Remote Work Technology

HENRY KURKOWSKI is a pioneer in managed Wi-Fi technologies and digital engagement. He has co-founded a number of up-start technology companies and has a long history in the telecommunications and SaaS industries. His insights on brand strategies and leveraging business partnerships have been featured on Forbes.com. Henry has helped thousands of small businesses across the US to leverage remote technologies and digital communications to automate operations, increase engagement and boost the bottom line.

Foreword xxvii

Introduction xxix

Chapter 1 You Can’t Go to the Office: Where Do You Go from Here? 1

Disaster Strikes 2

How Long Will the Crisis Last? 3

COVID-19 3

Prepping the Whole Team 4

Management Work Policy 4

IBM and Yahoo! 5

Top Concerns of Management 7

Do Not Fight the Tide 8

Remote Working Is Older Than You May Think 10

Productivity and Job Performance 11

Adjusting to the New Work and Home Balance 13

Social Isolation 13

Employee Engagement 14

Maintaining Growth and Profitability 16

Let’s Get to Work 17

Notes 21

Chapter 2 The Remote Workspace: Set Up Your Mind and Your Space 23

Your Work Zone: Distinguished from the Rest of the House 24

Choosing Your Space 24

Good Lighting 24

Broadband 25

Monitors 27

Grab a Seat 27

Invest in Yourself 27

Add Privacy If Needed 29

Set Healthy Boundaries with Family and Friends 30

No Is a Powerful Asset 30

Self-Motivation from Home Can Be Perilous 31

Productive Procrastination 31

Work and Play 32

Your Mental Space 32

Take Breaks and Don’t Feel Guilty 32

You Are Not a Machine 33

Replenish Your Resources 33

Take Breaks Early 34

Take Better Breaks 34

Create a Morning Routine Different from When You Were Commuting 35

Set Daily Goals 36

Tasks vs. Goals 36

Longer-Term Goals 37

SMART Goals 37

Team Goals 38

Communication Habits: Respond Quickly and Use the Right Tools 39

Communicate Proactively 39

Set Expectations Early On 39

The Right Conversation Tools 40

Be Precise 40

Daily Check-Ins 40

Make Yourself Available 41

Get Dressed for Work 42

Dress the Part 42

Business Casual 42

Know Your Audience 43

Set Yourself Up for Success Right from the Start 44

Notes 48

Chapter 3 Office Technology: Stay Connected and Competitive 49

VoIP: From Desktop to Soft Phones and Features 49

Cloud Management 51

Automated Attendant 51

Forwarding and Follow Me 51

Soft Phones and Mobile Phones 52

Email, Chat, and Channels 53

Email 54

Chats 54

Channels 55

Voice Chat 56

Videoconferencing 56

Internal Meetings 57

External Meetings 59

Google Meet 59

Cisco Webex 59

Microsoft Teams 60

Zoom 60

Remo 60

Team Collaboration Tools 61

Trello 62

Basecamp 62

Asana 63

Teamwork and Teamwork Desk 63

Slack 63

Microsoft Teams 64

Google Workspace 64

File Sharing and Cloud Storage 65

Cloud Backup 66

Cloud Sync 66

Cloud Storage 67

Data Protection 67

Cybersecurity 68

Wi-Fi 68

Securing Devices 68

Two-Factor Authentication 69

Remote Wipes 69

Virtual Private Networks 69

Business Tech Advantages 70

Chapter 4 Choosing Technology: Getting the Right Digital Tools for You 75

Scale to Meet Your Needs 76

Reliability 78

The Five Nines 78

Performance 80

Locally Hosted 80

Local or Cloud 81

Focus on the Need 82

Integrations and Working Well with Other Tech 83

Look at Your Future 84

Look for Reviews 85

Compliance 86

First-Time

Setup 86

Configuration 87

Customization 87

Administration Levels 88

Data Migration 88

Data Selection 89

Data Formatting 89

Data Deduplication 90

Mapping and Templates 90

Migrating 91

Outside Implementation Companies 91

After the Sale 92

Customer Service 92

Customer Support 93

Response Time 94

Total Cost of Ownership 95

Focus on Your Pains 96

Upfront Costs 97

Software 97

Hardware 98

