Remote Work Support & FAQ

Tyr

Tyr

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Hi N&G Family!

I hope you are all having an amazing Friday thus far.

I wanted to create a thread for all of you experienced and newly-minted remote workers to discuss strategies and solutions to help you stay focused and effective. I also wanted there to be a place for people to ask questions, about anything really!

As a road-warrior myself, I have years of experience working remotely and leading and being part of a team while thousands of miles away from my team members and direct reports. It takes a bit of time and some thoughtful planning in order to find your specific groove in the world of remote work. It can be very rewarding! And you may even see more meaningful and impactful work output from yourself and your employees if you can avoid some of the pitfalls of having team members in disparate locations.

So, feel free to chime in, commiserate, ask questions, help your fellow person, and provide support to those who may have not experienced this type of work environment before. We are all here to help!



Side note: I'm doing something similar with my company at the moment where we are offering coaching/consultative sessions to new remote workers to ensure they are successful. But I wanted to share some of the same stuff I'm doing with the N&G fam because I love you cats.
 
Today, I am working from home and leading 6 different team meetings from the comfort and convenience of my loft. 2 out of those 6 meetings deal directly with clients in different states. So I am utilizing different tools and techniques to ensure that everyone is participating, is engaged in the topic, and ultimately stays on task to deliver.

I utilize apps like Slack, Teams, Skype, and Zoom in order to hold these virtual meetings. Participation on camera is mandatory. And while this does take some getting used to (and ensures that you get dressed up in the mornings) I have found that if I hold team meetings via phone only, the overall engagement declines noticeably. Once people are on camera, however, they are more engaged and much less likely to let their attention and/or focus wander. It is a subtle form of accountability but, ultimately, one that pays off in the long run.

I also like to keep my meetings shorter and more focused than I traditionally would for in-person meetings. I do this for several reasons: to respect people's time, to ensure I'm getting the most "bang for my buck" in terms of time spent on a particular project or issue, and to make sure I'm holding the audience's attention. In my meetings, everyone participates. Everyone. And I ensure that multiple levels of an organization/department/etc are part of the team to make sure that I'm getting multiple perspectives and not just speaking into an echo chamber. If someone doesn't speak up or give their thoughts or ideas, I call on them to share. This can be daunting at first. But once your team gets used to the collaborative nature of these types of meetings, you end up getting much better feedback and participation.

Just some thoughts on today's team formation/team building work I'm doing.
 
Remote work tips from a Road-Warrior:

  • Manage your time more prescriptively than you would irl
  • Create simplicity in both your physical and digital workspace
  • Utilize data/metrics to measure your output and productivity (if available)
  • Stay visible (to colleagues, to clients, to direct reports, etc.)
  • Ensure you schedule yourself down-time (and stick to it)
  • Use the time/space to create and nurture connections and relationships
  • Utilize the best tools for your particular situation and industry
  • Take breaks
  • Engage yourself and your team regularly
  • OVER communicate
 
When I work remote I'm either 100% focused or not focused at all. It does depend on how busy I am with things to do throughout the day. It's hard to stay focused and complete some less important tasks I've been putting off when it's not busy. I normally just take my time with high priority items.

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wokeupnew said:
When I work remote I'm either 100% focused or not focused at all. It does depend on how busy I am with things to do throughout the day. It's hard to stay focused and complete some less important tasks I've been putting off when it's not busy. I normally just take my time with high priority items.

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That's a good point @wokeupnew Focus is sometimes an all or nothing thing for long-term remote or WFH people. How do you find you best combat the tendency to let your focus drop to 0? Also, do you feel you work better under pressure or when you have plenty of time to complete things?

Thanks for chiming in!
 
Today is the WFH gauntlet for me. I've spent the week doing just fine; dev work is pretty easy to do from home, and I'm able to VPN into my tower at the office should I need to do anything Window's related (toted my mac mini and two monitors from work). But today...well, my boss wanted me to review an update to an application I've never supported. Any time I install a new application locally, there are a million ins and outs and quick-fixes people previously put into place to get the dang thing working in the first place. The only plus is that typically when this happens, my manager sits over my shoulder for 1-2 hours as we trial-and-error bungle our way to a functional app. At least now I can get up from my desk, pace, and swear, before trying the next change.
 
Bull Shannon said:
Today is the WFH gauntlet for me. I've spent the week doing just fine; dev work is pretty easy to do from home, and I'm able to VPN into my tower at the office should I need to do anything Window's related (toted my mac mini and two monitors from work). But today...well, my boss wanted me to review an update to an application I've never supported. Any time I install a new application locally, there are a million ins and outs and quick-fixes people previously put into place to get the dang thing working in the first place. The only plus is that typically when this happens, my manager sits over my shoulder for 1-2 hours as we trial-and-error bungle our way to a functional app. At least now I can get up from my desk, pace, and swear, before trying the next change.
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Ah, as a Dev you must be very used to working from home. Its kind of the bread and butter for those types of positions.

