In April – hard to believe – I started my 18th year of remote work.
The only non-remote-based work during this time was teaching last semester onsite at Ozarks Technical Community College. But, teaching’s other areas of work – grading and administration of information – make teaching a #hybrid job. The original hybrid job.
When you know you’re going to be a home-based worker, you select your living arrangements based on it. You need one or more workspaces that are quiet and can restrict the access of pets and children. This house has two downstairs offices. Young children could (and often were) screaming terrors at some point in the workday, and home office workers and their conference calls couldn’t hear them.
We expected this, so we planned for it.
At the beginning of COVID, I wrote a couple of posts with advice for unplanned home-based workers. Things like weeknight turkeys. Do your laundry and other small chores to bolster creativity. Midday walks when your calendar’s clear.
When my youngest son was in first grade, I was traveling extensively – sometimes back-to-back full weeks to a client. His teacher asked “where’s your Mom this week,” and he answered “at the airport.”
Interesting perspective. Drop her off, and she hangs out there for a week with the planes, which is weird, because otherwise she is ALWAYS HOME.
My other biggest work-from-home tip is to minimize Zoom on-camera time. Yes, please, introduce yourself, but extensive on-camera time diminishes creativity; it’s unnaturally stilted. Longer meetings – go off camera and pace or stretch or sit in a comfy chair while you collaborate.
Remote workers need also to consider office-level responsibility for #cybersecurity, whether they’re employed by self or organization. Going to leave that there as the last thing you’re thinking.
Home sweet home.
