Telecommuting Productivity Hacks

The CDHI Technical Team has been a distributed team for quite some time, with several team members who predominantly work remotely. The folks who have been doing this have been very productive, and given that all teams at CDHI are are working remotely for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19, we wanted to share our hacks for maintaining our productivity. While we're at it, we also added in a few new tidbits to keep the team feeling connected and maintaining some (virtual) face time. 

If you're a member of the UCSF community, you should review the Home Safety Checklist for Telecommuters and Remote Workers.  It's a basic checklist for remote working.

WFH Basics

1. Make sure you have a decent camera, and set it up so that you're facing the screen. Most modern laptops have them built in. If you use a separate camera, position it at the bottom or top of your monitor. The point is here is for you to make eye contact with people to make them feel more connected when you're video conferencing. And, don't forget your camera angle, lighting, and background all affect how you appear onscreen.

2. Keep your calendar up to date. Accept or decline your meetings. Block out times when you have personal appointments or schedule "Do Not Disturb" times when you want to work heads down. Since people can't "see" you in the office, this will at least let them see when you're available.

3. Get out of your pajamas, get dressed, and prepped to work. Some WFH advice suggests dressing like you're going in to work to help you get in the work mindset. At the very least, prepare like you're going to be out in public. You might even go for a short walk outside to simulate the experience of going to work — just be sure to maintain proper social distancing.

4. Make sure meetings have agendas, so expectations for participation are set appropriately. No one likes unnecessary meetings, so if you meet, meet with a clear purpose.

Group Chat

Note: we use Slack at CDHI, but there are equivalents in other tools.

1. Put your mobile phone number in your profile, so if someone does need to reach you right away, it's easy to find your number.

2. Connect your calendar to your Slack so that it automatically updates your status to indicate if you're on PTO, in a meeting, or busy.

3. If you can't (or won't) do the former, be diligent in updating your profile status so that your team knows if you're there and available to chat

Video Conferencing

Note: we use Zoom.

1. Always be on camera for these meetings. If you were in the office, people would see you anyway. Much communication is non-verbal, so not being seen hinders effective communication. Note: it also helps to follow the advice about getting out of your PJs.

2. Be present for meetings and stay focused on the meeting topics.  Listen and be ready to contribute. Avoid multi-tasking if at all possible. It's so tempting, but remember you're probably in the meeting for a good reason, and your participation is required. If you're not participating, you should ask yourself why you're attending, and perhaps ask if you're needed. If not, ask to step out.

3. Use the chat feature to ask questions. The audio/video on lag time can sometimes make it difficult to ask questions or provide input, and the chat window is an easy way to get a word in without seeming like you're interrupting or talking over one another.

4. Need a white board to collaborate? Zoom has one! Just click Share and choose Whiteboard (the second option).

5. Create a personal meeting room on Zoom.  This will save time if you need an impromptu video or teleconference.

6. If you have an unstable Internet connection, discontinue your video and just use voice. This may contradict the earlier advice, but it really doesn't. The point is to have effective communication, and if no one can understand you because of your bad connection, what's the point of being on camera? Alternatively, use your phone instead of computer audio if you have bad connectivity.

Check out our infographic below for simple reminders.

Slack or Zoom??  It's about speed.

1. Use Slack for short, non-urgent, asynchronous communication.

2. Switch to Zoom when it's faster to have a real-time, synchronous discussion. This seems obvious, but people get stuck on the convenience of Slack. As a guideline, use Zoom when you find you're:

   1. Going back and forth on Slack for over 2 minutes.

   2. Waiting for responses.

   3. Troubleshooting or collaborating on problems with the team.

3. Integrate Zoom into Slack. If you've set up your personal meeting room, you can instantly start up a meeting in slack by typing /zoom join me.

4. Alternatively, Slack has audio and video conferencing capabilities. Available features depend on the Slack plan you have.

Staying Connected and Motivated

1. We're taking advice from Harvard Business Review, and we've created a daily water cooler video conference on Zoom. Every day at noon, anyone and everyone can join for 15 minutes, shoot the breeze, and remain connected.

2. We have a Slack channel for off topic, non-work conversations (#ot). This channel can help keep things lighthearted and fun in what are some pretty serious times. Right now, we have a contest going on for the best Spotify playlist to listen to while we're working from home. A Netflix movie list recommendation is next, as is a WFH fitness challenge.

3. Take and plan breaks. You're now saving a bunch of time by not commuting, so take this opportunity to take a walk, run, ride, or whatever you do to get the blood going. It will help you keep energized for your work day.

These are definitely unprecedented times we're living and working in.  Many of us in CDHI are fortunate that we can work from home to decrease the spread.  It's a big change for some who aren't used to working from home and not seeing everyone on a daily basis.  Hopefully, you'll find this list helpful to stay in touch with your team and keep engaged.