Useful Tips for Balancing Collaboration and Concentration in Remote Work

Working from home creates enormous requirements for the attention of staff, which can make it difficult to concentrate on activities that require focus. In fact, technologies intended to help can impede focus.

Fremont, CA: In environments with too much material, too many distractions, and too many applications, remote employees work, not to mention interruptions from children who need help with online learning or pets who need feeding. Although we are all persuaded that we can multitask, studies show that when switching tasks, individuals lose substantial time, concentration, and imagination.

Working from home creates enormous requirements for the attention of staff, which can make it difficult to concentrate on activities that require focus. In fact, technologies intended to help can impede focus. Employees face a constant overload of updates, reminders, Zoom meeting invites, e-mails, texts, Slack messages, and more, everything aimed at improving team collaboration.

Some tips for Balancing Concentration and Collaboration

Audit the apps: Complete an overview of the platforms, apps and systems currently used by your company, said Kerry Wekelo, chief operating officer of Actualize Consulting, a financial services firm. Take note of the uses to see whether there are overlaps or redundant features that can be omitted with each one.

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Cull the herd: Know the difference between micromanagement and assistance. Jessica Lim, HR manager at MyPerfectResume, said that flooding the team with software and instruments is not a healthy way to help them. It has, in reality, the opposite effect. Have an open dialogue about the amount of tools you have in place, ask your team which tools are most useful, and eliminate those that do not offer any real value.

Switch the applications off: Work blocks are one of the most productive methods to find the best balance between the concentration of workers and teamwork, as leadership expresses the need to respect "do not disturb" time. You build time for uninterrupted work (shutting off the apps) by blocking your calendar or having available times for colleagues to arrange meetings with you or to be involved on whatever collaboration apps you use, said Amy Mosher, chief executive of the software provider for human resource management.