Distributed Data Teams Best Practices for Collaboration
Working Remotely
It's a time when we are all facing the reality of distributed working more than perhaps ever before. This presents challenges that for some of us will be very much new and unfamiliar.
With that in mind let's share some tips for distributed teams - speaking as part of a highly distributed Community Team hopefully we have something valuable to share! Of course if you're part of a distributed team or have learnt something as you have recently transitioned to one please do share your experience.
Tip One: Routine
It can be tempting to let your routine slip once you are working from home but routine is a great tool to keep us productive and happy! I find having a fairly rigid timetable helps a lot - especially with separating work from play in the evening.
Tip Two: Don't Lose Touch
You may not realize how valuable those office chats are till they are gone - so don't let them go! Reaching out for virtual coffee (or tea for those of you seeing the light of the superior hot drink out there!) with your team / office friends can be a great way to stay in touch!
Tip Three: Don't Loose the Non Verbal!
As if often (correctly!) said so much of communication is non verbal - and it's easy to let that slip once you are remote and can't see the other person. So get that webcam on and try to make it a habitual part of your online meetings - communication will flow much more freely with it! Don't worry it's only from the shoulders up so you can still wear your pajamas on your bottom half!
That's a few tips from me - what are your ideas? Let's get best practice sharing!
Answers
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CoreyS Dataiker Alumni, Dataiku DSS Core Designer, Dataiku DSS Core Concepts, Registered Posts: 1,150 ✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
Routine is important, but people who are not used to working from home, feel like they need to overcompensate for the time the devote to their work. Fact is no one works eight straight hours (if you do and I'm wrong then more power to you) so be sure to:
- Take breaks: Taking a 10 minute break helps my productivity in the long run
- Change of scenery: barring your setup, try to work in different rooms if you can
- Silence, at least for me, isn't golden: I often have music, a podcast, or a movie playing in the background. Believe it or not it actually helps me focus more on my work.
What works for you?