Thackeraye said:
The main thing I miss is dual monitors, makes such a huge difference. My wife and I are both working from home (my wife is usually home based), and we only have one desk that's got space for a second monitor.
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That is a definite truth @Thackeraye have you tried hooking up your computer/laptop to your TV to use as a second monitor? I used to do this before setting up a multi-monitor display in the house. Sometimes its helpful, especially if you're looking at spreadsheets at all.
 
Tyr said:
Ah, as a Dev you must be very used to working from home. Its kind of the bread and butter for those types of positions.


That is a definite truth @Thackeraye have you tried hooking up your computer/laptop to your TV to use as a second monitor? I used to do this before setting up a multi-monitor display in the house. Sometimes its helpful, especially if you're looking at spreadsheets at all.
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I'm an accountant, so it's spreadsheets all day. The TV is a possibility, although the desk I'm using isn't really close to it.

My big issue is that I'm leaving my job at the end of the month, so motivation is an issue Got a nice project I can work on by myself, which is a wee challenge to finish up on.
 
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I've been working from home for nearly a decade now. I'm at the point where returning to an office is probably beyond me.

@Tyr has already dealt with the important stuff. For me the key to acclimatisation is getting used to the loss of your old distractions and the arrival of a whole heap of new ones. I'd cover off the basics and suggest that the TV should stay off (even when muted) and even music should probably be used sparingly, if only at first. There is of course, the... other... issue which I leave you to deal with in the best manner you see fit.

One random thing I have found astonishingly successful in the last two years is writing up on my iPad rather than my laptop. This sounds utterly counter intuitive but the nature of how iOS works- where you can't have dozens of things running at the same time means I'm more likely to focus on the writing because I physically have to tab out to Chrome to dick about on the internet. Since I bought an iPad Pro with the keyboard folio cover, I've become as fast at getting copy out on that as I am on this ThinkPad. Depending on the software you are using, you might find it worth a go.

Oh, and NEVER work in bed. In a working from home situation, your bed is the last refuge from people emailing you with the sort of abject bellendery that comes wrapped in the special language of bellends; 'fully aligned', 'touching base', 'reaching out' etc. The moment one of these pitiful squawks for attention reaches you in the place you normally retreat from such things, it is the end of it.
 
I work at home most of the time too. For me, the two big things that I don't think have been mentioned are:

  • I Put my phone out of reach so I can hear it but I can't absentmindedly pick it up while I'm waiting for something I'm doing to finish running/compiling, etc.
  • I get up every morning and shower and get ready for work. Usually I put on clothes so that I can go right to the gym later. Now that we can't leave the house much, I can still walk right after work and have no excuses.
I gave my second 29" monitor to my wife who is now working at home and I really miss it. I have a small one in the basement and I might see if it's not too old for my computers.
 
This week I started working from home for the first time in my career - I teach an intensive Spanish course at a military institution. In just a few days, I've gotten pretty proficient at using Microsoft Teams to run a virtual classroom, but it's still a weird transition. The worst is our management is suddenly really worried about whether we're actually working from 8 to 5, so they're checking in on us and holding pointless meetings A LOT. (Still, it's a problem I'm grateful to have, given the alternatives.)
 
i occasionally WFH but not long term like this past 2 weeks...
Few things I picked up, works for me, hopefully will help you too:

-If you're busy, don't watch things on tv or your other monitor, you'll get distracted.
-Keep your monitor on your remote workstation.
-Take time to walk from your desk. Dont chain yourself to your desk. Take Breaks like you do at actual work.
-if you plan on video meetings. Comb your hair and put on a shirt before you start lol
 
I've been working from home full time for the past 2 years. A lot of these have been said, but repeating a few things that I've found useful to keep me sane:

Have a dedicated room (if possible) that becomes your office. It becomes very easy to keep "working" even after your usual workday ends if your work laptop is sitting in your living room. Do not use your office after work hours.

Make time (BLOCK IT OFF IN YOUR CALENDAR) to get up and move! 10 minutes at least every hour. I often walk around during conference calls if they're over an hour long.

Get a good, supportive work chair. Your kitchen table chairs or your favorite couch will eventually ruin your back and neck.

Two monitors for life. Make it happen. My employer paid for mine it's that important.

Be conscious of mindless snacking. Yes, your pantry is right there, but it will add up very quickly!

We don't do video conferencing, so comfy clothes are my daily attire, but do get up and get ready in every other way that usually wakes you up.

Communication with your colleagues is very important now. You can't just swing by their desk to talk, so make sure you are doubly clear on any instructions and tasks you are assigning.
 
So many great tips from WFH pros and new-comers alike! Happy to see some new tips for myself to practice as well.

