Your small business survival guide for the remote work environment
In Remote Work Technology: Keeping Your Small Business Thriving From Anywhere, experienced SaaS and telecommunications entrepreneur Henry Kurkowski delivers a step-by-step walkthrough for using SaaS technology and communication apps to power your small business from anywhere on the planet.
You'll learn how to capitalize on the ability to hire a geographically distributed workforce and excel at serving clients at a distance. You'll also discover why and how you need to alter your approach to management and spot the common pitfalls that litter the way to a truly distributed business.
This important book includes:
- Valuable case studies of businesses that embraced the reality of remote working during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and cautionary tales of unexpected challenges that arose during the transition.
- Discussions of how to incorporate remote workers into efficient workflows to increase your business' productivity
- Explorations of how to support your employees when you can't just pop into their office
Perfect for small business founders, owners, and managers, Remote Work Technology is also a must-read guide for independent contractors who work directly with small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Table of Contents
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
