Prepping for Remote Work

Schools closing, offices moving to remote work, travel restrictions, quarantines, ...oh my! The list is getting longer and longer as the days go by - and this wave of immobility doesn't seem to be receding any time soon. With many people beginning to work remotely for the foreseeable future (and possibly for the first time), here are some things to think about.

Tools

It should go without saying that you should have a dedicated place to work. This is not always possible. Given the fact that COVID-19 has snuck up on most of the workforce, this can be a challenge. At the very least, make sure to have a comfortable set up where you can minimize distractions.

Zoom (for video conferencing) and Slack (for messaging) are essential. It's not enough to just use them, however. Learn how to leverage these platforms to make the transition from in-person to virtual seamless.

Zoom seems pretty straightforward: turn on camera and meet. Easy, right? Having been on hundreds of Zoom calls, I can definitively say, "NO!" There are three things to think about optimizing when it comes to Zoom: video, audio, and you. From the video perspective, try to make your video professional by having adequate lighting. If you don't have good lighting, the picture comes out grainy and dark. If necessary, purchase a cheap light to attach to your laptop to brighten your face. You can adjust the Zoom video settings to smooth the picture as well. I personally like having a professional background added that makes it look like I'm in an actual office. From an audio perspective, invest in some earphones with a mic if you work from a location with a lot of background noise. It makes a huge difference to the other people on the call. Additionally, you should mute when you're not speaking. Finally, there's YOU: make sure you are dressed commensurate with your office's norms.

Slack is vital for remote teams, and it has been for quite a while. There are a number of plugins and add ons that can bring significant efficiency to your org, but out of the box, it can help to facilitate communication in ways you might not ordinarily think. Copiously use group chats and rooms - make Slack analogous to in-person meetings! If you need to talk to a group of people, and you'd normally huddle around someone's desk, create a channel with those people and do the same thing, in real time. There should also be channels that encourage office fun and culture. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Hardware Considerations

Hardware is where things get a bit tricky. What's your company's "bring your own device" policy? What is your company willing to let you bring home as you ride out the coronavirus? What is your company willing to ship you? All of those questions have individual answers, but here are some other generic considerations that companies / employees might not immediately think of.

• Monitors. People often have laptops that the bring to and from the office (or just have sitting at home), but their office desks have multiple screens that they look at. Without a similar set up at home, productivity can drop.
• Printers. Do you print anything at work? Do you need to print things? Do you have a decent printer at home? This is a "legacy" item to many people, but it's still something that a decent chunk of folks still use.
• Bandwidth. Home bandwidth is generally pretty decent in most areas these days, but how decent is "decent"? While a normal, broadband cable company internet connection might be good enough for a marketing executive, it might not be good enough for someone doing video production and uploading it to a server sitting in the office.
• Whiteboards. These are vital pieces of hardware for so many people. Whiteboarding over video is an option, but it's a pretty terrible option. Virtual whiteboards exist and could get you some/most of the way there.
• Security. Your company should have security in place for connecting to internal files and servers. Make sure that you understand all the security protocols and the ways to access things.

Kids!

One of the biggest sources of anxiety that I've seen as I've talked to people about remotely working during the coronavirus pandemic is their kids being home while they work. We're all going through this together, so hopefully, companies are understanding that there are going to be some disruptions.

Companies should allow employees to be flexible in order to help accommodate remote schoolwork. They should also realize that kids might drift into the frames of video calls. They might need attention during video calls. I always encourage my kids to jump on calls if they get curious and the situation is appropriate. I wish other people would do this more. Kids learn from their parents and want to know their parents do during the day. Encourage the curiosity, and, if it's not disruptive, let them be a part of your work day. They need social interaction, too.

Semper Gumby

As they say in the Marines, "Semper Gumby" - "always flexible." We're in uncharted territory, and this is the first time in history that there's even the option to work from home rather than risk exposure to a pandemic. There is no playbook. Put in a little bit of foresight, but stay flexible, because things are bound to change.