Category: Remote Work

Remote working was a growing trend even before Covid-19 forced tens of millions to stay indoors – and in some professions, more than half of employees are now working from home. Even once the pandemic recedes, it’s likely that a larger number of people than before will continue to work remotely. For those concerned with remote team management, this transition poses a number of challenges. Read on for tips to conquer those challenges and keep your remote team motivated.

Managing everyone’s expectations

One way to set both yourself and your team up for success is by having realistic expectations from the get-go. That means making sure your team members know not only what they need to do, but why they need to do it and how success will be tracked and measured. This is especially important if team members have had to pivot to new tasks and responsibilities since going remote. It’s key to set expectations early and clearly. It’s also useful to make sure that your expectations are aligned with the company’s purpose, and with your team’s stated goals.

You don’t want to face any surprises when, a few weeks or months down the line, you realize your expectations about the work don’t line up with reality. When it comes to remote team management, be sure to set out the scope, deadlines, and deliverables for each task, and request feedback – don’t simply assume that everyone understands what they need to focus on.

Remember, fulfilling expectations requires both the right equipment and the right information. Researchers have found that in order to develop good remote team working, it helps if workers have similar styles of working, good relationships with each other, technology that allows them to collaborate effectively, and the skills to make use of said technology.

The resources you need to get the job done

While platforms like Slack, Zoom and Microsoft Teams are great for communications, you’ll also need a collaboration platform like Trello or Asana to help you track project plans, tasks, progress and workflows. iDoneThis is another agile task management tool that compiles reports from daily check-ins – it also allows you to send out a morning recap and set personal goals and achievements for each team member.

Or, you might try employee performance management software like Engagedly, which integrates ongoing check-ins, goal-setting and learning benchmarks to make performance reviews as easy as possible. Its 360-degree feedback tool means managers, peers and any other colleagues can offer their feedback, and remote workers can enter self-evaluation comments through a set period.

If you need to track time for billing purposes, consider using Paymo, which offers a work management tool that brings together project management, work reporting, and time billing. Time tracking tool Toggl can help with project planning and even hiring. It uses an online timer and timesheet calculator to measure the actual time spent working on specific projects. Of course, tracking tools will only take you so far, and you’ll also need to spend some time communicating the old-fashioned way – in (remote) person.

Getting communication right

While there has been a lot of discussion about the best remote communication tools for remote team management, to be truly valuable, these tools also need to be used efficiently. It is important to check in with your team regularly and to set guidelines for what type of communication to use – otherwise you could find yourself constantly monitoring umpteen number of mediums.

For example, you may want to use a video conferencing tool like Zoom or Google Hangouts for daily check-in meetings, but use Slack, instant messaging or a phone call for urgent messages. Weekly one-to-ones are also a good way to get and give feedback and keep in touch. And you could establish an ‘open office’ time when team members can pop into a Zoom room if they want to talk.

Keep in mind, however, that if you’re the only one your team members talk to regularly, they may end up feeling less like a team and more like a castaway on a desert island. To avoid this, try using innovative ways to keep team members connected to one another. For example, Donut’s Watercooler app allows you to pair team members up for “watercooler” chats about anything they want. It can be added to Slack and makes it easy to create serendipitous events like a virtual coffee or informal learning sessions. Small Improvements is another tool that can be integrated with Slack and Gmail. It allows team members to easily request and give feedback to others.

Focus on the outcomes for better remote teamwork

This is a best-practice staple, but one of the hardest adjustments for managers to make with remote team management. It’s also important for increasing team engagement and empowerment, which leads to better remote teamwork. It involves spending less time checking on when, where and whether employees are working, and more time on making sure they have the tools to meet their goals (and on whether those goals make sense).

It’s a common observation that work tends to expand to fill the time available for its completion – set aside all day for a task and it will take all day. This is an observation known as Parkinson’s Law.

Focusing on outcomes does not mean stepping back, just stepping slightly to the side. Clearly define the goals you need each team member to meet. Make sure they understand why the goal is important, and allow them to develop a plan for achieving that goal on time. As a manager, you may also find the focus on outcomes over activity also frees up your time to focus on more important tasks, rather than constant monitoring.

