RemoteWork

SURV

IVALTOOLKIT

INSIDETHISREPORTPG.2-5Culture&Behavior

PG.6ManagingTeamsRemotely

PG.7-8Technology

PG.9OtherLinks

HELPINGYOUTHRIVEHOWCANYOUHELPYOURSELFANDYOURTEAMDURINGCOVID-19?

Thisisacrowdsourcedefforttohelppeopleandorganisationswithremoteworkingatthistimeofacuteneed - the reasoning is that thebetterpeopleareable todo this themoreeffectiveitwillbeandthebettertheoutcomeforsociety,withlessriskoftherapidspreadofdiseasewhichbenefitseveryone.

ThisadvicehasbeenproducedREMOTELYbya teamof>100volunteers fromaroundtheworld. It’s been produced using WhatsApp, Google Doc and O365 in days though thewillingnessofdozens,fornoreasonotherthantohelp!

Version1.1–14/03/2020

CULTURE&BEHAVIOURWORKINGTOGETHER

Keepingyourteamworkingeffectively togetherwillbeoneof, ifnot,yourkeypriorityoverthecomingweeks.Youwillwanttoensurethatyouareabletolookafteryourpeopleandyou’llbetryingtokeepyourteam connected so your business can continue provide products orservices to your customers. Covid-19will obviously create enormouschallenges,butaswithsomemanycrisis,wewillallbesurprisedbythestrengthofhumanspirit,ingenuityandabilitytoinnovateandchange,especiallyforthosewithinsupportivecultures.

IDEA:CreateaTeamCharter.Hereisasimpleexample:

“WecommunicateoveraWhatsAppGroup(giventhewaythey'veimplementedTeamsandmyconfidenceishigherinaWhatsAppGroupthantheirMicrosoftTeamimplementation).

WeuseJiratoreflecttheactualstateofplay,witha2-hourtolerance.

Weavoid‘darkwork'i.e.wetheworktransparenttoeveryone

Atanypointintimeweareabletopointtoanitem(Jira=sub-task)thatcontributestowardsapieceofvaluedelivery(i.e.aWorkItem/ProductBacklogItem)

WehaveaseparateWhatsAppGroupthatincludestheclientsocommunicationIreadilyavailableacrossallteam-members.

Despiteourlowerconfidence,weuseMicrosoftTeamsmoreforcollaboration;however,ouranchor,thebehaviourestablishediswe'reallsensitivetoourWhatsAppGroup.

Wesharethischarter,referenceitoftenandadjustasneeded”

THOUGHTS:Thingstobeawareof:

• Assumetrustandbelievethatfolkwillbeproductive.Itislikelymostpeoplewillwanttodotheirbest.

• WFHmaycreatenewworkinghoursandpatterns-iffolkdon’thavetocommute,letthemstartat7/8amandfinishat3/4pm.However,youwillstillneedtomeetdepartmental/companySLA’soropeninghoursforresponsetoenquiriesorphonecalls.It’snotgoodifallyourstaffchoosetofinishat15:00whenyouropeninghoursareuntil17:00!ConsideredcorrectlythisflexibilitymayevenextendyourservicehoursANDhelpyourstaffbalancelife&work.

• Howwillyoumanageifyourflexitimeisdependentonthemtappinginandoutonaboxbythedoor.

• “Weasa5-personteamhaveembracedMicrosoftTeams(theclientandourconsultancy'smutuallypreferredcollaborationtool)and,collectively,builtemails,PowerPoint,andgoodnessknowsotherstuffthroughahighlyinteractiveandcollaborativesetup.Key=psychologicalsafety.Asthisteam'sservant,Icontributebyguidingallofusthateachofusisgivenavoiceindiscussionandestablishingthatweareall5peers.ChathamHouseRules:weworkasateamandwerespondasateam.”

Page2

“IF WORKING IN A SHARED DOCUMENT, BECOME COMFORTABLE WITH SHARING EARLY, AS A

CONTRIBUTOR YOU ARE 'WORKING OUT LOUD' AND AS A READER YOU WILL SEE THE DOCUMENT

EVOLVE IN REAL TIME”

12TIPSYOUCANUSENOWTOPTIPSFORCREATINGACOLLABORATIVECULTURE

1. 2minutesonavideocallcansavemanymoreminutesandsignificantlymorebrainspacethanalongback-and-forthonSlacktakingplaceinthebackground(phonecallsarenotasgoodasvideo,buttheyAREbetterthanendlessSlack/WhatsApporemail!)

