With the increasing need to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 by working from home, M13 held a webinar on remote work hosted by M13’s Partner and Head of Talent Matt Hoffman featuring:
- Jessica Marucci, Head of People and Places, Catalyst Software
- Mark Frein, Chief People Officer, Lambda School
- Megan Wheeler, Director of Recruiting and Leadership Trainer, LifeLabs Learning
We’re navigating a space where this isn’t everyone’s chosen path.
Megan Wheeler
Here are a few key takeaways:
- Acknowledge the anxiety of going remote and that it isn’t people’s chosen path; we’re doing this in the interest and the safety of our community.
- Be mindful that work setups may not be optimal. Some colleagues have young children at home and they neither the child who wants their attention (see BBC dad) nor the parent did not anticipate work to be like this.
- Accept the learning curve of going fully remote (“people didn’t sign up for this environment!”), encourage questions in the ramp-up, and give colleagues tools to gain confidence and succeed. Identify and practice digital etiquette such as being okay with awkward pauses as we wait for our colleagues to speak up on video chats.
For a lot of people, this is a first-time experience, and we’re in a world where there’s a lot of anxiety in general.
Matt Hoffman
What are some best practices for keeping remote teams connected?
What (tech) tools enable remote work?
- Electric AI is ideal for clients transitioning to remote work for outsourced IT side.
- Provide information and training, support for how to use the tools, and encourage questions (“How do I create breakout rooms in Zoom?”).
- Learn COVID-19 etiquette. Embrace the pause, and avoid side conversations.
- Make tech as simple and interconnected as possible. That may require making hard choices about simplicity. Physical companies can give more local autonomy and collaborative tools but remote requires centralization for tools like video technology.
- Create boundaries. Develop processes for young children (a sign on the door with red for please don’t come in and green for welcome) and family. Remind friends and family that just because you’re home doesn’t mean you can catch up or do the laundry and the dishes right away.
How do you manage performance when you can’t see it?
Resources we love
- Going Remote, Overnight: A Practical Guide to Help Your Team Work From Home: Understand the principles of crisis communications, and more. [Bunch]
- The Distributed Workplace: Panelist Mark Frein discusses the philosophy of remote work. [Medium]
- Werq from Home: How to Ace Being Remote: Panelist Jessica Marucci, recommends these tactical best practices. [Morningmindmeld.com]
- The Complete Remote Work Playbook: Learn how to set up work-from-home spaces, get ideas for virtual team building, and more. [LifeLabs Learning]
- How to Be an Ally in Times of Xenophobia: Get tips for building empathy through education. [LifeLabs Learning]
- Return-to-Workplace Discussion Guide: More than 1,000 companies contributed to this comprehensive guide. [LifeLabs Learning]
- The Ultimate Remote Work Guide: Don’t overlook these pitfalls of working remotely. [LifeLabs Learning]
With the increasing need to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 by working from home, M13 held a webinar on remote work hosted by M13’s Partner and Head of Talent Matt Hoffman featuring:
- Jessica Marucci, Head of People and Places, Catalyst Software
- Mark Frein, Chief People Officer, Lambda School
- Megan Wheeler, Director of Recruiting and Leadership Trainer, LifeLabs Learning
We’re navigating a space where this isn’t everyone’s chosen path.
Megan Wheeler
Here are a few key takeaways:
- Acknowledge the anxiety of going remote and that it isn’t people’s chosen path; we’re doing this in the interest and the safety of our community.
- Be mindful that work setups may not be optimal. Some colleagues have young children at home and they neither the child who wants their attention (see BBC dad) nor the parent did not anticipate work to be like this.
- Accept the learning curve of going fully remote (“people didn’t sign up for this environment!”), encourage questions in the ramp-up, and give colleagues tools to gain confidence and succeed. Identify and practice digital etiquette such as being okay with awkward pauses as we wait for our colleagues to speak up on video chats.
For a lot of people, this is a first-time experience, and we’re in a world where there’s a lot of anxiety in general.
Matt Hoffman
What are some best practices for keeping remote teams connected?
What (tech) tools enable remote work?
- Electric AI is ideal for clients transitioning to remote work for outsourced IT side.
- Provide information and training, support for how to use the tools, and encourage questions (“How do I create breakout rooms in Zoom?”).
- Learn COVID-19 etiquette. Embrace the pause, and avoid side conversations.
- Make tech as simple and interconnected as possible. That may require making hard choices about simplicity. Physical companies can give more local autonomy and collaborative tools but remote requires centralization for tools like video technology.
- Create boundaries. Develop processes for young children (a sign on the door with red for please don’t come in and green for welcome) and family. Remind friends and family that just because you’re home doesn’t mean you can catch up or do the laundry and the dishes right away.
How do you manage performance when you can’t see it?
Resources we love
- Going Remote, Overnight: A Practical Guide to Help Your Team Work From Home: Understand the principles of crisis communications, and more. [Bunch]
- The Distributed Workplace: Panelist Mark Frein discusses the philosophy of remote work. [Medium]
- Werq from Home: How to Ace Being Remote: Panelist Jessica Marucci, recommends these tactical best practices. [Morningmindmeld.com]
- The Complete Remote Work Playbook: Learn how to set up work-from-home spaces, get ideas for virtual team building, and more. [LifeLabs Learning]
- How to Be an Ally in Times of Xenophobia: Get tips for building empathy through education. [LifeLabs Learning]
- Return-to-Workplace Discussion Guide: More than 1,000 companies contributed to this comprehensive guide. [LifeLabs Learning]
- The Ultimate Remote Work Guide: Don’t overlook these pitfalls of working remotely. [LifeLabs Learning]
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