Don’t forget the motivation

With your team working remotely, it’s especially important that you schedule regular face-time to engage in team building. Set up a regular meeting or virtual retreat to highlight what’s happened in the previous week, and increase active participation by asking team members to do a lightning talk, demo a recent project, conduct a well-being workshop, or even play a game.

There is no end of creative ideas, including virtual escape rooms and even hiring real-life animals to attend your Zoom meetings. Or, consider holding office parties on a different platform. For example, gaming platform Roblox has a feature called Party Place, which allows users to create a virtual space for private events. Or use XSplit’s VCam to replace whatever is behind you with a new background. Spice up meetings by having them “on the beach” – complete with beach background, cocktails and everyone wearing their best Hawaiian shirt.

Above all, being an effective remote team leader means giving your team the time
they need to create a productive remote work environment. As Alex Turnbull, Founder and CEO of Groove once said, “Successfully working from home is a skill, just like programming, designing, or writing. It takes time and commitment to develop that skill.”

Many of us dream of an idealistic life working from home, free from the daily commute and the endless battles over air-con. Those who work remotely, however, have come to learn that home working is not quite as perfect as it may initially appear. They often find themselves unable to separate work from their private life and end up with very little time to themselves. If this sounds familiar, read on for some great work from home tips that will help you to achieve a better work-life balance.

The importance of defining boundaries

Having a defined workspace, no matter how small, is important to your mental health if you plan to work at home. However, it’s not possible for everyone to have a fancy dedicated home office – particularly those who have been thrown into home working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If it comes down to making the best of the space you have, try making a physical boundary, perhaps using books, a lamp, or boxes. Returning to that same workspace each day will become routine, and you’ll learn to associate work with just one area of your home. If you live with others, ensure they’re aware of and respect your defined workspace too.

Stick to a schedule

To maintain a healthy work-life balance, it’s essential that you set definite workdays and define strict working hours for yourself. We’re all human and none of us can – or should – stay productive 24/7.

As a home worker, it’s very easy to slip into the routine of answering your work emails at all hours of the day and night. But it’s important to remember that you’d never have been expected to do this at the office. So, make sure you have scheduled working time, and don’t let that spill over into your personal life.

Talk to your colleagues

Working from home full time can be pretty isolating at times, particularly if you live alone. If you’re used to a work environment full of colleagues and you miss the social interaction, set aside a few minutes each day to video chat with them. If you have the ability, you could even set up some team meetings.

There are plenty of helpful tools available these days to help you stay in touch remotely. Google Hangouts can be a great means to see work colleagues for a quick chat. For something a bit more formal, XSplit Broadcaster has a live interactive whiteboard function, ideal for brainstorming sessions with the team.

Make time to connect with friends and family members

One of the best ways to reduce stress throughout the working day is to speak to someone you love. On a tough day full of deadlines, seeing the smiling faces of your friends and family can be enough to turn your day around. If you find yourself having to use a clunky old laptop without a webcam, the XSplit Connect: Webcam app can quickly and seamlessly turn your phone into a wireless webcam, ideal for video conferencing or, perhaps, more importantly, checking out your nephew’s new puppy!

If you have kids, do make sure they know when you’re working and unavailable to play, but also ensure that you pencil in some time just for them. It doesn’t need to be hours – sometimes a fifteen-minute game or reading a short book together will leave you both feeling connected and perhaps even more relaxed.

We’re lucky that technology exists to help us through the stress of being stuck indoors. Even those who have been working from home for some time can make changes by incorporating the above tips. Remember, although you now work from home, you also need to make time to play!

Now, more than ever, people are having to work from home. For some, this is how it has always been, but for others, the merging of our personal spaces and professional lives can take some getting used to. Luckily, we’re here to tell you exactly how to make the most of remote working and collaborating online with your colleagues.

We’ll consider when and how to make time for work and fun, as well as how to set boundaries between the two, and suggest some of the best apps available for online collaboration. More importantly, we’ll also be sharing what we consider to be some of the key points of etiquette for working from home.

The best apps and tools for collaborating with colleagues

Of course, the best apps for us to use will come down to the type of work we’re doing. Testing out different apps and tools is the key to getting it right, so we’re suggesting some tools that can help you work smarter not harder.