Implementation, Migration, and Customization 99

User Licenses 99

Training 100

Operating Costs 100

Software Support and Maintenance 100

Additional Licenses and Training 101

End User and Admin Tech Support 101

Network and Data Center 101

Backup and Disaster Recovery 101

Scaling Up or Retirement 101

Choosing Wisely 102

Chapter 5 Time Management: The Result Is What Matters Most 105

Being Productive 105

Measuring Productivity 106

Objectives Focused 107

Check-ins and Target Adjusting 108

Deadlines and Prioritizing 109

Team Deadlines 109

Deadlines for Yourself 109

Time Boxing 109

Productivity Apps 110

Calendar Apps 110

Google Calendar 111

Calandly 112

Woven 112

Reclaim 113

Clockwise 113

Lightpad 113

Automation 114

Zapier 114

IFTTT 115

Tray.io 115

DocuSign 116

Hootsuite 116

Two-Way

and Group Communication 117

Loom 117

Yac 117

Pragli 118

Sococo 118

Distraction Blocking 119

RescueTime 120

Freedom 120

Forest 121

Spark 121

Time Tracking Software 122

Toggl Track 122

Everhour 123

Harvest 123

TMetric 124

Monitoring Remote Workers 124

Fear of Loss Overrides Trust 125

Ramifications of Monitoring Workers 125

Nobody Wants to Work for Big Brother 127

Transparency Is the Best Strategy 128

Company Culture and Trust 129

Monitoring Software 130

Prodoscore 131

Hubstaff 131

Time Doctor 132

Time Managing as a Whole 132

Chapter 6 Group Tasks: Keeping the Teamwork in Your Team 137

Remote Work Fatigue 138

Lowered Work/Life Balance 139

Mental Health 139

Perform a Reset 141

Encourage Boundaries 141

Know When to Log Off 141

Turn Off Emails 142

Encourage Breaks 143

Foster an Environment of Engagement 143

Expenses for Home Office Needs 146

Gratitude 146

Collaboration Tools and Usage 147

Too Many Video Meetings 148

No Back-to-Back Meetings 149

Schedule a Meeting-Free

Day Each Week 149

Pick Up the Phone 150

Do You Need the Meeting? 151

Asynchronous Communication 152

A Round of Applause 152

Results over Schedule 153

Allow People to Work in the Right Rhythm 154

Accountability and Expectations 154

Outcomes 155

Open Virtual Office Hours 156

Make Decisions as a Team 158

Bring Back the Break Room 158

Build Non-Business Activities into Business Hours 158

Non-Work Chat Channels 159

Your People Are Your Best Assets 160

Chapter 7 Client and Team Meetings: Making the Most of It 165

A Quick Case for Virtual Meetings 166

I Stopped in 2014 167

The Personal Relationship 168

Before You Start 169

Keep Them Engaged by Design 170

Prepping Your Space 172

Check Your Lighting 172

Design Your Background 173

Declutter 175

Prepare Your Devices 175

Remove Online Distractions 175

Kill the Bandwidth Eaters 176

Test Your Audio 176

Eliminate Background Noise 176

Krisp 177

SoliCall Pro 177

Change Audio Settings 177

Adjust Your Camera 177

Prepare Yourself 178

Dress for the Meeting 179

Posture 179

Know Your Attendees 179

Get Some Clarity: Quiet Your Mind 180

Etiquette 180

Check Your Tech 181

Arrive Early 181

Make Eye Contact 181

Cut the Mic 181

Use Their Names 181

Pay Attention 182

When You Are the Presenter 182

When You Are an Attendee 183

Make Use of Whiteboards 183

Bluescape 184

Conceptboard 184

Draw.Chat 184

Hoylu 185

Miro 185

Engagement and Communication 185

Chapter 8 The Watercooler Has Moved—Engagement and Socializing Remotely 193

The Impact of Social Isolation 194

It’s Far More Than Loneliness 194

Safety and Security 195

Love and Belonging 195

Esteem 196

The Need for Social Interactions 196

Avoiding Social Isolation 197

Be on the Lookout for Isolation 197

What to Look For 198

It’s Preventable 199

Changes in Appearance 199

Changes in Communication Habits 200

Changes in Quality of Work 201

Cancellations or Lateness 201

Overproductivity 201

