Remote work is on the rise. Hail technology! Personally, I love being able to power up on the go and get to work wherever I am, but this way of working is not without its challenges.
Since taking over this blog a few months ago, I've had the added opportunity of teaming up on several other projects within the Chek Creative universe. Previously, any collaborative work I'd done had pretty much been in person, so I've been struck by the culture of strong communication and remote productivity. We're not perfect, but things seem to flow pretty smoothly without a watercooler. So I thought, What the hell? Let me break that flow real quick and bother one of my project leaders for his thoughts on overcoming the challenges inherent in remote work. Luckily, he didn't mind the interruption and had some great advice for anyone working outside the office.
Question: One of the things I like about working with this team is that we combine the flexibility of remote work with a pretty solid sense of connection. That definitely hasn’t existed in most of the remote work I’ve done in the past. Can you talk a little about what tools and/or practices help create that kind of environment in your view?
Alex Chekanoff (Web Developer & Account Manager at Chek Creative): We use Zoom to communicate every morning, and we utilize COhatch on Mondays to make sure that everyone is on the same page. If anyone, including a client, ever needs anything, we are a Zoom call away! Regular check-ins are key and it’s really important to use Slack and other tools to chat about the quick hits [one-off questions/comments] and to map out our strategy.
Question: What other challenges or drawbacks, if any, have you run into working outside of a conventional workspace?
Alex: Sometimes when people don’t show up to their meetings with us, it sets us back further because we are away from all our gear. Another drawback is not seeing your coworkers as often, but we try to supplement with COhatch & happy hours 😊
Question: Do you work in a dedicated space at home, or is there a coffee shop you hit up to work on your projects?
Alex: We all have our own spaces in our homes. This is where you’ll find our command centers with multiple monitors, Apple computers, iPads, etc. We love tech, so our workspaces are full of gadgets that help us get the job done.
Question: How does the ability to set your own schedule without a boss looking over your shoulder all the time affect your productivity?
Alex: Joe [Joe Chekanoff, Chek Creative Founder] is extremely detailed, and all of our time is kept track of in Clockify, so we stay on task pretty well. It’s easy to get distracted by the little things, so I usually listen to music or podcasts while I’m coding or doing client work and I silence my phone notifications. Ultimately, being a small business, we know that every second wasted cuts into our bottom line and hurts our ability for growth.
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Question: For all the people still out there in cubicle land, are there any specific skills that lend themselves to working away from the office, or is a good worker just a good worker no matter where they set up shop?
Alex: I definitely think a good environment is crucial for quality and efficient work. Distractions cut into our bottom line, so we strive to eliminate them whenever we can control the variables. Ryan [Ryan Piechuta, Lead Developer] does seem to be in a different state/country monthly, though, and he is our biggest earner/producer—the guy turns out products like no one I’ve ever met. Joe and I strive to learn from his productivity daily. I think we all strive to be as organized and detailed as Joe! You’ll have to ask them what I do well 😂
To pick up details on the best tools for remote work (including some of the software mentioned in this post) check out this helpful list.
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