Does your work mean creating and sharing lots of documents with other people? Then Google Docs is a great idea. Need to manage a team project and keep everyone on track and organized? We’d recommend Asana to set tasks and plan projects, as it can be used both online and on your phone.

If you’re working with multiple people on various projects, Discord or Slack are great options for creating individual channels where everyone can communicate easily, asking questions, and sharing updates.

Online collaboration tips to get the most out of WFH

Communication is key when working on any group project – even more so when you’re not in the same room. To get the most out of working from home, use chat channels like Slack. They’re a great method of keeping everyone up-to-date, sharing documents, and leaving a trail of messages that people can search back through.

Create an environment where everyone is encouraged to give constructive feedback, be open, and honest. We lose the benefit of non-verbal communication using chat channels, so it’s important everyone feels confident to share their opinions.

If you’re having online meetings, always end them by summarising the key points, making sure all tasks are assigned and everyone knows what they’re supposed to be getting on with. Following this, record signs of success – it’s always good to keep track of what’s working for your team so you can keep a project running smoothly.

WFH etiquette: what’s best practice?

Like anything, working from home comes with its own sets of best practices. The rules of WFH etiquette will depend on the method of remote working you’re using.

If it’s largely email-based, then checking your emails frequently and replying as promptly as you would in the office is key. However, just like in an office, we’re allowed to take breaks, so we shouldn’t expect people to be at our disposal immediately just because they’re at home.

If your work has opted to collaborate via messaging services like Slack, then it’s good to remember that tone changes significantly when we’re communicating through writing rather than chatting face to face. Because of that, rereading messages is an important step when you’re working from home. It’s best to keep it short and sweet and be as clear as possible in any communication sent. Unlike in the office, we can’t have those follow-up conversations for clarity after a miscommunication, so getting it right the first time is crucial.

This is also a good time to consider if the platform you’re using is the best one for your work. When Zoom became the go-to at the start of the pandemic, everyone suddenly had Zoom calls and meetings. Just like offline, sometimes you don’t need a full meeting to get to the heart of the matter, so sometimes collaboration via email or messaging can be more efficient than a video call.

All work and no play

One of the most common problems people have when working from home is finding the time to switch off. If you’re at the office and your ‘To Do’ list isn’t finished, you leave knowing you can pick up from where you left off the next day. Remote working makes switching off harder because it’s all the more tempting to think you could just get that entire list finished off tonight, couldn’t you?

Keeping a schedule isn’t just good for getting work done, but it’s also crucial for knowing when to stop, take a break, and relax. This can be anything from making food to walking the dog or setting aside time for exercise breaks – as long as it helps you establish some time for yourself.

This should also extend to setting boundaries with work colleagues in terms of communication. Switch off notifications and let colleagues know when you’re stepping away for a break, so you’re not disturbed and tempted to jump back into the thick of it too soon.

Getting down to work

It’s easy to let structure go out of the window if you’re new to working from home, but keeping a schedule is key for success. Yes, you could stay in your bed and get your laptop out to work but it’s important to distinguish our work and personal spaces.

The first thing to do is find a place that you can designate as your home “office.” As this is a temporary setup for a lot of people, most of us won’t have an actual home office or even big enough desk space that we can turn into a makeshift one.

Work-from-home veterans will tell you that that’s fine – whether you’re using a kitchen counter, a dining table, or a little foldaway table, all it takes is a peaceful spot you can focus in and you have your workspace.

Once you’ve established where this will be, make sure it’s kept tidy. It sounds simple, but if you keep having to move things around, it’ll make settling into work each day much harder. A tidy space will also mean you’re Zoom-ready at all times, though this can be made even easier using XSplit VCam to blur or even replace your background!

You’ll have an easier time adjusting to our new normal with the right set of tools. The XSplit team is always considering how we can use our live streaming technology to make remote working easier and more efficient, whether you’re using it to connect with your team or thinking about the best way to deliver a presentation remotely.

Once upon a time (aka 2019), working from home was for freelancers and the lucky few with flexible employers. Today, of course, it’s much more commonplace – with 38% of UK employees recorded as working exclusively from home in June 2020. Organizations have discovered that WFH is cost-effective and easy to manage, so it looks like it’s here to stay.