2. Useyourwebcamoncallsasmuchaspossible-helpsyouknowwhenpeoplehavefinishedspeaking/wanttospeak

3. UseTrello/Jira/TeamsPlannertoguidestand-upsandcheck-ins.Centringtheupdatesaroundthecardskeepsitreallyfocussedbutalsomeansthedetailisthereforlaterwhenyoucan’tjustchecksomethingwithsomebodyin3seconds

4. Haveashareddocument(Google/Word/DropboxPaper)formeetingssopeoplecanfollowalongwiththeconversationandkeeptrackofwhat’sbeenagreed/asked-don’tassumethatsomebodyelseiswritingintheirpad/onpost-itsifyoucan’tseethemdoingit

5. It’sreallyhardtojudgewhatthegeneralmoodinthecampis,sointroducealow-keywayofsharinggeneralfeelings-e.g.ifpeoplearehappyto,shareanumberoutof10foryourgeneralvibeinyourstand-upssopeopleknowwhotogivesupporttoandwhotogotoforabitofapick-me-up

6. Makeabitoftimeforinconsequential,non-workchat-youarenotmachines,nobodywantsyouonback-to-backcalls…

7. You’reallowedtomaketea/coffee/stretchyourlegs

8. Don’tpretendyoucandolifeadminthroughoutyourworkingday-itdisruptsconcentrationandjustmakesforaweirdvibewhenyoujumpfromputtingawashontotalkingtosomebodyaboutsomethingsuperserious.Planyouradmintime.

9. You’reallowedtocloseSlackforabitifyouneedabitoffocustime-justgivepeopleaheadsup,butnobodywillassumeyou’reskivingoff.

10. Ifyoufeelabitlonely,abitconfusedbysomework,orfeellikeyou’remakingnoheadway-pingsomebodytoshareafeelingorfrustration.Whennobodycanpickuponyourfurrowedbroworsighsofannoyance,itcanfeellikeyouhavetofixitallyourself,butweworkinteamsforareason.

11. Slack/emailisn’tthebestmediumforsharingadifficultmessage–usethephoneorvideochatforanythingwhichiscomplexorcontentious.

12. Rememberpeoplearenotallsetupwithhomeoffices-peoplewillbeworkingwithkids,dogs,catsandpartnersinthebackgroundandnoteveryonehasanofficetogoto.Beunderstandingandrespectfulofthissituation.IfusingVideo/Voicecallsweshouldexpectdelaysaroundmute/unmuteandalossofconcentration.Werecommendusingmessagingtowritequestions/askspecificpeopleforanswersandresponsesaswellasyourvoice

Page3

LOOKINGAFTERMENTALHEALTHAQUICKCAVEAT

We’renotmentalhealthexperts,butourcommunityhasbeenlookingforthebestlinksandarticlestohelpyou understand the strains and pressures you andyourpeoplewillface.

Wedon’tprofesstobetheexperts,butit’sclearthatyoumustconsiderthephysicalandmentalhealthofyourteamsthroughoutthiscrisis.

LINKS:

MentalHealthBlogs:https://oakwoodtraining.co.uk/coronavirus-and-my-wellbeing/ https://oakwoodtraining.co.uk/agilehomeflexible-working-increase-risk/ https://hoxby.com/blog/remote-working-coronavirus-mental-health Burn-out Peoplewhoworktoohard-https://www.inc.com/jason-fried/excerpt-true-challenge-of-remote-workers.html Avoidburnout,FourBurnerstheory-https://jamesclear.com/four-burners-theory

PAGE4

RESILIENCEKEEPINGSTRONG

/rɪˈzɪlɪəns/ noun noun: resilience; noun: resiliency; plural noun: resiliencies

1. 1. the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. 2. 3. 2. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity. 4.

Vision Thisisallaboutensuringyouareclearaboutyourpurposeandgoals.Thenensuringyouareauthentic. Vitality Youneedtoensureyouhaveenoughenergybyexercising,correctdiet,enoughsleepandusingmindfulness.

Support Havingtherightsupportinplacewillensureyouboostyourresiliency.Thiscomesfromotherleaders,peersandyournetwork. Composure Wearealwaysincontrolofhowwefeel!Buildingyourselfawarenessandselfcontrolisakeyelementofresilience.

Persistence Yourtenacity,optimismandbouncebackabilityallcomeintoplayhere,supportedbyalltheotherelements. DecisionMaking Howyousolveproblems,takeactionandmoveforwardiskeytoyoursuccess.Youneedtobuildyourtoolkit.

