In recent years, many companies have had to adapt to the home office and the hybrid working model. This was partly due to the post-pandemic scenario, which extended remote working. But there has also been a growing demand from employees for a more flexible model that offers a better quality of life.

In the midst of this mass adoption, many discussions have arisen about the challenges related to productivity, leading remote teams and aligning the culture and, despite the widespread adoption of the home office, these are still very common issues.

In this article, you’ll read about:

• Is remote work for everyone?
• How do I know if remote work is for me?
• What are the challenges of remote working?
• How to overcome the challenges of remote working?
• How to manage remote teams?
• Scooto managers highlight points to watch out for when working remotely

Is remote work for everyone?

Ever since remote working began to gain ground in the market, we’ve heard a lot about the many advantages of this working model. Among them, comfort, flexibility and quality of life are the most prominent.

But as well as the benefits, you have to consider that remote working brings with it challenges that not all professionals are able to face. While some adapt easily to the flexibility of the home office, others may struggle with the lack of structure and the need for self-management. That’s why remote working isn’t for everyone.

There are professionals who produce better in offices, and others who see their productivity increase significantly when they stop wasting time in traffic. But in an ideal scenario, it’s up to the professional to make this assessment about the most suitable working model for their job.

How do I know if remote work is for me?

Before embracing remote work, it’s important to assess the skills and characteristics that are essential to the success of this model. Here are some points to consider:

• Self-discipline and time management: in remote work, you need to be able to manage your time efficiently. Without the direct supervision of a boss, can you establish a productive work routine and follow your schedule with discipline?
  
• Ability to focus: working from home certainly brings more distractions than working in the office. From household chores to the possibility of taking a break. In such an environment, are you able to avoid distractions and stay focused on your work?
  
• Self-management of tasks: as well as managing your time, in remote work you also need to be able to manage your tasks and projects. Do you have the ability to set priorities, organize your activities and meet deadlines?
  
• Good communication: working remotely with other professionals in the team requires an even greater ability to communicate clearly and effectively. How is your ability to express yourself and communicate necessary information remotely?
  
• Proactivity: in a remote environment, it’s easy for some issues to go unnoticed. Being proactive, seeking out information and solving problems on your own are qualities that will make all the difference to your success in this working model. Can you be proactive and find solutions on your own?

What are the challenges of remote working?

So far, we’ve understood that remote work isn’t for everyone and that you need certain skills to do your job well remotely. Now let’s talk about the difficulties that can be encountered in this model. After all, what are the challenges of remote working?

Among the main challenges of remote working are time management, discipline and work-life balance. For companies, there is also the issue of aligning the organizational culture and controlling productivity.

For employees or service providers, overcoming these challenges is very much related to creating habits and personal organization. For companies, overcoming these difficulties is related to adapting management to the needs of remote working.

How to overcome the challenges of remote working?

For an employee or service provider to overcome the challenges of time management, discipline and balancing personal life with remote work, these actions can help:

• Establish a workable routine: one of the best ways to overcome time management difficulties and a lack of discipline is to create a workable routine. Set fixed times to start and finish work, as well as regular breaks. This helps maintain productivity and prevents work from invading your personal life.
  
• Create a working environment: even at home, having a specific space in which to work can make a big difference. This place should be comfortable, well-lit and free from distractions. An environment dedicated solely to work helps to separate professional and personal tasks, making it easier to balance personal and professional life. What’s more, an environment conducive to work helps you stay focused.

On the other hand, in order for companies to overcome the challenges of aligning organizational culture and controlling productivity, there are ways to make it easier:

• Use productivity tools: there are many online tools that can help organize and manage employees’ time. Task apps, digital calendars and project management software such as Trello, Asana or Slack are essential for tracking progress, controlling productivity and keeping everyone on the team aligned.
  
• Promote effective communication: in remote work, communication is essential to keep everyone informed and aligned. An excellent solution to this challenge is to adopt fast communication tools such as Discord and Telegram, so that communication between professionals and areas is fluid, fast and noise-free.
  
• Cultivate the organizational culture: keeping the company culture alive with everyone working remotely can be one of the biggest challenges of this working model. To ensure that the company’s values and mission are not lost, promote frequent meetings, online events and even moments of relaxation to strengthen the bonds between employees and ensure that everyone shares the same values and objectives.
  
• Set targets and KPIs: to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals, it’s important to have targets and performance indicators set for each employee or team. This not only guides the work, but makes it easier to monitor progress and evaluate performance.

How to manage remote teams?

So far, we’ve learned about the challenges for employees and companies adopting remote working. To go even deeper, let’s talk about how to manage remote teams.