Suddenly finding that your workstation has moved from the office to your spare room can come as a shock. How can your old laptop or kitchen table replace the IT-supported environment you’re used to? Don’t fear, it’s actually really simple to create a WFH setup that works. Here’s how!

Keep your WFH hardware simple

Forget those glossy pictures of sleek home offices you’ve seen on Zoom backgrounds. In reality, you can work effectively from home with very little. The minimum WFH hardware you’ll need is a laptop or desktop with an integrated webcam and mic. Actually, scratch that – you can even work from home on a tablet since a lot of them also have webcams and work with wireless keyboards.

Add a decent WiFi connection and a flat surface and you have all the basics. Ideally, you will designate a quiet space to set up your kit as close to the router as possible, and though we all like the idea of a paperless office, access to a printer can also be helpful.

Round off the home office feeling with a comfortable chair and a pot of coffee on the go. WFH setup – complete.

The next-level WFH setup

If you’re planning online meetings or hoping to record presentations, you may choose to upgrade WFH hardware like your camera and mic. A Logitech camera on a basic tripod will enhance your screen presence and there are plenty of good vlogging mics available on Amazon.

Space permitting, you may also have the luxury of installing a second monitor. This makes the whole split-screen thing a lot easier to manage and you can collaborate on a Google doc, for example, without having to squint at multiple tiny windows.

Even if you have a sophisticated home office set-up, you may find a laptop easier than a desktop if there is more than one of you working or learning from home. Switch off the camera and no-one will know that you’re hiding from your kids in the shed.

Install the right software

As the freelance sector already knows, much of the available WFH-friendly software, including XSplit VCam, are free or inexpensive. At this point in 2020, most of us have Zoomed or used Microsoft Teams and the online meeting is very much business-as-usual. For pro-level presentations, try XSplit Broadcaster, which started out as a vlogging and gaming platform but is now increasingly popular as a next-level meeting tool.

Your workplace may also have set up collaborative platforms such as Trello or Slack and Google Docs makes editing and sharing work with colleagues incredibly straightforward.

And our real top tip? Use your WFH tech and know-how to keep in touch with colleagues. The change of environment can be the biggest challenge of WFH and using remote software really helps to maintain strong communication channels. Have a listen as XSplit’s Chief Marketing Officer shares his experience of working from home and explains the role software has played in keeping his team together.

Webcams have become a vital tool for remote work with everyone checking in for meetings over Teams or Zoom. Let’s not forget the family quiz or just a catch-up call with a friend, but what are the best webcams for video conferencing out there? Well, that’s what we’re here for right? Let’s take a look!

The All-Rounder

Logitech C922

The Logitech C922 is an easy recommendation as a step-up from a built-in webcam. A lot of versions of the webcam come with a handy tripod and can capture video in full HD at 1080p 30 frames per second. It can also do 60 frames per second at 720p so you can get that smooth video, as with most Logitech webcams it also includes a decent built-in microphone. And hey, bonus, most versions of the C922 come with three months of XSplit Premium so you can use our AI Background removal software, VCam, along with it!

The Step – Up

Logitech Brio

If you want a higher quality video, the Brio is the place to go. Able to capture 4K, for recording video this one is up there when it comes to a USB webcam. One of the big features, in our opinion, however, is the ability to do 1080p and 60 frames per second, which translates to high quality, smooth images when you’re on a zoom call. Also, that 4K sensor means the Brio can capture a wider image, meaning you can still sit at your desk like normal and not have the image be filled with your face alone. Get a nice wide shot of your room with you in it!

The Bright One

Razer Kiyo

A lot of camera advice will tell you, it isn’t so much the quality of the camera it’s the lighting. This camera combines both! With a small ring light built right into the Razer Kiyo this 1080p /  30 frames per second or 720p with 60 frames per second offers a pretty compelling package. The small ring light can make a big difference to image quality and can actually help improve the performance of background removal software like XSplit VCam.

