Experts: effective remote work is more than just online meetings on Teams or Zoom
“Widely used remote work tools are excellent for video calls and messaging, but they do not solve the most important challenges of working at a distance: how to align within a remote team, how to maintain trust, how to manage tasks, make decisions, implement innovations, or take care of employee well-being,” notes Ramunė Guogienė, Project Expert at Tech-Park Kaunas.
The sudden need to work remotely that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a problem: people were not prepared for it. They lacked not only the necessary digital tools, but also the knowledge of how to work in a team, communicate, and take care of employee well-being. Although online meetings have now become a common, time-saving part of daily work routines, especially in the regions there is still a lack of understanding of how to organise and carry out remote work effectively.
An international team from Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Latvia, Poland, and Sweden sought a solution to these challenges. Over three years, within the EU Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme project DistanceLAB, they created a remote work platform for small and medium-sized businesses and the public sector: https://distancelab.eu/. This “help centre” offers advice drawn from real-life situations, tested tools, and guidelines.
“Simply put, if Teams or Zoom is the phone, then Distance LAB is the manual and training on how to use that phone for work, for your team and for your business, especially for small companies and public organisations in the Baltic Sea Region,” explains Ramunė Guogienė, Project Expert at Tech-Park Kaunas.
Ramunė Guogienė
The need emerged during the COVID-19 lockdown
– What is behind the name DistanceLAB? – we asked R. Guogienė.
– Distance LAB is an international project designed to help businesses and public organisations learn to work remotely or in a hybrid way in a convenient and effective manner. The aim was to create simple, practical tools and tips that help people communicate better over distance, work in teams, plan activities, implement innovations, and think about more sustainable ways of working.
In short, the main goal of the project is to create a joint online “help centre” that brings together the experiences and solutions of different countries that have been tested in real-life conditions. You are welcome to use it: https://distancelab.eu/
– Is the need for such a remote work “help centre” related to the COVID-19 lockdown period?
– Yes, Distance LAB emerged because during the COVID-19 lockdown the problem became very clear: many people and organisations suddenly had to work remotely, but they were not prepared for it. They lacked not only appropriate tools, but also the knowledge of how to communicate, work in teams, plan tasks, or look after employee well-being at a distance.
However, the project is relevant not only because of the pandemic. Today, remote and hybrid work remains part of everyday life, the labour market is changing, people want more flexibility, and it is important for regions to remain attractive and vibrant. Distance LAB helps people learn in a simple and practical way how to work and build a business remotely – not only in times of crisis, but also in everyday life.
Tools exist, but knowledge is lacking
– Do existing tools like MS Teams, Zoom, Google Meet and others not fully meet the new needs of businesses and the public sector?
– Widely used remote work tools are excellent for video calls and messaging, but they do not solve the most important challenges of working at a distance: how to align within a remote team, how to maintain trust, how to manage tasks, make decisions, implement innovations, or take care of employee well-being. In other words, the tools exist, but there is a lack of knowledge and clear ways of working on how to use them meaningfully in everyday activities.
In addition, the Baltic Sea Region has its own specific characteristics – there are many small and medium-sized enterprises, regional cities, public organisations, and communities that do not have large IT or HR departments. They need simple, practical, and accessible solutions tailored to local realities – different countries, cultures, languages, and working conditions.
That is why Distance LAB was created not to offer yet another “app”, but to help people learn to work remotely in a meaningful way: how to use the tools they already have, how to organise work, collaborate, build a business, or provide services at a distance so that it truly works in real life.
– In what ways is your platform different from and similar to the digital communication tools mentioned above?
– Distance LAB is not another alternative to Teams, Zoom or Meet – it addresses a different problem. Programmes such as Teams or Zoom allow people to make calls, exchange messages, or hold online meetings, but they do not answer the question of how to actually work at a distance: how to align within a team, how to organise tasks, make decisions, maintain trust, or take care of people’s well-being.
Moment from the Distance LAB partners’ meeting.
A practical remote work platform
– The project was implemented by nine organisations from six countries. Presumably, most of the work took place remotely. How did it go?
– Project activities were mostly discussed remotely. In addition to the usual communication tools, the partners used collaborative tools such as shared documents accessible to everyone or virtual boards where participants can jointly write, arrange ideas, and plan actions.
To ensure smoother progress, partners first met in smaller, thematic groups and later came together in joint meetings where they shared what had been done and discussed the overall project progress.
– What did you manage to create?
– As mentioned, what we created is not a “theoretical” but a practical remote work platform. It provides concrete tools and solutions that have been tested by real companies and organisations in real situations to help them work more efficiently at a distance.
The tools are grouped into three thematic areas:
- Innovation and networking: tools for collaboration, communication, and co-creation.
- Strategy and business development: tools for digital transformation, management, and growth.
- Sustainability: tools to align activities with environmental and sustainability goals.
Moment from the Distance LAB partners’ meeting.
Emotional health matters in remote work
– Did you also take into account soft skills?
– Yes, great attention is paid to employee well-being and work culture, with tools and methods that help maintain connection with the team, prevent burnout, and support emotional health while working remotely.
There are also cybersecurity and digitalisation solutions that help people work safely online and protect data.
In addition, the platform offers sustainability and remote business development tools, such as self-assessment questionnaires or guidelines that help companies understand how their activities can become more environmentally
friendly and more efficient when working at a distance. All of this is complemented by the “Submit your digital tool” section where anyone can share a tool or good practice they use so that others can benefit from it too.
In summary, the result of the project is a collection in one place of concrete, clearly explained tools and examples that help turn remote work from a challenge into a functioning everyday practice.
It was also agreed that, where possible, the platform will continue to be updated with relevant information – announcements about events, new initiatives, or other important developments. In addition, the project partners agreed to meet online at least once a year to jointly assess how the platform is working and to ensure that it remains useful and functional in the future.
A network of innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers
– You have also created the virtual space Living Labs Network. Tell us about it.
– The idea of living labs is simple: solutions are created and tested not “on paper” but in real life, together with real people.
It is not a laboratory with test tubes. A living lab is a company, organisation, community, or even a city where new ideas, services, or ways of working are tested in everyday activities. People work as they normally would, while new solutions are tested in real conditions rather than in theory.
This space created under the Distance LAB initiative is a central meeting point for all members of the International Multidisciplinary Living Labs Network (IMLLN).
The main goal is to bring together innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from across the Baltic Sea Region and foster a collaborative environment in which complex problems can be solved together. You are invited to learn more and join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/15788002/