Otherhelpfullinkshttps://thriveglobal.com/stories/7-effective-ways-to-build-resilient-relationships-while-working-remotely/Understandunwrittenor‘psychological’contracts-https://www.alchemyformanagers.co.uk/topics/6ixdhhPwDvZFjsZc.htmlMeetingsandmanagers-https://www.inc.com/jason-fried/excerpt-easy-on-the-mms.htmlTwolinksfromAIGoverapproachingthe‘softer’sideofremoteworking:Isolationandremoteworkinghttp://influence.appliedinfluencegroup.com/post/102e4jy/practicing-reciprocityWorkingfromhome-“Reducetheguilt”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaXvQdj74XM

Page5

MANAGINGTEAMSREMOTELYYOUCAN’TLEADREMOTETEAMSASTHOUGHTHEYARESITTINGNEXTTOYOU…HERE’SSOMETIPSFORSUCCESS

Formanythismaybetheirfirstexperienceleadingremoteteamsandthispresentsawholenewsetofchallengeswhichwilladdstressandpressuretomanyindividuals.It’simportanttorememberthatalotofpeoplewillbelearningtogether,bothmanagersandleadersandthosebeingled.Mostpeoplewillwanttodotheirbestandouradviceallstartsfromonesimplepremise–Startbyassumingtrust!

THOUGHTS:Thingstobeawareof

• Trustyourteam–they’redoingtheirbestandwanttobalancetheirworkandtheirobviousconcernsaboutfriends&family

• BalanceNeglectvsOverbearing–youmustgiveclearoutputdrivenguidanceasyouwillnotbeabletotaskmanage

• Diarizetheformalstuffandhaveinformal“checkins”tostayconnected

• Implementregularteamtouchpoints–considerdailystandups,andteamhuddles

• Settingexpectations–makesureyourteamsknowwhentheyareexpectedtobeavailabletoeachother

• Presence-nowweareconnectedallthetime,presenceindicatorscanbelessuseful,butsettingaprecedentabouthowthisisusedcanhelp

• Overcommunicate–investtimeintellingpeoplewhat’sgoingonasyoudon’thavethewatercooleropportunitiestodisseminateinformation

• Doyouexpectyourteamstobe“dressedforbusiness”oninternalcalls?Whatisthedonethingwhenonvideocallswithcustomers?Itmightbebesttorelaxformaldresscodesduringthistime.

LINKS:

‘Forming,norming,performing’forremoteteams:https://blog.insynctraining.com/adapting-tuckmans-model-for-global-virtual-teams

Buildaremotecompanyculture:https://shift.infinite.red/six-ways-to-build-a-strong-remote-company-culture-df0a49b2f549

Remoteworkingbook:https://basecamp.com/books/remote https://www.readyforremote.com/ Freee-bookonremoteteammanagement:https://mailchi.mp/infinitered/manifesto ‘Forming,norming,performing’forremoteteams:https://blog.insynctraining.com/adapting-tuckmans-model-for-global-virtual-teamsRemoteworkingteamstips: https://hoxby.com/blog/coronavirus-remote-working

IDEA:HowcanAgilehelpyouatthistime?

AdoptionofAgileandScrumtechniquesevenonasmallscalewillhelpwithcommunication,accountability,taskmanagementandfocus.Youdon’tneedtogofullblownagiletoachieveresults.Forexample,adailystandupcallwithateamhelpsfocusefforts,eachpersonspeaksinturnansweringthesethreequestions:

1. WhatdidIdoyesterday?2. WhatamIdoingtoday?3. WhatmightstopmeachievingwhatIwanttodotoday?

UseaKanbanboardifappropriatesothereisclearsightofwhat’stodo,what’sinprogressandwhathasbeendone.

Page6

FOCUSONTECHNOLOGYTHETECHNOLOGYEXISTSTOMAKETHISWORK!

We’veneverbeenbetterpreparedtoworkremotelythannow;wehaveaplethorafortoolsavailableacrossPC,MobileandTablettoallowmanyemployeestoworkremotelyalmostseamlessly,andformanytheuseofthistechnologyhasalreadybecomepartoftheireverydaylife.Overthe coming weeks and months, you’ll become expert in usecollaboration, messaging and video conferencing, co-editing tools,mobileappsand

You’ll findwaystoworkyounever imaginedpossibleandwillchangethewayyouoperateforever.

