{"id":7459,"date":"2020-03-13T16:42:36","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T20:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=7459"},"modified":"2021-12-21T13:36:59","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T18:36:59","slug":"how-to-work-remotely-vp-of-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/how-to-work-remotely-vp-of-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Work Remotely: We Asked Our Remote CTO How He Gets It Done"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<p>I\u2019m <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brianabent\">Brian<\/a>, the CTO at Ceros. Right now, an unprecedented number of you are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/remote-working-guide-how-to-get-started\/\">working from home<\/a> and learning to manage your teams remotely. This is something I\u2019ve been doing for more than a decade, so I know a thing or two about how to do it right and how to do it wrong. Here are some helpful tips on how to do your best work from anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Stick to your regular schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, do what you usually do. Get up at the same time, shower, have breakfast, and get ready like you normally would. This will help you stay in a work mindset throughout your day. You\u2019ll notice that you have some extra time each day from the commute you\u2019re not making. Use this time wisely: Get in some exercise, maybe some yoga or meditation, or even just use the time to read. Do something productive you\u2019ve been putting off, so when it\u2019s time to work, you\u2019ll be ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Create a space<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a private, dedicated place to work is ideal. If you live with roommates, you have a lot of distractions. An extra room for a home office is definitely a luxury, but wherever you are, try to carve out a quiet place away from distractions. A shared common space will not be very effective if you have other people in the house, whether they be kids home from school, a partner, or roommates. You may want to come up with a schedule with the other people in the house, so that everyone knows when someone is working and shouldn\u2019t be disturbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style='position: relative;width: auto;padding: 0 0 73.86%;height: 0;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;border: 0 none' id=\"experience-5e6bf095d66ad\" data-aspectRatio=\"1.35382956\"><iframe allowfullscreen src='\/\/view.ceros.com\/ceros-marketing\/test-pull-quote-2-2-2-1-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-4-4-1?heightOverride=927' style='position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: 0 none;height: 1px;width: 1px;min-height: 100%;min-width: 100%' frameborder='0' class='ceros-experience' title='Abent PQ2' scrolling='no'><\/iframe><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/view.ceros.com\/scroll-proxy.min.js\" data-ceros-origin-domains=\"view.ceros.com\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2>Don\u2019t sleep on the ergonomics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ergonomics are important. You\u2019ll want a comfortable chair and desk, if possible. If you don\u2019t have that, do your best to make sure your back isn\u2019t aching at the end of the day. Get up and do some <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.daveasprey.com\/best-back-pain-stretches-pain-relief\/\">deep back stretches<\/a> when you need to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Have a connection back-up plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A <em>lot <\/em>of people are going to be working from home over the next few weeks, so networks are likely to get overwhelmed. If your Internet is slow or flaky, go ahead and contact your provider and see about upgrading your service or equipment. For me, I have WiFi tethering on my cell phone plan, so when our internet goes down, I can switch to that. I recommend this to anyone whose job is 100% dependent on having connectivity, which is most of us these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>See and be seen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whenever you have meetings, use video conferencing if you can, downgrading to voice only if you have connectivity problems. It\u2019s important to stay connected with people on a human level, and seeing their faces makes that much easier. Facial expressions and body language are a key part of communication.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should also schedule all meetings ahead of time, and avoid having one without putting it on the calendar first. This is extra important when some people are remote and others are in the office. Be sure to join your meetings a few minutes early to ensure your tech is working. And while video is important for connecting with humans, the quality of your audio is important for sharing ideas.&nbsp;Use a good, quality headset with an excellent microphone that can block out background noise. The earbuds are not good enough!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style='position: relative;width: auto;padding: 0 0 73.86%;height: 0;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;border: 0 none' id=\"experience-5e6befe1c2e14\" data-aspectRatio=\"1.35382956\"><iframe allowfullscreen src='\/\/view.ceros.com\/ceros-marketing\/test-pull-quote-2-2-2-1-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-4-4?heightOverride=927' style='position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: 0 none;height: 1px;width: 1px;min-height: 100%;min-width: 100%' frameborder='0' class='ceros-experience' title='Abent PQ1' scrolling='no'><\/iframe><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/view.ceros.com\/scroll-proxy.min.js\" data-ceros-origin-domains=\"view.ceros.com\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2>Be considerate. Actually, extra considerate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>How you communicate is especially crucial when working remotely. Be deliberate with your communication; choose your words and your tone with care. Intent is often misinterpreted when using a text communication tool like Slack, but this can even happen over video conference. Assume positive intent from people you\u2019re communicating with, and ask clarifying questions if you\u2019re feeling offended or misunderstood.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All in all, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rph_1DODXDU\">be excellent<\/a> to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Don\u2019t be spontaneous<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re in the office or working from home, take extra care to document everything. Impromptu conversations and word-of-mouth don\u2019t help when your team is working remote. If you are in the office and have a random conversation, remember to document and share decisions with your remote peers. They are not mind-readers! The same applies when you\u2019re having conversations over DM. In fact, avoid direct messages whenever possible\u2014use the appropriate team channels instead.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, use the <a href=\"http:\/\/ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/best-remote-working-tools-apps\/\">right tools for communication<\/a>. It\u2019s impossible to know the headspace of your remote peers. In the office, when you see someone has their headphones on and is in a groove, you might avoid interrupting them, unless the situation is urgent. Before Slacking someone with a status update, could you update the status in a project management tool or CRM? Before interrupting someone for a status update, could you check that tool? If you don\u2019t need an answer immediately, would an email be more appropriate? Be considerate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style='position: relative;width: auto;padding: 0 0 73.86%;height: 0;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;border: 0 none' id=\"experience-5e6bf102efd5f\" data-aspectRatio=\"1.35382956\"><iframe allowfullscreen src='\/\/view.ceros.com\/ceros-marketing\/test-pull-quote-2-2-2-1-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-4-4-1-1?heightOverride=927' style='position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: 0 none;height: 1px;width: 1px;min-height: 100%;min-width: 100%' frameborder='0' class='ceros-experience' title='Abent PQ3' scrolling='no'><\/iframe><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/view.ceros.com\/scroll-proxy.min.js\" data-ceros-origin-domains=\"view.ceros.com\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2>Extend the same courtesy that you do in person<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Use the same courtesy that you\u2019d use if you were in person. This may sound counter to the last point, but you\u2019ll also want to be proactive and over-communicate. Remember, people can\u2019t see you working and won\u2019t have as much visibility on your work. Share your progress updates. Share what you are working on. Share when you need to step away from the computer for some reason. If you\u2019re stepping away for a spell that\u2019s longer than usual, let people know, and make sure you\u2019re not blocking them. Share your wins and your struggles. Your team may be struggling with the same things and you can work through it together.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Trust the team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Managers need to trust their teams and monitor their results. You\u2019ve hired each person for a reason, and you should be able to count on them to continue their great work while remote. Check in regularly with each person with a scheduled 1-on-1, and check in with the whole team together. Find out what sucks for your team, and help to make it suck less. You may also find that some of the things you do in the remote-first world will be helpful when you\u2019re all back in the office together.<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"myclass\">A lot of people will need to learn how to work remotely over the next couple weeks. We asked a permanently-remote Ceros VP to share some insight about how he manages.<\/div>\n<p><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":7476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Work Remotely, from a Remote CTO - Ceros Inspire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A lot of people will need to learn how to work remotely, and fast. 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