Remote Work (WFH Hacks) Event Recap
Work-life balance, Work from Home. Remote work, Gig economy. Lockdown, curfew, quarantine, and isolation.
Dial: 911/999 (button sound),
Caller: I have an emergency at my workplace...
Emergency officer: 911/999, What is your emergency?
Caller: My workplace and the pandemic...
Emergency officer: Where are you calling from?
Caller: Home (panic breath)... I am in distress and it is overwhelming, I am facing a new dilemma about work-life balance and everything is mixed up and nothing is getting done, I am losing it (Silence)
Emergency officer: Take a deep breath, dispatching help in a few, stay on the line.........
"Is this the year we finally cancel always-on culture? Use virtual reality to build empathy with coworkers? The future of work is about to arrive.
You don’t get to the end of your digital (or agile or cultural) transformation, clap the dust off your hands, and say “Right! Glad that’s all sorted.” Why? Because there is no end. The world changes every day, which means our workplaces have to change every day in order to keep pace.
Savvy organizations have discovered that making massive changes in a short period of time is not only messy and painful, it’s also ineffective. If you change too much too soon, people will revert back to the old and familiar (if flawed) ways of working. Gradual, continuous improvement is the best way to bring about long-lasting change, so adopt a growth mindset this year (if you haven’t already) and start with small changes you can build on." - 10 emerging trends that will Unbreak your workplace in 2020 event back in January adopted from Worklife Blog by Work Futurist Dominic Price.
2 months later there was a lockdown, followed by curfew which is still in force 9 months after the pandemic declaration by WHO, then MOH guidelines, school calendar canceled, and devastating changes which are cooling down. As a community, our first responsibility is to empower our community members to adapt to change.
Of course, the January event reviewed all the changes which have occurred in the last decade and what to expect in the next year, nevertheless, it never indicated that those changes will happen abruptly.
Fast forward to 26th September 2020 and 6 months into the pandemic, Work from home event was a successful event, I was happy to see Atlassian Community Nairobi members getting back on track, the attendees were from diverse industry backgrounds, and thus made the discussion, presentation, and the engagement quite an experience. As a result, everyone learned through all the reviews and challenges presented.
The companies and startup alike had to review how they work. Work-life balance, Work from Home. Remote work, Gig economy. Lockdown, curfew, quarantine, and isolation in play. How do you adapt to remain relevant and thrive as a productive person without losing it?
Tools alone do not cut it when it comes to productivity, don't it twisted they play a major role but you need to retrain how you approach remote work. Think about it: you know that unspoken rule in every household/home "leave your job responsibility/stress and your job position at the door?" Home as we know it belongs to a family, and disrupting that requires a smart approach because if there is resistance from family members you will be fighting a losing battle.
Our Saturday reviewed an approach which not only includes tools and work-life balance but included making your space more adaptable, taking breaks to spend quality time with yourself or family to ensure it doesn't feel like your whole company moved to your home.
Highlights from Remote Work (WFH Hacks) event:
- Assume
- Working from home is not remote work.
- "Digital nomad" is not remote work.
- Remote work is WFH as a discipline.
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The most important factor for remote work success is...
A shared context
- Few Remote Work rules:
- Assume remote always sith the camera for remote calls
- Have a dedicated office with a door that closes to avoid disruptions
- Every time you are getting to your work prepare as if you are going to the office (A Habit of Mind)
- You have the tools to do your job.
- Overcommunicate (Do not leave anything for interpretation)
- Make time for face to face.
Happy hours or jam sessions to make sure people get to know each other
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Regular team meetings to look forward to
- Make time for face to face.
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When a Convo/chat takes more than a few minutes
make it a habit to Switch to zoom or your favorite virtual video tool -
Must have Team Overlap
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Shared Calendars
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Make it easy for your team to know your schedule.
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Chat Status
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Give context to your day. Let people know when you’re working.
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Maker Days (Meeting free days to get shit done).
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Feedback Received:
"It was an engaging event".
"New knowledge acquired to set up my home workspace".
"The future of work has been personalized for me".
"I have something to share with my team on the best approach to improve personal discipline"
"As a Civil engineer I wasn't sure the best approach to improve productivity and accountability and this event gave me new and intuitive ways to approach work in a better way using tools which will both improve my teams' morale and productivity"
"I have never thought about my home workspace and how it would impact my work from home experience and productivity until now"
"Work-life balance has been redefined by the pandemic, love life has been integrated with my work and I have found a better approach to be more disciplined and understand myself when it comes to work and personal life because the line is growing thinner every day"
For this kind of experience and more Join our community journey, get your event ticket, and ensure you come with a positive energy 😊
MK
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