5 things I’ve learnt as a remote new starter

As the team at Disruptive is remote and meets up in person every few weeks, when it came to expanding the team, co-founders Amy and Yiuwin were keen to make sure any new hires were the right fit in terms of values and personality as much as skill-base. Building a cohesive team when everyone is in different places is a skill and a necessity. New starter and Digital Marketing Manager Tess Sillars-Powell shares how she made it work for her.

1) Always ask

I’d have probably done this anyway, but I’ve found one of the benefits of communicating with my team mostly through Discord (the chat app) is that I can ask all the questions, knowing that the team will answer when they can, rather than me feeling like I’m constantly interrupting their workflow with questions out loud every five minutes. I think it’s extra important to ask all the questions when working remotely as things can so easily be interpreted in different ways when they are read instead of said. 

2) Build a structure for your week

 If you’re not as lucky as us in having an absolute stellar Operations Director (that's you Jenny) who is the Queen of Asana, and who ensures all of our weekly, monthly and quarterly tasks are logged and accounted for, be strict and realistic with your to-do lists and deadlines. The motivation you’ll get from ticking things off the list along with the list's ability to regain your focus in the afternoon slump makes keeping up-to-date with it a no-brainer. 

3) Leave the house

I’ve found the work in my new role incredibly engaging and it’s tough not to get sucked into the temptation to get straight online first thing, eat lunch at my desk and get ahead with tomorrow's tasks at the end of the day. I’ve found I’m much more productive if I get up early and leave the house, go swimming or go for a run, and start the day fresh as if I’ve just arrived in the office. 

4) Stay connected

Get to know your colleagues by joining in social commentary on your chat channels, or find work-related threads on LinkedIn and Twitter, but surround yourself with excellent people. Not only will they lift you up, but it’s important to realise that everyone’s got their own stuff going on and while largely working remotely allows us to have that work-life balance and invest more time in our friends and family, ultimately you’re going to spend a big portion of your week online with these people and it’s important you feel supported outside of home life.

5) Make a work environment that works for you

One of the perks of working remotely is that you’re in charge of your surroundings (to some extent) ー be that temperature, snack selection or noise. I can’t always listen to the radio if I’m writing but lately I’ve discovered Yiuwin’s party mixes which are great when you need to get a lot done as they tend to be pretty upbeat and pacy. I’m also a fan of the Bridgerton soundtrack as I like to feel like Lady Whistledown when composing heavy B2B content ー I’m not sure that my colleagues would feel quite the same if we shared an office though…