This week, BlueJeans hosted a webinar entitled, “Mandatory Video Conferencing: Best Practices for Working Remote,” to address recent surges in virtual meetings around the world. Highlighting specific tips for newly remote employees, the BlueJeans Product Marketing team offers first-hand guidance on adjusting to a home office environment. Watch the recording here.
Learn the best practices for using video conferencing to work from home, including:
• Staying productive and preventing isolation as a remote worker
• Building trust and driving outcomes as a manager of a remote team
• Creating the best camera setup, lighting, audio, and collaborative meeting experience
Thanks to all those who tuned in during the live webinar! Here are a few audience questions and answers from the panel.
Audience Questions
Q: What’s your loudest work from home story and do you have any advice on overcoming these distractions?
A: I live in downtown San Francisco and there’s always construction outside. Last week two guys were just doing their job but it was so loud! They were going at it with a sledge hammer for about five hours. It was driving me insane. But these noise cancelling headphones saved me — but even if I don’t use these, what really helps is that BlueJeans has Dolby Voice noise cancellation. Even though it was loud outside on the construction site, people on the other end of the video meeting could hear me just fine.
Q: As a manager, how do you know that your team is not slacking off since they’re not in plain sight?
A: Well, hopefully people around the organization tell you how awesome they are, haha. But if you have the right communication protocols, you’re not overwhelming your employees, and you’re building trust — I think establishing checkpoints throughout the day and the week are going to give you confidence that the work is getting done. So if you open up the lens and look at the outcomes from each individual employee you’re going to be successful. In other words, giving the team a little room to breathe while also ensuring the communication is consistent and you’re doing it the right way will be positive.
Q: Since you work from home all the time – What tips do you have for fighting isolation and spending extended time alone?
A: Pandora and Spotify are your best friends. The beauty of working from home is that you can’t bother anyone with your music! Crank it up, change the genre to fit whatever you’re working on, it’s a great way to make the alone time not so alone. Another good idea is to keep in close touch with your team on a purely friendly basis from time to time. You know the people on your team you’re closest with? Same sense of humor, similar observations, inside jokes, etc. — jumping into a five-minute meeting just to catch up and be social is absolutely fine! Treat these meetups as if you’re having a hallway conversation. Finally, I’ll say taking a walk outside and reorienting yourself for 30 minutes uis great for your routine as well. Just recharge your brain with some fresh air and that can really go a long way.
Still adjusting to virtual meetings from home? Check out the BlueJeans Remote Work Resouce Center!