How do you manage the well-being of your remote developers?
Tomasz Korzeniowski
38 replies
Any tips or strategies you find effective? Let's start a discussion in the comments below! 💬
Replies
James Sapero@sapero_45
Great question 👍 For me, it always begins with honest and open conversations during 1:1 meetings.
Share
@sapero_45 yep, for me 1:1s are also an essential tool for monitoring my team's well-being. Do you have any specific questions you like to ask? Or any processes you use during 1:1s to monitor their happiness?
@sapero_45 Agree with that! 1:1s are so incredibly valuable. I found it extremely helpful to always leave a few min for small talk before diving into task reviews and to-dos. It felt challenging at first, because who has time for small talk... But once we started that, I felt I got a much better understanding of what's going on with everybody.
@sapero_45 @sara_nelissen @elifares speaking of 1:1s - today I released on product hunt a small tool that helps me run more meaningful 1:1s with my devs.
It monitors the well-being of my team so I have more context for upcoming 1:1.
Maybe it will also help you?
link: https://www.producthunt.com/post...
Humans are social creatures so we need to have as many bonding activities as possible. I have weekly meetings with my team and most of the time they are just the time to chat 💩
And if you are lucky to live close together, monthly meetups are recommended
Those activities will bring the team together and team members are more willing to share their thoughts/concerns to you
@semigrownkid true, anything f2f works pretty well. We also try to have regular company retreats. Unfortunately, not everyone can attend them... So the thing is: how to establish this bond with remote-only members... Personally, I try to use 1:1s alongside regular well-being surveys but maybe there are better ideas?
@korzonek Well, for staff to start sharing, they need to be comfortable enough. And an effective modern way to ice break is sharing memes in general group chat 😂
One of my team members did it first and now everyone is using memes to communicate (most of the time). I can see that we are getting closer and more engaging. Thus, 1:1 conversations are easier
@semigrownkid totally! I think it's generally underestimated how much memes make a company culture :)
@semigrownkid speaking of 1:1s - today I released on product hunt a small tool that helps me run more meaningful 1:1s with my devs.
It monitors the well-being of my team so I have more context for upcoming 1:1.
Maybe it will also help you?
link: https://www.producthunt.com/post...
We are constantly in touch, checking in with one another. It sounds a little redundant but communication is really the key!
@thomas_boulesteix totally agree! Just wondering: how to maintain this communication flow in the remote first company so it will not be... awkward... I've heard about companies that try to have ongoing Zoom calls/Slack huddles for the whole team. As an online "watercooler", I guess. TBH - not sure if that's a good idea..
@thomas_boulesteix speaking of communication - today I released on product hunt a small tool that helps me run more meaningful check-ins with my devs.
It monitors the well-being of my team so I have more context for upcoming 1:1.
Maybe it will also help you?
link: https://www.producthunt.com/post...
What works best for me is the possibility of working with motivated individuals who are driven to excel each day. People become who they work with.
I manage my remote employees by providing resources and support for mental health, such as access to counseling or mental health resources, to help them manage stress and maintain their well-being.
@shaur_ul_asar interesting... how do you know if someone needs mental health? Do you have any process for identifying well-being issues? or red flags?I think that identification is the hardest part here, isn't it? (at least from the engineering manager's perspective)
@shaur_ul_asar personally I try to support devs' mental health with the help of a small tool I built myself. It monitors the well-being of my team so I have more context for upcoming 1:1.
Today I released it on Product Hunt, maybe it will also help you?
link: https://www.producthunt.com/post...
Having a channel always open to discuss any difficulties is necessary. Considering their need when they are working remotely is really important. Communication is the only way to improve this.
@edworking right! do you have any examples of those channels that work for you?
@edworking we are remote-first, so we use mostly online channels.
For me, Zoom 1:1s are the best.
I even built a small well-being monitoring assistant for those meetings.
It monitors the happiness of my devs and gives more context for the upcoming 1:1.
Maybe it will also help you? Today I released on product hunt :)
link: https://www.producthunt.com/post...
Weekly calls and open to conversations every time they needed.
@agustin_spada definitely! Do you use any specific techniques during those calls to understand the happiness level of your direct report? For me asking just `How are you...?` is a little bit awkward/generic.
@agustin_spada Personally, I am a big fan of 1:1 meetings. I even built a small tool that helps me run more meaningful check-ins with my devs.
It monitors the well-being of my team so I have more context for upcoming 1:1.
Today I released it on Product Hunt. Maybe it will also help you ;) ?
here is a link: https://www.producthunt.com/post...
Best way is Work-Life Balance, depending on the company's culture, you can implement a fun way to interact or a reward system for your remote developers
@oswaldsoto_ thanks! Do you have any examples of systems like that?
@oswaldsoto_ when it comes to the system, I actually implement sth in my company and it works pretty well. Basically, I built a small tool that helps me run more meaningful check-ins with my devs. It monitors the well-being of my team so I have more context for the upcoming 1:1. Today I released it on Product Hunt. Maybe it will also help you ;)?
https://www.producthunt.com/post...
We work remotely and meet each other once in the office every week. Plus we see each other every day during standup.
@mindfreek Hi Freek, thanks for the reply! We are also remote-first.
Personally, I am a big fan of Zoom 1:1 meetings.
I even built a small well-being monitoring assistant for them. It monitors the happiness of my devs and gives more context for the upcoming 1:1.
It works pretty well in our company. Maybe it will also help you? Today I released on product hunt :)
https://www.producthunt.com/post...
I read a article under the same title some time ago, but this articles quality is much, much better. How you do this.. https://powerroofr.com/
Speed test copel Speed Test Copel é uma ferramenta online desenvolvida para medir com precisão a velocidade da sua conexão com a internet. Desenvolvido pela Copel Telecom, uma das principais empresas brasileiras de telecomunicações, o Speed Test Copel ganhou popularidade devido à sua confiabilidade e facilidade de uso. Ele permite que os usuários verifiquem a velocidade de sua conexão com a Internet, incluindo velocidades de download e upload, latência e outras métricas importantes.
The landscape of work has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, with remote work becoming more prevalent than ever. Remote developers, who play a critical role in the tech industry, are now scattered across various locations, working from the comfort of their homes or co-working spaces. https://speedtest-copel.net.br/ While this arrangement offers numerous benefits, such as flexibility and broader talent acquisition, it also presents challenges when it comes to managing their well-being.