A survey by consultancy firm PwC revealed that 83% of employers reported that remote working, when managed effectively, led to an increase in employee productivity.

To achieve good results when managing a remote team, you need to be aware of the factors that influence team and project performance and the smooth running of this working model.

Effective communication

Good communication between the team, for example, is a factor that needs greater dedication from management in the remote working model. In order for communication not to be hindered by remote working, it is necessary to establish effective means of contact that provide quick interactions. Email is not always the best option for this communication. Tools such as Discord, Telegram and even WhatsApp can be good options for managing communication with the team.

Leadership support

Another factor that significantly impacts the performance of remote teams is leadership support. In face-to-face work, requesting support for a daily task can be much simpler than in remote work. That’s why it’s important for leadersto establish ways of providing employees with support whenever necessary.

Feedback routine

Implementing a feedback routine is essential when managing remote teams. Without face-to-face contact, professionals can feel disconnected or uncertain about the performance of their tasks. These feedbacks should be frequent and constructive, offering a clear view of performance, expectations about work, as well as opportunities to discuss challenges and identify areas for improvement.

Encouraging self-management

When managing remote working teams, it’s important to encourage self-management so that tasks can be completed without the need for supervision. Help set objectives and deadlines, and allow employees to take responsibility for their roles. This makes the working environment much healthier for everyone on the team, helps keep deliveries on track and enables managers to take on more strategic and less operational positions.

To learn more | How to control without controlling? Marina Vaz

Scooto managers highlight points to watch out for when working remotely

Part of Scooto’s innovation is 100% remote working. Providing services remotely is part of our DNA for several reasons. Among them, ensuring flexibility and quality of life for Scooteiras, which is directly related to the working model. Here, we believe that in order to work well, you have to be well. The working model is a determining factor for results.

Operating remotely for all of its six years of existence, Scooto offers some lessons on remote working.

Professional profile and hiring

With regard to the professional profile, Gabriela Ioshimoto, CPO at Scooto, points out that the person who works 100% remotely must have the ability to self-manage their time and results and have a good relationship between their personal and professional life. In addition, it is important to have discipline and emotional adequacy.

The success of the remote model at Scooto starts with hiring. Gabriela tells us what is taken into account when setting up the working groups:

“Recruitment starts when a person meets Scooto and makes that initial ‘match’. This interest is usually associated with our purpose, which is to promote work for women and mothers who would otherwise be out of the job market for various reasons. After this first contact, we identify whether the person is aligned with our culture, their availability for working hours, their command of spoken and written Portuguese, their proactivity and their agility in searching for information, which is fundamental in remote work.”

Alignment of organizational culture

In addition to adapting the professional profile, remote working also has the challenge of aligning the organizational culture. It’s important to ensure that everyone can see the overall vision of the operation. At Scooto, there is a constant concern with leadership development in order to propagate the culture, but it is at the fortnightly meeting with all the Scooteiras, Fala Que Eu Te Scooto (FQTS), that the internal discourses are aligned.

Gabriela Ioshimoto, CPO at Scooto, highlights:

“As each service provider is in a different corner of the country and works on a specific operation, we needed a time when we could talk about our culture and debate various issues that are usually raised by the Scooteiras themselves. At FQTS, our fortnightly meeting, our collective emerges and we recognize each other. It’s the moment when we see that our colleague also works with children messing up the house in the background (and that’s okay!) It’s part of our job to produce with excellence and we strengthen our bonds at this time.”

Productivity control

Another point that can be challenging for many companies is controlling the productivity of work groups. Of course, there needs to be a high degree of trust, but relying solely on common sense would be basing work on a fragile aspect.

Ana Luiza Maloper, CTO and CISO at Scooto, explains how to guarantee the delivery of the company’s operations beyond trust:

“There is a great sense of responsibility among the Scooteiras and this is widely encouraged internally. We work to ensure that a collaborative spirit always prevails. But in addition to this common atmosphere, we use specific tools to control customer service, as well as its rates, metrics and results. Zendesk, for example, shows us in real time what is happening in operations .

For effective and collaborative performance, we set clear demands. Together, the Scooteiras bear the responsibility for each project, carrying out their activities in the best possible way.”

Regarding the remote aspect of work, Ana even identifies gains in productivity, believing that the model promotes a better quality of life and a lighter pace compared to the traditional model.

“Eliminating hours of commuting and being able to work close to their children are points that generate a great deal of satisfaction among professionals. What’s more, the chances of happy people doing a good job have already been proven.”

However, Ana Luiza reiterates that self-management and discipline are indispensable for the success of the remote model in any company.

I have the necessary skills for remote work and I want to be a Scooterist