One thing I will add is that it takes a small bit of time to catch your specific groove when working from home. Some, as has been said above, need a quiet workplace with little distractions. I myself, always need some type of background noise whether it be music or TV to really help me be the most effective. Find what works for you and tweak from there. For instance, I've found that if I put on music like funk or jazz I am able to concentrate more on work that has me dealing with numbers and spreadsheets. Whereas, when I need to write something creative, soundtracks and metal seem to help me the most.

Ed Selley said:
I've been working from home for nearly a decade now. I'm at the point where returning to an office is probably beyond me.

@Tyr has already dealt with the important stuff. For me the key to acclimatisation is getting used to the loss of your old distractions and the arrival of a whole heap of new ones. I'd cover off the basics and suggest that the TV should stay off (even when muted) and even music should probably be used sparingly, if only at first. There is of course, the... other... issue which I leave you to deal with in the best manner you see fit.

One random thing I have found astonishingly successful in the last two years is writing up on my iPad rather than my laptop. This sounds utterly counter intuitive but the nature of how iOS works- where you can't have dozens of things running at the same time means I'm more likely to focus on the writing because I physically have to tab out to Chrome to dick about on the internet. Since I bought an iPad Pro with the keyboard folio cover, I've become as fast at getting copy out on that as I am on this ThinkPad. Depending on the software you are using, you might find it worth a go.

Oh, and NEVER work in bed. In a working from home situation, your bed is the last refuge from people emailing you with the sort of abject bellendery that comes wrapped in the special language of bellends; 'fully aligned', 'touching base', 'reaching out' etc. The moment one of these pitiful squawks for attention reaches you in the place you normally retreat from such things, it is the end of it.
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Oh man I miss working from my iPad! My company now locks us in to an encrypted machine, which is smart, but I find I always have my personal Macbook or iPad on at the same time to do any sort of cross-functional or cross-industry work that needs done. Do you find that the iPad keeps you more focused from hopping on to the interwebz? Mine does the exact opposite. "Oh look! A new update on xxx topic, I should read that!" lol

Kris said:
I work at home most of the time too. For me, the two big things that I don't think have been mentioned are:

  • I Put my phone out of reach so I can hear it but I can't absentmindedly pick it up while I'm waiting for something I'm doing to finish running/compiling, etc.
  • I get up every morning and shower and get ready for work. Usually I put on clothes so that I can go right to the gym later. Now that we can't leave the house much, I can still walk right after work and have no excuses.
I gave my second 29" monitor to my wife who is now working at home and I really miss it. I have a small one in the basement and I might see if it's not too old for my computers.
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YES! Your second tip is absolute GOLD! Get up early, go for a walk, workout, whatever. Then shower and dress like you were going to your job (though more casual). It puts you in the right mindset!
 
Today, I am reminded why ensuring you maintain your network of contacts is so crucial. Not only is it just a good idea all the time, it is also helpful when you find yourself or others in need.

I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes: "The highest calling of a leader is the growth and development of people". I've quoted that so many times in my years of teaching leadership skills that its become somewhat of a mantra. But in times of crisis, like these, it takes on new aspects. I've had a couple of people whom I have helped mentor reach out to me this week for guidance or to express support. Surprisingly, opportunities for other contacts opened up because of those people reaching out. People helping people! I love it.

Remember to reach out to your network often, and ensure you are doing so meaningfully. Ask about how they are doing and really listen. Offer to help if you are able, or just commiserate if you are unable. Remember, its about building strong relationships, not just seeing what you can do for each other. Eventually those contacts become roots and eventually strong bonds are developed and it is rewarding!

Just my thought for the day!
 
Does anyone have a good chair they use for working remote? Ideally one that can function as a regular sitting chair, kinda stylish and no super high back. Would need to be good for sitting almost the whole day.

I use a tall chair with a standing desk at the office and it probably costs $300+ so I couldn't replicate the same thing at home.

I was sitting on a kitchen chair with a pillow, then decided to get a cushion, cushion didn't work, bought a more ergonomic cushion and a back pillow for the chair but that's still not working. I have a cheap IKEA desk chair I keep in our spare bedroom which I'm using now, but it's only good for a few hours before my behind starts hurting.
 
wokeupnew said:
Does anyone have a good chair they use for working remote? Ideally one that can function as a regular sitting chair, kinda stylish and no super high back. Would need to be good for sitting almost the whole day.

I use a tall chair with a standing desk at the office and it probably costs $300+ so I couldn't replicate the same thing at home.

I was sitting on a kitchen chair with a pillow, then decided to get a cushion, cushion didn't work, bought a more ergonomic cushion and a back pillow for the chair but that's still not working. I have a cheap IKEA desk chair I keep in our spare bedroom which I'm using now, but it's only good for a few hours before my behind starts hurting.
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I wish I had something for you on this one. I also use a stand desk and pretty much stand 90% of my day. Hopefully someone else has a solution for you!

RenegadeMonster said:


Here is an important lesson. Don't forget you are on camera.
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OH. MY. GODS! Ahahahahahahaha! Love it.
 
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