In a recent presentation to the American Water Works Association (AWWA), we talked about various aspects of remote working in today’s environment. We included discussions about home offices, technology, socializing, and managing a remote workforce. We would like to share with you some of the important points of that discussion.
1. When setting up a remote office, remember to create a space that is as separate as
possible with the least number of distractions. Prepare for your day just as if you were going into the office, for example, get out of pajamas, shower, and dress as you would for the office.
2. When thinking about technology, adding to home technology may mean adding bigger monitors and faster internet connections. Look for free training from the internet on your platform whether it be Microsoft Teams, Google, Zoom, etc.
3. When we think about this past year and the “Social Distancing” that we have had to endure, many of us have felt the lack of socializing that normally happened in the office environment.
We suggest using technology to have video conferencing but also to add some fun to the day by having selfie contests, daily funny stories, lunch chats over video. Do not lose the fun of the office interaction just because we are all in different places.
4. Finally, if you are tasked with managing a remote workforce, here are some things to remember. Micromanagement can be detrimental to performance so find ways to define tasks in a way that each member can report on progress.
Have short “stand-up” meetings to discuss the day’s goals. And lastly, keep members of your team informed of the bigger picture and how they fit into it.
We hope that you tackle your remote challenges with these tips and others you may come up with.
To download the slides from this presentation, go to: http://wix.to/iUBjB1A
Ron Schindler – Sovereign SP – Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint experts with customized project management solutions for public utilities.