The shift to remote work has brought undeniable flexibility. For employees, it means they can often set their own schedules, leading to improved work-life balance and increased job satisfaction. Meanwhile, employers are no longer restricted by geographic location and able to hire the best talent from anywhere in the world.  

But the remote-working shift also poses challenges. The office chatter has been replaced by the ping of chat apps, and the coffee catch up is now confined to virtual meetings. With these changes, maintaining operational excellence across globally dispersed teams may appear daunting. However, the good news is that achieving this entails far more than simply mirroring the physical office environment in a digital format. Rather, it presents a huge opportunity for businesses to build a resilient and efficient organisation poised for the shifting digital environment.

Storyblok is fairly unusual in that it has been fully remote since it was founded in 2017. We’ve now grown to a team of 230+ people in 45+ countries. This has meant we’ve had to spend a lot of time developing workplaces processes and policies to fit a remote-first company setting, and maintain optimum efficiency across the board.

Here are some basic rules for establishing operational excellence in the remote work era: 

Embrace technology as a catalyst

Technology lies at the heart of remote work efficiency. The State of Remote Work 2023 report by Buffer highlights that 78% of companies have systems in place for remote team collaboration and communication.

Opt for tools and platforms that can streamline communication, collaboration, and project management. From our experience cloud-based solutions for fire sharing and real-time collaboration, project management tools like Notion, and communication platforms such as Slack are indispensable assets. Investing in top end IT equipment such as webcams, microphones, headphones, G-Suite, Salesforce and simple time savers such as DocuSign should also be a given.

Underscoring this too, it's important to develop policies like acceptable use policy and AI policy, and training to ensure all technologies are used as intended. After all, it’s easy enough to buy a shiny new platform but actually getting people to adopt and embrace it requires discipline and diligence. The leadership team needs to set the example by being consistent, and onboarding processes for new arrivals need to provide plenty of training so people understand not just how to use these types of tools but why they are used.

Cultivate clear communication channels

In the remote realm, one of the biggest challenges is establishing effective communication. How, after all, is it possible to account for those all-important ‘watercooler’ conversations, work socials or impromptu catch ups, all of which are not only key for relationship building but can be a breeding ground for new ideas?

With this, it's critical to establish clear communication channels, guidelines, and expectations  within teams. This should include everything from regular team video conferences and weekly one-to-ones, instant messaging for quick queries, and structured SOP or knowledge hubs. Encouraging an open dialogue is vital too, whereby everyone feels able to express their opinions and viewpoints, and feels valued and heard. The open dialogue has to happen in an asynchronous way. Video recording, explanation videos or surveys gives the team the chance to watch the recordings whenever they can and give written feedback with the survey form. 

Build trust and transparency 

Trust is the cornerstone of a positive remote work environment. Culture should revolve around self-empowerment and autonomy where employees are able to schedule their work and tasks independently. For managers this means setting clear goals, providing regular feedback, and recognising achievements. This should be supported with a transparent system where team members can easily track project statuses, access necessary resources, and feel confident about their contributions.

Create a culture of collaboration

While physical distance may pose challenges, creating a culture of collaboration and team building remains critical.

At Storyblok, our diversity helps define our culture. Team projects include creating a cookbook or restaurant guide that covers food and locations all over the world, where our teams are based. Similarly, everyone is encouraged to share their cultural traditions and holidays so we can celebrate them all together. 

We also try to help people interact on a more personal and individual level. We organise physical events where team members lead a fitness session and regular informal team events. We also organise randomised ‘coffee chats' where people speak for 30 minutes to their colleagues in different teams. This enables people to break the ice with people they may not get the chance to regularly interact with, while ongoing casual chats help to maintain a positive team dynamic. 

Prioritise wellbeing and work-life balance

Remote work has been linked to better mental health and improved work-life balance. A FlexJobs survey found that remote workers report decreased stress levels (48%), less burnout (36%), and improved overall mental health (33%).

Remote work blurs the boundaries between professional and personal life, making it essential to create a systematic approach to checking in on your team’s health and wellbeing. You do not want anyone falling through the cracks and it is very easy for a remote worker to suffer in silence – especially a new team member who may not have the confidence yet to speak up. Vigilance is key. Encourage regular breaks, promote flexible work schedules, and take the time to regularly check in on your team. Encouraging a healthy work-life balance not only increases productivity but also improves employee satisfaction and retention.

Tomorrow-ready

Achieving operational efficiency in a remote working world requires a delicate balancing act between technology, trust, transparency and open and clear channels of communication. While certainly not an easy feat, the good news is that embracing the remote work opportunity can help to build a more productive, resilient and efficient organisation primed for growth in an increasingly digital-first future.