Principles of Remote Work
In this section, we will discuss the principles of remote work, the values we believe in, the culture we are trying to build, and the practices we are following, these practices are not set in stone, they are evolving as we learn from our experiences, as we learn from our mistakes.
It's advised to understand these principles to be able to work effectively in a remote environment and address the challenges that come with it.
Manager of One
We believe in the concept of manager of one, where you are responsible for your own work, where you are in charge of your own tasks, where you are accountable for your own projects.
Don't wait for someone to tell you what to do, don't expect someone to guide you or check on you. You are the manager of your own work, you are the one who decides what to do, if you need help ask for it, but don't wait for the answer, others are busy with their own work, it may take time for them to respond.
Being a manager of one doesn't mean you are alone or there is no big picture, it means you are responsible for your own work, you are in charge of your own tasks, you are accountable to finish your own projects, there is still a team, a manager who keeps the coordination and addresses your issues, there is still a company, but you are the one who is responsible for your own work and we trust you to do it.
Results-Oriented
It's not about the hours you work, it's about the results you deliver, it's not about the time you spend, it's about the quality of your work, it's not about the place you work, it's about the impact you make.
Working remotely doesn't mean you can do today's work tomorrow, it means you don't need to work linearly, start with a blank page to imagine how your life would look like if you didn't have conventional 9 to 5 hours and then plan your day accordingly.
We still have deadlines and milestones, but we are flexible with the time you spend, as long as you deliver the results on daily basis.
Self-Discipline
When you work from home, it's easy to get distracted, to lose focus, to procrastinate, to waste time or to be lazy.
It's important to create a separation between your work and your life, to have a dedicated workspace, to have a plan for your day.
You might want to setup a hue light behind your door to signal others in your space when you are working and should not be disturbed.
If you don't have a separate room, you can use a room divider or a curtain to create a separation between your work and your life.
No Meetings
As a remote company operating across multiple time zones, our team members manage their schedules around their lives, making synchronous communication challenging.
We believe that meetings are not productive, they are time-consuming and distracting, many points and decisions can be made in a chat, a voice or a video call but most of them will forgotten or by the time of the meeting ends, someone should keep taking notes and convert them into tasks.
Instead of having a meeting, we prefer to work with memos, to write down what we want to discuss, to share it with others, to get feedback, to make decisions, this way members have the time to think about the topic and come up with better ideas and it will be documented by nature, it will be easier to make tasks out of it.
But sometimes it's required to have a face-to-face conversation, just make it short and productive, also take notes as you go on and document the result at the end of the session.
Be a Documentarian
When you work remotely, it's important to document your work, to write down what you are doing, this will help you and others to understand what you are working on, to track your progress, to share your knowledge, to learn from your mistakes.
Routine
It's true that you have the freedom to work from anywhere and anytime of the day but it's also true that human beings are creatures of habit and routines can help you to be more organized.
The way you manage your time can be different from others, but if you're not getting the results you want, you might want to try a routine.
It has been proved that the first thing you do in the morning can set the tone for the rest of the day, you might want to start your day with a walk, a meditation, or a workout and then start your work.
The chance is that you will work more deeply if you start your work with a fresh mind hence closer to the time you wake up.
If you keep pushing your work to the end of the day, you might not have the energy, motivation or focus to do it.
If you need help contact your manager or HR.
Mental Health
As a member of immortal vision group you are top of your field as a professional, but you are also a human being, you have emotions, you have feelings, you have a life outside of work.
This can greatly impact your work and productivity, hence there are a lot of smart people who are not successful in work because they are not taking care of their mental health.
As it takes great deal to become a professional in your field, it also takes great deal to take care of your mental health, and these two are separate skills.
We recommend meditation, exercise like walking, going to gum, and eating healthy food. We also recommend to have a hobby that you love to do.
Don't forget to take breaks, to take vacations, to take time off, to take care of yourself and please don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.
Trust and Transparency
We trust our team members, we really want them to be in charge of their own work, to be responsible for their own tasks, and to be accountable for their own projects.
The extra work you do will be noticed, we track your work, the time you spend and the results you deliver and we reward you for your smart work.
Please take note of the "smart work" mentioned because doing "hard work" is not valued here. If you are doing hard work, you are doing something wrong.
Lets go forward with an example, if you are joined recently and you are working for 10 hours but the time is passing and you don't even know it, then you are enjoying the work and you are learning a lot, but if it feels like a burden and you are not enjoying it, then it's hard work, try change your approach and if it's still hard work, then you might not be in the right place.
Be honest with yourself and with your team members, if you are not able to deliver the results or if you are not able to finish the task, don't ask for more time, probably you are doing something wrong, ask for help and try to follow the advice given.
Pezhvak