Adapting to remote working… again

Kim Perlow - Link UP London CEO

Nov 2020

Well, here we go again, back into lockdown. Are we ready this time?  Probably more than last time but we shall see.

One thing that has changed dramatically since the spring is that remote work has quickly moved from something that was rare to the new way of working. I’ve been excited to watch this trend develop and the possibilities and flexibility that it can allow, especially for people who are juggling a few too many things (aren’t we all?!).

But while remote working is incredibly helpful in terms of flexibility, it comes with its challenges as well. I wanted to share a few of the things our Link UP team will pay attention to from the get-go this time:

• Stay connected: Communication as a team is absolutely key including regular team meetings and check-ins, frequent phone calls and catch ups. This keeps things moving forward and gives everyone focus and hopefully something to be excited about at a time when other things seem quite dismal
• Zoom: Not everything needs to be on Zoom, but a lot is, so learn how to use it like a pro (I’m still a work in progress on this one but luckily others on the team are becoming experts)
• Challenges: Be clear with each other about challenges in your personal life and be honest about your priorities. During Covid, and especially during lockdown, there is underlying stress and concerns that everyone experiences differently. Make sure others know what you are experiencing, or at least one trusted colleague, as it helps them to support you
• Celebration: Share successes as much as possible. Celebrating success is so important and it is better to do it with others; when you’re on your own sometimes you just move on before taking a minute to recognise what you’ve actually achieved
• Life: Take time to talk about life outside of work. Ask how others are doing, share photos, take a genuine interest in the conversation
• Time out: Remember to take time out for mental health and overall sanity. Exercise, read a good book, take a walk, ride a bike, do yoga, chat with friends … anything that will help you to maintain your sense of humour

I’d love to hear your experiences on remote working as well if you’d like to share. What has worked best for you? Tag @linkuplondon on social media!

Good luck with Lockdown 2.0, we’ll all get through this together!