Working Remotely

Think of your office space like being out of your home. While it may be convenient to fetch things as you think of them, the interruptions can be detrimental to your frame of mind.

Be ready to work by having all your needs handy. If you typically take notes on paper, be sure you have a dedicated notepad and pen at your desk.

Workplaces typically have some level of noise. If quiet bothers you or you like to listen to music while working, prepare for that in advance. Podcasts, audiobooks, Spotify, and Apple Music are all good options. If you are looking for a free option, local libraries and some streaming services offer free music.

Space and Equipment

Choose a quiet room with minimal distractions; if there are other people at home, try and find a location that is away from others who are not also working. Rooms with doors are usually the best.

Be sure to equip your workspace with everything you need to work effectively, including a comfortable chair, sturdy work surface, plenty of light, access to power, and other necessities.

Working safely and securely is important to protect student and financial data. Virtual Private Networks (VPN) coupled with responsible home network management and general IT security alertness and prevention help to protect the university’s data. 

If you need setup assistance for VPN or need technical support related to using a VPN, first call the IT Help Desk 831-582-HELP (4357).

A properly set-up workstation is essential for increasing safety and comfort, including in a home office. Standing, stretching, and taking regular, short breaks are important parts of workplace wellness.

If you find you are distracted by unfinished household tasks, like cleaning, laundry, or organizing, do those during your lunchtime to free your mind of the stress. It is best to avoid mixing work and home tasks as it may lead to a lack of focus and increased stress. A key to managing this is to try and divide your work time and home time, even when in the same space. 

Experiencing stress? Take a break and walk away from the computer. Have a drink of water, practice cleansing breaths, or go for a short walk outside. Visit our Wellness Resources page for more resources and information on support services.

At the end of your day, make time for yourself to decompress. Go for a walk, start preparing dinner, or get ready for your evening. As you do not have a commute, give yourself time to adjust, at least 15 minutes to remove yourself mentally from what you did throughout the day.

Working remotely poses new and different challenges. Given the lack of physical proximity, it is important to make an effort and reach out to coworkers and supervisors. 

Let others know what you're working on and how you're doing. Make an effort to maintain interpersonal human connections. In a remote work environment, it is important for each team member to do their part in maintaining the feeling of community. 

If you have others in your home when working, set clear boundaries about your work time and expectations so that you can focus on your responsibilities and balance your work and home life in the same space.

Managing a virtually connected workforce presents challenges distinct from those of a traditional office environment. It is essential to remember that team members still have the same basic needs from a manager: direction, purpose, support, feedback, validation, and praise. 

The distance makes it harder to drop in for a quick chat, and managers may miss important behavioral cues that signal the need for feedback or support. It is the manager's obligation to make the extra steps necessary to maintain a healthy and productive workforce, and this means planning is more essential than ever in a virtual office environment. 

Below are tips to help support employees and supervisors to manage in a virtual team environment.

Helping Employees Stay on Task

There are ways to help verify that employees are on task. Be sure to set clear expectations, then talk to employees if a pattern of not meeting that expectation is observed.

• Reinforce that employees are still representatives of their organization and must follow all rules regarding conduct.
• Pay attention to the responsiveness of employees.
• How fast do they respond to emails?
• Are they available when called?
• Are projects being completed on time?

It’s common to fall prey to the out-of-sight, out-of-mind fallacy. Just because a manager cannot see work being done does not mean that an employee is not working hard and being productive. At all times, not just in virtual offices, it is important to set clear goals and expectations with employees. These are a few tips for making the product of work visible to managers.

• Create and assign projects that have deliverables
• Provide employees with clear timelines for deliverables
• Check in on the status of longer projects to provide help and support
• Ask for written to-do lists of employee work with the respective status at regular intervals

Staying Engaged with Your Team 

It is important to keep regular connections and interactions with your team. Use video chat tools for small-group or one-to-one fast interactions. This is a good way to leverage electronic communications tools to conduct desk-side drop-bys or fast hallway meetings that typically occur in an office. Be mindful that these tools can also be distracting, so don’t overdo it.