PatronManager

How do you work together when you’re far apart is likely a question you’ve asked yourself since the beginning of this year. You’re not alone! Arts organizations across the globe are adapting to the new reality of working remotely, and all of the challenges that come along with it. Here at PatronManager, we pride ourselves on the effectiveness of our remote-first approach to work and feel confident in the best practices we’ve refined to make our worldwide staff a cohesive team. We’ve dug into our blog vault and unearthed some useful posts on this topic with tips to help your organization thrive in this new digital environment!

Part 1 of our two-part blog series Working Remotely asks you to make the important acknowledgment that communication is different in a distributed space. As a society, we put far too much importance on shared physical space as a proxy for real communication, but a digital dialogue can be just as effective as long as it’s direct and intentional. With tools like Slack, Zoom, and Chatter it’s easier than ever to communicate quickly with your coworkers. Be forward, and don’t hesitate to message a fellow team member or supervisor if you have a question. Our staff loves jumping into quick video chats when we need face-to-face communication in a flash!

Part 2 of our Working Remotely blog series implores you to evaluate your current documentation standards. A good mode of operating to adopt is: if the information isn’t in a fully shared space, it doesn’t exist. In a physical space, you’d have cabinets and file folders, but what do you have in the digital space? Does everyone have access to the documentation they need to do their job? More so, are you making sure documents are consistently updated so the most accurate version is available? With software like Google Drive, you can create a digital filing cabinet to be shared across your entire team that can be easily updated as needed.

Now, don’t take your tech-savviness for granted, not everyone is going to pick up the new standards of your digital office easily. Help your coworkers by taking the headache out of learning new tech and managing expectations. Simply acknowledging that there is going to be a learning curve will alleviate some of the pressure your staff may feel in mastering new tech immediately. Build on this and keep a clear line of communication with coworkers who may need additional assistance by providing detailed how-to guides and letting them know you’re always available to help!

Working from home may change the “office environment,” but it doesn’t have to change the dynamic and fulfilling work your team does. To cultivate the spirit of the office, set up Zoom office hours to provide a space for employees to work on their individual projects together, virtually! Additionally, keep your team motivated by sharing tangible results of the impact they are having on your arts organization. For a more personal look into how effective – and fulfilling – working remotely can be, check out this blog which provides insight into how one of our employees was able to give back to their hometown arts organization by making subscription renewals 300 miles away!

There will always be challenges when adopting a whole new system of working, but by embracing the digital office and implementing policies to ensure a cohesive workplace, your team can thrive just as they would in a physical space! Want to learn more about how PatronManager can help your staff work efficiently, remotely? Drop our team of arts management professionals a message today!

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