-virtually\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Ways to Increase Productivity While Working Virtually"},"content":{"rendered":"

As companies are moving to remote\/virtual work in droves because of COVID-19, many people are becoming virtual employees for the first time.\u00a0 Entire departments and companies are learning how to be a virtual team in a trial by fire. To help you out, BlueGranite has compiled a list of ideas\/concepts to help you be effective virtually.\u00a0 Every company is different, but these concepts have worked well for us in our decade of experience as a remote company.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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1. Have a Video Conference Tool and Get Comfortable with It<\/span>
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A good video conferencing tool is imperative for virtual work. BlueGranite uses Microsoft Teams, but there are many great tools out there; as long as everyone is on one platform and is actually using it, you\u2019re on the right track.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As everyone gets started, make sure you\u00a0 leverage the video and audio capabilities of your tool.\u00a0 The ability to actually see your coworkers helps folks transition and keep meeting participants engaged.\u00a0 Since this is new, it may take a while to work out the kinks. Not everyone will have a PC camera, microphone, and\/or a headset right away.\u00a0 Encourage employees to do test runs with their \u201csetup\u201d prior to getting on real meetings.<\/p>\n

While you get going, remember to , pardon the interruption \u2013 no, not the show on ESPN \u2014but your coworkers.\u00a0 As we all make life changes and perform our civic duty to self-quarantine and help control the pandemic, be patient that your coworkers will have background interruptions.\u00a0 It will level off as everyone gets used to their routine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finally, video conferences can take up a lot of internet bandwidth.\u00a0 Make sure the teenagers aren\u2019t ruining your virtual meetings by chewing up your bandwidth.\u00a0 It helps to enable Quality of Service (QoS)<\/a> rules on your home router to make sure your work tools are given priority.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. Connect Socially, but Virtually
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Many people struggle making social connections at work without in-person interaction, but they natively know how to do this in their personal lives through texting and social media.\u00a0 Encourage your team to adopt some of these virtual networking concepts in your new workplace. It helps to get employees chatting about fun stuff as well as work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

At BlueGranite, we have Channels in our chat platform for sharing Family Fun, Watercooler Talk, I\u2019m new, and Industry News.\u00a0 We also have a weekly staff meeting to discuss a collection of topics including wins, learnings, and strategy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Have a dedicated work area if possible
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Considering everything going on right now, this one is the hardest.\u00a0 If possible, have a dedicated workspace separate from normal living space. Create the mental border that says, “When I’m here, I’m working.”\u00a0 This can be challenging with kids at home doing virtual schoolwork and spouses\/significant others also working from home. Consider lighting, internet connection, and ergonomics \u2013 you may consider sitting and standing throughout the day as standing is better for your back.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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4. Track Tasks and Initiatives using a Virtual Tool
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Use a tool to keep track of initiatives and tasks so everyone can see status.\u00a0 This could be done in an Excel spreadsheet or a more formal tool like Microsoft Planner<\/a>, Monday.com<\/a>, or Trello.<\/a>\u00a0 Software development teams should continue using their familiar tools to track sprints like DevOps, Rally, or Jira.\u00a0 To keep things moving along, try having a daily call to discuss how you are tracking towards your goals and what is holding you up.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve never heard of SCRUM or Agile, regardless of whether you are IT or business, I\u2019d encourage you to check it out: \u201cScrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

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5. Track Your Time
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This one might be the weirdest for most people.\u00a0 Try tracking the time you spend actually working and discount time for taking breaks and stepping away. Take notes on what you worked on as it is very difficult to reflect on a past week and recall the information.\u00a0 Many consultants at BlueGranite use time tracking apps like Toggl<\/a> to keep track of our time and activities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

You may also end up working less during regular business hours and more during non-regular business hours as you increase your flexibility to take care of your family and other obligations.\u00a0 This is ok, and you and your co-workers should be patient. If you will be stepping away, make sure to block your calendar and update your status to reflect what you are doing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Use Power BI for Self-Service Data Analysis<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This wouldn\u2019t be a true BlueGranite blog if we didn\u2019t mention data and analytics.\u00a0 As more and more companies go remote, the self-service capabilities of Power BI are crucial in empowering everyone to do their jobs efficiently.\u00a0 The Power BI Service<\/a> enables safe and secure viewing of data from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. You can:<\/p>\n