STARTINGPOINT:ATechnologyCheckList

Thesearethetopthingswebelieveyou’llneedtoimmediatelyconsider:

C Do your people have laptops, power suppliers, mice andkeyboardsandaretheytakingthemhomeEVERYnight?

C DopeopleknowhowtocontactITsupport?Dotheyknowwhotocall,andifyouhaveit,howtoget“self-servicesupport?”

C DoyouhaveenoughpeopleworkinginITsupport?Youmightneedmorethanyouexpectandyouruserswillbeanxiousandinneedofmoresupport.

C Haveyougota“BringYourOwnDevice”solution?C Howcanyoueliminatepaperfromallofyourprocesses?C Do you have a reliable VPN solution and have you scaled it

correctlytomeetyourneedsnow?C Dopeopleknowhowtouseany“2factorauthentication”you

haveinplace?C Dopeopleknowhowtousethecollaborationtoolsyou’vegot

orwillget?C Does everyone have a way of talking to their colleagues or

customers?C Doyourpeopleknowwheretosecurelystoredocuments?C Does your organization understand Information Security &

DataPrivacyrules?Nowisatimewherepeoplewilltakeshort-cutsandriskswhichwillbiteyoulater

C Doyouhaveplansinplacefor“whentechnologyfails”?

COLLABORATION:CollaborationtoolsavailableWebelievethatallofthebelowoffersomeleveloffreeservicewhichmighthelpyougetthroughthecomingmonths• MicrosoftTeams(freetier/trial)• Google

o https://support.google.com/a/answer/1631886?hl=en

o https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/g-suite/helping-businesses-and-schools-stay-connected-in-response-to-coronavirus

• CiscoWebex• BlueJeans• https://wurkr.io/DigitalOfficeSpace• LogMeIn(GoToMeetings)• Slack• Zoom• https://www.flowdock.com/(freeforteamsofupto5)• https://discordapp.com/-usuallyusedbygamersbut

free!• https://rocket.chat/-freeopensourcesolution• https://whereby.com/-freeforsingleusers• https://meetcafecito.com/• www.hugo.team

Page7

WHATHAPPENSWHENTECHFAILS?HAVEPLANSC&DREADYTOGO!

Atthepointthatwe’reworkingremotelybecauseit’spartofbusinesscontinuityplan,thenwearealreadyonPlanB.Sowhatcomesnext?Howdowebuildcontingencyintoremoteworking?DisasterRecoveryplan(mightbecalledyourBCPorBusinessContinuityPlan)-reviewyourexistingdisasterrecoveryprocedures.Aretheyuptodate?Whenweretheylasttested?Intheeventthatofficesareclosedandemptyforlongperiodssecuritymaybecomearisk.Isyourdatasecurelyoffsite?Whatmightyourtechfail?Stresstestyourremoteconnectivity.YoumayhaveseveralusersthatalreadyhavePrivateNetwork(VPN)orothermethodstoremotelyaccessyourinternalnetwork-buthowmanypeoplewillitsustainsimultaneously?CheaperSMBrouterswillstruggletomanagemorethansingledigitnumberofconnections.TheslightlymoreadvancedandcommonlyfoundDraytek2860routerforexamplewillsupport32simultaneousVPNconnections.Similarly,yourremotesoftwaremayhavelimitationsonlicensingforthenumberofsimultaneoususers.AskyourITprovider/administratortocheckyourhardwarelimitationsandsoftwarelicenses.Whilstthey’reatit,checktherouterconfigurationisuptodateandsupported-VPNandsecuritystandardsareupdatedregularlysoensureyou’reconfirmingtothelatestspecifications.Yourofficeconnectivitywillalsoneedgood,highspeedconnectivitytosupportmanyremoteworkingtoolssuchasremotedesktop.Considerthataremotedesktopconnectionrequiresapprox1.5Mbpstooperatewell.TypicalmodernFibreToTheCabinet(FTTC)linesrunatamaximumof80Mbpsdownloadand20mpbsupload(dataFROMyouroffice),manySMBconnectionsareslowerthanthis.Ifyou’relimitedbya20Mbuploadspeedyouwillbeabletosupportamaximumof13/14fullscreenremotedesktopconnections,lessifeachofthoseusersisalsousingtheinternetontheirmachineintheoffice.CheckwithyourITadministratorwhatyourmaximumtheoreticalbandwidthlimitistodeterminehowmanyuserscanbesupported.

