Aaah teleworking! I don't know about you, but we at Studio Cassette have been hearing about it for a long time, and since the government recently decided to relax the ordinances on this subject, we thought it was the right time to share with you, our experience and our advice on this subject.
Yes, you may not know it, but we have been working from home since the creation of the agency. And in 10 years, we have had time to get used to the exercise.
Some swear by it, others are a little more uncertain. The fact remains that it's THE trend of the moment (yes, we like to make tons of it sometimes).
At Studio Cassette, telecommuting is :
The well-being and Harmony Get to work.
Identity sheet of Studi o Cassette :
Activity : Digital and web communication agency
Number of employees : 5
Jobs in the agency : Developer, Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Communication Manager, Project Management
Premises : Coworking/telecommuting space from home
We wanted to build this tutorial in the form of questions and answers. The idea is to provide as many answers as possible to the questions that companies and employees ask themselves most often.
Here we go !
How did we come to practice teleworking?
Our activity lends itself quite well to teleworking, which is not the case in all sectors. The different professions that make up our agency can be practiced remotely because they do not require any special assistance or supervision provided by the agency.
Gradually, for some members who have joined the adventure, teleworking has proven to be a natural option (distance from the workplace from home, relocation of part of the team to another region, etc.).
There is also the fact that in our industry we regularly work with external networks such as freelance graphic designers/developers/etc. So we're pretty used to this kind of setup.
Not having an eye on our employees?
It can't be a reality anymore these days. Not when we have modern and adapted tools that allow us to monitor the progress of projects and the tasks of each stakeholder in real time. The organization of a day, a week or a month can be carried out in a precise way with tasks and missions prioritized in order of urgency and assigned to the people concerned. (Asana, Slack, Google Drive)
Gone are the days of telecommuting where you have to scroll through the 150 emails from different colleagues to find the information you need. These tools make it possible to bring together in one place all the stakeholders of the project as well as the various documents and information necessary for the smooth running of the project. (We intend to devote a complete article to these tools, because they deserve a closer look. Stay around, it won't be long 😉 :)
Why is teleworking still scary for companies?
Teleworking is anticipated and organized. The majority of French companies have been built on a relatively traditional model that consists of bringing together the different members of the company in the same place. Software and other IT tools have therefore been designed and developed to adapt to these structures, their needs and in order to respond to their daily problems.
Considering separating certain parts of this company (a department, a team, etc.) can therefore scare some people, as they don't have the resources to deal with it. Unprepared for this kind of situation, many companies are therefore choosing to delay these changes or simply consider them not suitable for their business.
Our advice: Find out from other companies that practice it, equip yourself with tools that will make your daily life easier and make you more efficient.
How do we deal with and anticipate any foreseeable malfunctions due to teleworking? (delay, misunderstanding of projects or objectives, etc.)
The dysfunctions don't really change any more than in a company where everyone works in the same space. If communication is non-existent, the problems will be the same on site or remotely. The important thing is to exchange regularly and share everyone's progress on the projects in order to anticipate.
To avoid misunderstanding a project, we talk about it live and we don't just send an email with an action to be executed. Regular meetings are essential. In any case, at Studio Cassette, we don't plan to work any other way. Some companies set them every day, others once a week, it depends mainly on your needs.
Independent offices / coworking spaces / at home: telecommuting yes, but how?
Here again, some companies accept the implementation of teleworking within a coworking space. In these cases, it covers the costs and chooses the type of package (full-time or à la carte).
To discover our opinion on coworking spaces, we suggest you take a look at the article we have dedicated to it: here
As far as teleworking from home is concerned, our 1st piece of advice would be: get to know each other. Working from home requires good self-knowledge, as it can sometimes be destabilizing.
Teleworking from home is often portrayed as insulating. Some teleworkers choose this mode of operation precisely because the activity and the hubbub of a company's premises no longer suit them (loss of productivity, difficulty concentrating). There is indeed a risk of isolation when you have been teleworking from home for several years. The right compromise as a general rule would be half the week either in the company or in a coworking space and the rest at home. A healthy balance that maintains social activity while allowing you to recharge your batteries and optimize your productivity in the calm of your home.
The final word by the members of Studi o Cassette ?
In order to provide an objective and complete answer, we interviewed 3 of our members, each with different functions.
Philippe (manager): "Teleworking brings comfort and flexibility to the functioning of our team, but be careful, it should not be an end in itself, we must always keep a link between all the members of the team and meet regularly."
Mary (web designer): "I've been working at Studio Cassette for 3 years now and I now continue to work from abroad from time to time.
Teleworking was a new way of working for me that I didn't know, and that I adopted very quickly. Thanks to the trust placed in him by the employer, he allows him to manage his time as he wishes and to reconcile his working hours with his personal obligations.
Of course, it is important to set goals to achieve during the day and not get caught up in outside distractions. If you are passionate about the job you do, it becomes simple and the day goes on in pleasure and comfort. Communication and organization between team members are also essential, which is why at Studio Cassette we hold remote meetings, on a regular basis.
Teleworking has also allowed me to travel, which is a great opportunity and a great opportunity! ”Yichin (Graphic designer): "Instead of wasting my time in transport, I quietly get ready to work, it's easier for me to concentrate on a project or drawings without any distractions. I plan tasks by adapting my pace and when there are slow times I take advantage of it to play sports or to get inspired 🙂 I have a creative job that sometimes requires me to get out of the traditional framework of the company in order to find inspiration and fuel my creativity. ”
Conclusion , teleworking needs to be prepared, it needs to be worked on.
Once you have the right tools in hand and an organization defined, all that remains is to try the experience!
