December 14: Distributed work at Google
Tips on how to optimize the experience of working from home.
Source: Google (PDF)
Published: April 2019
Distributed work at Google
Google published a research-backed guide for how to optimize the experience of working distributedly. Here are the tips for “working together when we’re not together”:
Area of focus: Place
Tip:
Send productive invites –as the meeting scheduler, add an agenda and document(s) to the calendar invite.
Share the time zone burden – acknowledge participants joining off-hours and consider establishing team “friendly” meeting times.
Area of focus: People
Tip:
Share words of affirmation – check-in on teammates by sending a funny meme, gif, or heartfelt words such as these.
Be present – give verbal and visual encouragement to teammates, such as a head nod, “yeah, good idea,” or “mmhmm.”
Social team meetings - if the agenda is light for a team meeting, don’t cancel it! Instead, use the time to better get to know each other.
Area of focus: Practices
Tip:
Pass the mic – it can be intimidating to speak up over others! Create space by inviting quieter participants to provide input. Consider using a process to determine speaking order, such as the “Raise hand” feature.
Recap – kick-off meetings by recapping where things left off previously. Don’t assume that everyone remembers the details of previous discussions.
Practice self-care – Set limits on your workday so that you don’t accidentally work more hours than you plan to.
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Did you appreciate the fact today?