Teams | Collaboration | Customer Service | Project Management

Remote work has existed for decades as an alternative to the traditional in-office work environment. When it first became a viable option—people have been working remotely since the dawn of email in 1971 and before via telephone—distributed work was often met with trepidation by companies and employees alike. In recent years, however, working remotely, “working from home,” and other similar terms have become commonplace.

Having a team chat and collaboration tool as a product we had nothing to fear when we were forced to go fully remote because of the pandemic. Things went on as usual with the exception of having more video conference meetings and virtual lunch breaks with colleagues. We were lucky that the product we work on has become a must have tool for any company literally overnight. However, we cannot say that remote work doesn’t have its challenges.

Working remotely has become the new normal because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With so many employees working from home, team managers need a remote work plan or policy to ensure that their employees stay productive. But how do you create an effective remote work plan? In this article, we’ll tell you how to build a remote work plan and what to include in it. We’ll also share a free downloadable remote work plan template to help you get started.

Although remote working has been on the rise in recent years, it experienced unprecedented growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden shift had people worldwide straining themselves to adapt to this new work environment. Businesses faced multiple challenges to keep up with the change and move online to continue functioning. Thankfully, with the right remote work software, you can adapt to this shift with ease.

Over the past year, teams around the world sought new ways to collaborate, engage, and connect. Most of us have been trying to figure out how to translate the mainstays of our company’s in-person collaboration and planning — kickoffs, offsites, training, brainstorming — into virtual events. Underlying this process is the assumption that a virtual experience is less valuable, that it’s missing something that only in-person events can offer. But maybe that’s not true.

How would you feel if your boss asked you to come back to the office next week? Let’s say, for example, that you’ve been working remotely since the start of the pandemic. You had never considered remote work as a viable option before, but now that you’ve been working from home for over a year, you love it. Your long and stressful commute is gone, you’ve been taking better care of yourself, and you have more time to spend with your family and friends.

With remote working as the present and the future, the workplace will never be the same again. And despite the challenges that come with managing a virtual team, the positive change it’s had with many teams and companies cannot be denied. One thing that seems to be both a challenge and an opportunity? Building trust in your virtual team. On the one hand, remote work can be an inherent sign of trust between employer and employee.