Making It Work From Home – With Everyone Home
As a virtual company, our team has always worked from home
(and always will). We already had the
tools we needed to work remotely. However,
when “stay-at-home”
orders were issued in each of our home states, our children came home from
school and it changed the way we work. In
addition to being Equipment Planners, we now have the added job titles of Teacher
and Stay-at-Home Parent.
Embracing the Video Conference. As a team we’ve fully adopted video
conferencing as our everyday meeting venue through Microsoft Teams. The ability to have visual as well as audio
communication gives us a constant reminder that we are people first. It helps us stay connected to each other.
Keeping Flexibility.
Flexibility
is vital to our productivity as we navigate the competing demands of project
deliverables and family responsibilities.
Attempts to engage workers with contrived meetings and busy-work are counterproductive
and inevitably lead
to burnout. Instead, we prioritize the
quality of client interactions and deliverables over the number of hours
logged.
Leaning into Distractions. With
kids at home, it’s nearly impossible to prevent interruptions in our workday. There will always be runny noses, snack
requests, and homework questions that need answering. Sometimes the best course of action is to
“lean in” to the distraction, prioritize family, and return to work when
everyone’s needs are met.
Here are some ways our team is making it work:
“We have been successful with an established
schedule and routine. The boys are excited to follow the schedule and keep me
on task – learning to tell time.” – Adam Hurst, Principal
“I am grateful, my kids have been able to follow
the proposed daily schedule from their school. Some backyard play time and lots
of dancing during recess keeps them and us entertained!” – Atabong Fonkeng, BIM
Manager
“We have been doing a lot of outside time! Helen
has started doing chores and it has helped give her direction. E-learning took
some getting used to in our house, but it’s helped us build a schedule.” –
Laura LeTang, Project Coordinator
“We try to do schoolwork in the morning and take
walks/hikes/bike rides in the afternoons.
My husband and I take turns in ‘kid mode’ so the other can focus on
work.” – Melody Vandivere, Principal
No matter what
happens in the coming weeks, we must remember that we are all in this
together. Everyone is facing similar
challenges right now, but we will thrive
if we give ourselves and each other the grace to keep moving forward.
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