High Levels of Distractability 202

Don’t Make Poor Assumptions 202

Self-Assessment 202

Negative Thoughts and Feelings 203

Change in Sleep Patterns 203

Fatigue 204

Disinterest 205

Lowered Motivation 205

Irritability 206

Trouble Maintaining Focus 206

Depression 207

Combating Isolation 207

Structural Changes 207

Make Work Accessible 208

Visibility and Transparency 208

Communication 209

Check-In 209

Feedback 210

Recognition 210

Mental Health Support 211

Mental Health Toolkits 211

Encourage Physical Fitness 211

Engagement 212

Showing Up and Staying 213

Not Out of Mind 214

Engagement Aligned with Other Values 214

Foster Openness 214

Listening Actively and Empathetically 214

Social Needs 215

Creating Non-Work Spaces 215

Virtual Lunches, Coffee Breaks, and Happy Hours 216

Make Pre-Meeting Time 216

Celebrations 217

Encouraging Friendly Competition 217

Plan In-Person Events 217

Company Values and Mission 217

People First 218

Chapter 9 Generational Struggles 221

The Generations 222

There Is No Generational Gap at Work 225

Negative Stereotypes 226

Work Styles 226

Priorities 227

Baby Boomers 229

Generation X 231

Millennials 233

Gen Z 234

Common Ground 236

Flexibility 236

Feedback and Positive Reinforcement 237

Appreciation and Recognition 238

Commitment 239

Chapter 10 Creating the Right Remote Team Culture 245

You Already Have a Company Culture 245

What Is Company Culture? 246

Impact on Remote Work 247

In Times of Stress 248

Company Culture and Success 248

Retention: The Cost of Replacing Employees 250

Controllable Quit Rate 251

Shape Your Culture with Remote Work in Mind 253

Leaders Set the Tone 254

Workplace Transparency 254

Be Worthy of Their Trust 255

Define Your Vision Well 256

Emphasize Meaningful Work 257

Stay Engaged 257

Get Feedback and Act on It 258

Be Clear on Digital Work Policies 258

Check Your Headings and Adjust Course as Needed 259

Maintaining Culture When Remote 259

Be People-Centric and Values-Centric 260

Get the Tech You Need 260

Ownership and Accountability 260

Employee Recognition 261

Bonusly 262

Nectar 263

Fond 263

Kudos 264

Cooleaf 264

Cultural Fit 265

Chapter 11 Operations and Administration 269

Company Accounts 269

Automate 270

Paying Bills and Getting Paid 270

Melio 271

Corpay One 271

Bill.com 272

Online Bookkeeping and Accounting 272

QuickBooks Online 273

Wave 273

Zoho Books 274

FreshBooks 274

Human Resources 274

No Dedicated HR 275

Record Keeping, Compliance, and Benefits 275

BambooHR 275

Zenefits 276

Namely 276

Gusto 277

Paycor 278

Losing People during the Switch 278

Remote Hiring Process 279

It Begins before the Hire 280

All Digital Engagement 282

Questions for the Remote Worker 282

Remote Work Experience 282

Measuring Success 283

Ability to Maintain Focus on Work 283

Their Workspace 284

The Biggest Concern with WFH 284

Company Values 284

Remote Tech 285

Attributes and Skills 285

Written and Verbal Communication Skills 286

Being a Self-Starter and Being Independent 286

Organization and Time Management 286

Reliability 287 Collaboration and Teamwork 288

Work-Life Balance 288

Remote Onboarding 289

Make a Solid Plan 289

Solicit Feedback 290

Facilitate Social Connections 290

Getting the Right Team Members 290

Chapter 12 The Complete Package 293

Work Remotely with Added Confidence 294

Make Your Space Your Own 295

Team Strategies 296

Technology Is Your Asset—Choose Wisely 297

Scalability and TCO 297

Make the Most of Your Time 298

Keep the Faith 299

Keep the Client and the Team Happy 299

Be Mindful of Signs of Isolation 300

Stay Social 301

Generations and Personalities 302

Leadership Grooms Your Culture 303

The Right People 303

The World Is at Your Fingertips 304

Index 307