THOUGHTS:Thingstoconsider

C Remainagile–policiesarehelpfulbutwhentechnologyfailshelppeoplemakesensiblechoicesthatallowthemtocontinuetowork.

C OfferHelp–employeeswillbestrugglingwithtechnology,ensureyou’vegotenoughresourcesreadytohelppeopleuseandfixtheirtechnology

C StayPatient–patientlypiecetogetherwhathappenedandwhattodonextandthinkoftheusers

C Stayclosetoyourboardandexecutive–theymaybestrugglingmorewithtechnologythananyoneelseandtheymayneedalotofhandholding.Considerallocating1:1support.

SCHOOLS:Specificadvicetoassistremotelearning

FromPatrickShaw,EdTechConsultant,@EdTechAdviceUK:Many(most?)schoolshaveG-SuiteorOffice365deployedalready,becauseit’sfreetoschools-soaccesstoremotetoolsisnotaproblem.Theproblemisthatschoolsgenerallydon’thaveskills,expertiseandpedagogiestoimplement/embeduseofthesetools.-Rapidmeasuresthatschoolsshouldtaketoplanforremoteworking/learning:(examplebelowisOffice365,butsameappliestoG-Suite,acknowledgementto@msetchell):-Remembersafeguardingisking.Useonlyapprovedsystems-HaveyougotintegrationbetweenMIS,ActiveDirectoryandOffice365/G-Suite?Useatoollike@SalamanderSofttoautomateaccountcreation/accessforallstu/staff.-IfyouhaveanRDCservice,setsensiblerestrictionstopriorityusers.massconcurrentattemptstoconnectwillbringitdown-Secureaccesstopasswordstosystemsoffsite?Populateasecurepasswordmanager.-MakeuseofdistancelearningCurriculumservices,eg.GCSEPod.Theseservicesareembeddedmaturelyacrossschools,andtheyoffergoodrealtimestudentprogressanalytics-perfectfordistancelearning.Doesn’treplacetheteacherthough.-TrainteachershowtoBroadcastyourPowerPointpresentationonlinetoaremoteaudience.

Page8

OTHERLINKSOTHERLINKSWHICHYOUMAYFINDHELPFULORINTERESTING

Links

Surveys:• Buffer2019remoteworksurvey:https://buffer.com/state-of-remote-work-2019

UKMediaLinks:• DailyMailFemailarticle:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-

8095501/British-workers-share-tips-working-home.html• Refinery29:TipsforWorkingfromHomeduringCoronavirus:

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/03/9538846/work-from-home-coronavirus-tips

• NewYorkTimes:Sorry,butWorkingFromHomeIsOverrated:https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/technology/working-from-home.html

• BBCNews:TricksandToolsforBetterWorkingFromHome:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51804354

• Guardianemotionallypreparingforalockeddownfamily:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/13/the-family-lockdown-guide-how-to-emotionally-prepare-for-coronavirus-quarantine

• HomeWorkingNewsfeedfromaggregator:https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/?search=Work+from+home&lang=en&searchheadlines=1

• WilltheCoronavirusResponseMarkaTurningPointforHowAgenciesViewRemoteWork?https://www.adweek.com/agencies/will-the-coronavirus-response-mark-a-turning-point-for-how-agencies-view-remote-work/

Podcasts

• https://eatsleepworkrepeat.com/-apodcastfocusedonmakingworkbetter,moreproductiveFinally…Sir(wellhewasjustplainIsaacthen)Newtonwasquiteproductivewhen‘WFH’:

GeneralArticles:• Do’sanddonotsofremoteworking:PeopleManagementarticlewithgeneralremoteworkingtips • CopingwithCoronavirusanxiety: http://www.alibinns.co.uk/resources/2020/3/11/how-to-cope-with-anxiety-about-coronavirus-

cov-19 • Howcoronaviruscouldforcethework-from-homemovement:https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/2/26/21153343/coronavirus-

covid-19-work-from-home-remote-pandemic?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin • Articulatehavemadethisopen,generale-learningguidetoCoronavirusforanyorgtousetoinformtheirstaff:

https://examples.rise.com/coronavirus/index.html#/ • Coronavirus:Fourthingstoconsiderwhenencouraginghomeworking:https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/coronavirus-home-

working-considerations/ • DidyouknowDeliveroohavea‘contactfree’option:Techcruncharticlesharingfooddeliveryserviceswithnocontactoption • https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2020/03/02/working-remotely-during-challenging-times/

Page9