Recent headlines have shown a growing number of companies asking their employees to work from home. As a video conferencing vendor, BlueJeans is committed to providing best practices for productivity no matter where you work. Whether you’re in a makeshift home office or have a dedicated workspace at your house, these tips will help you adjust to a remote working environment. Hear from BlueJeans VP of People, Jen McManus about the best ways to keep team culture alive and collaborate virtually with video conferencing.
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Work From Home Interview Q&A
Q: Speaking specifically to people that don’t commonly work from home, any tips on keeping the culture alive with your colleagues?
A: It’s important to look at video meetings as more of a conversation. In the same way you call friends and colleagues on the phone, your co-workers can quickly and easily join a video meeting. Depending on the context of the meeting, these can be fast, 5-minute chats or more formal hour-long conferences depending on your objectives.
There are certainly occasions where a no-nonsense meeting is appropriate. For example, forecast calls, training sessions, and deadline-heavy project scrums. That said, the majority of your video conferences happen with your team, or your favorite customers, or your counterpart in another department. Treat these meetups like you’re chatting in person. Be fun, be conversational, tell a good story — whatever is suited for the moment. While it’s true that productivity is mission critical for the meeting, don’t be afraid to enjoy the simplicity of joining a video conference as easily as a hallway conversation.
Q: What are good ways to fight the isolation of spending more time on your own while working?
A: Spotify and Pandora are your best friends for extended workdays from home! You don’t need to worry about bothering anyone with your music because it’s just you! Another good idea is breaking up the workday with some fresh air. Similar to an office environment, your home office walls tend to close in if you’re alone inside for too long. Hit the recharge button by taking a nice walk and enjoying the day.
Q: What advice do you have for employees feeling under the weather?
A: If you’re feeling sick, take care of yourself first and foremost. Get lots of rest and don’t work at all on these days. Don’t come to the office, don’t check email or Slack, just recover and take the time that you need. However, sometimes the worst part of an illness is bookended by lousy, tired days. You’re not completely out for the count, but certainly contagious and shouldn’t be around co-workers. USE BLUEJEANS! If you still feel functional enough to put in some time on the clock but don’t want to get your team sick, video meetings are a great way to spend those recovery days that follow a cold but before you’re ready to return to the office.
Want to learn more about creating a great work from home experience? Check out the BlueJeans Best Practice Guide to Remote Work!