With the increasing focus on health, and the outbreak of the most recent coronavirus, working from home is becoming more top of mind. In addition to that the need to wash your hands and stop touching your face (I seriously touch my face way more than I ever realized). Case in point? I am working from home while writing this. Rather than take my germs in to work, I decided to work remotely.
There is a certain stigma that comes with remote work. Do you get enough done? Are you distracted? Do you have the tools needed to still get the job done? While I can’t help you with the first two (as it is my dog likes to heavy mouth breathe on me while I’m on conference calls), there are absolutely ways to stay connected and collaborate even from home.
Our company uses Microsoft Teams for our internal collaboration, file share, and video calls. It allows me to be present for meetings, one on ones, file share, and chat for quick messages. In addition to that, an app on my cell phone to stay connected to Teams on the go.
Check out this link from Microsoft themselves with some timely examples of ways you can stay busy and take care of both your physical and mental health while working from home.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/2020/03/02/working-remotely-during-challenging-times/
I loved the point about going all in. Embrace online, use it to keep connected, and those longer stints of remote work won’t seem so disjointed. I also love the idea of not just using it for work amongst teammates but also to keep morale up by sharing pictures, and videos. The ability to turn to co-workers and share thoughts and feelings is powerful and often a way to get through a hectic day.
Let’s face it, working from home isn’t something that everyone has available. However, for many of us it can be a reality with tools like Teams to help keep us connected.