The Content Creator

Logitech StreamCam

The Logitech Streamcam not only offers full HD with 1080p and 60 frames per second but you can capture footage in both landscape and portrait, which is very useful for creating video for social platforms like Instagram! Also, the StreamCam benefits from a USB-C connection, which a lot of newer devices like Apple MacBook’s or Microsoft’s Surface 7 take advantage of.

The Privacy Seeker

AVerMedia Live Stream USB Camera

The AVerMedia Live Stream Camera offers the usual 1080p video at 30fps and a decent built-in microphone solution but one nice feature that gets it on this list is its built-in webcam cover. Now for the security conscious, you can opt to buy one of these separately, or unplug the webcam, but the AverMedia Live Stream Camera makes this a whole lot easier with its built-in hardware solution. It also helps that the camera itself is a very solid one! 

Your Smartphone

XSplit Connect: Webcam

That’s right, you might already have an amazing webcam! One of our latest apps, XSplit Connect: Webcam lets your iOS or Android smartphone act as your webcam! Simply download the app from your providers’ store of choice and then download and install XSplit VCam on your computer! So long as you’re on the same WiFi network on both your computer and your smartphone, VCam will detect your smartphone as a source! From here, you can now add VCam as your source in any program that uses webcams, like Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and more! You can learn more about our newest app here.

Whatever webcam you end up going with none of them can help with the space you’re in, that’s where XSplit VCam comes in! All of these will work great with VCam, which is the industry-leading AI-powered background removal and replacement program. Now you can be situated wherever you want, or just blur what’s already behind you with ease! You can try VCam for free today right here.

Marketing any product is a science, throw remote work into the mix, with your team all working from home, and it could be made even harder! We sat down (over a video call) with and spoke to our Chief Marketing Officer, John Howe-Marshall, about the challenges and unexpected benefits remote work has bought to him and his team.

Hi John, what do you do at SplitmediaLabs?
As CMO it is my responsibility to define the overall marketing plan for all of our consumer products. This includes XSplit and Player.me. This requires me to work directly with our global marketing team, as well as coordinate closely with our product, web, and development teams on the promotion and communications around all of our applications.

How long have you been a Chief Marketing Officer?
I was SplitmediaLabs’ first dedicated marketing hire back in 2013 and was promoted to the role of Chief Marketing Officer in 2016.

What changes have your team had to make working from home?
The adjustment has been relatively smooth since our organization already uses a suite of tools that accommodate remote work (such as Slack, Microsoft Teams & Zoom). Prior to lockdown, and our entire team transitioning to a work from home schedule, we also had remote employees across the world, so in a way, we were well prepared for this transition.

What challenges have your team seen working from home?
Overall the team has adapted well to these changes, of course, everyone’s home situation is slightly different so some team members are facing additional challenges if they also have small children or dependents.

Have there been any unexpected benefits?
Since our company offers flexi-time, I think in general some of the benefits I have noticed is better accountability across teams. There is a lot more focus on ensuring plans and strategies are defined and executed in writing as opposed to just ad-hoc meetings, which allow for team members with slightly different work schedules to still feel in the loop of developing projects. 

Has this affected your approach to marketing the products?
Because of these huge global changes, many of our team are now encouraged to use our applications for all manners of work. This keeps the team constantly thinking about how better to market our products as well as provide crucial insights to the product development team. I think some of these changes will become more apparent over the next few months. 

How do you think live streaming can be added to a company’s workflow?
For many companies (ourselves included), streaming and conference calls have become essential tools for team members to organize and coordinate. In particular, we use streaming to host our end-of-month company updates which are attended by all employees from around the world. These types of initiatives help bridge the distance and keep camaraderie and team morale high, not to mention it’s fun just to catch up with everyone too. In general, though I believe live streaming, as well as video-based communication and collaboration, is already defining the future of how we work.

How does VCam fit into this?
XSplit VCam in particular is a fantastic tool for improving the quality of presentations and conference calls whether among small groups or large teams. The added options for background removal ensure privacy, as well as providing a general increase to the production quality of your broadcast without the need for complex lighting and camera setups.

Thanks for talking with us today, John!

As you can tell, remote work and marketing can be tough, but with team cohesion and the right tools, you can find new systems to help guide your team and you through it. You can find John Marshall on the internet at johnhowemarshall.com