Telework Info

We are facing changes that are disruptive to our lives and will have both positive and negative consequences on our productivity. In this article, we’ll look at some practices that you can adopt to help make the transition to telework easier and more productive.

To begin, let’s think about what makes the office environment a productive and effective place for accomplishing work. At your workplace you have a cubicle or workstation where you have arranged a space that allows you to do the things you need to do. You have the tools you need such as a desk, a computer, monitors, Internet access, and a telephone. You have a space that has prioritized to allows you to do your work. And you have connections to the things or people you need such as traffic data, GIS information, contracts, plans, records, etc. You also have a connection to people you rely upon for both professional and personal support.

Staying productive while teleworking involved recreating the essential elements of your office workspace in your home. Let’s discuss some ideas for adapting to your home workspace so you can stay as productive as possible.

Workspace environment

Select a space based on your needs and available area. Find a place that will allow you to work comfortably and uninterrupted for many hours each day. You might need a place where you can work in a quiet location for conference calls. Maybe you need a space where you have a table to spread out information and resources. Having a designated space will help you transition from your home life to your “at work” mindset. You might be working at the kitchen table or a living room sofa, but during work time, it’s your “office.” Recognize that your home workspace will probably not be ideal for work, but this is a temporary accommodation to our current situation. You’ll need to juggle working from home with additional family members also making use of shared space and resources. We are all doing this in some way and your set-up may change over time.

Behavior and attitude

The most important factor in staying productive is keeping engaged in your work. As UDOT employees, we all recognize the parts we play in keeping Utah moving. That hasn’t changed and you need to approach your work with the same attitude now. You can still collaborate with co-workers and attend meetings and work sessions. But you’ll work and communicate in different ways. Start your day and prepare to be seen and talk with people. Set a morning routine that gets you in the work mindset. You might actually like some of the aspects of working from home such as listening to music or wearing more comfortable clothes.

Staying productive also means keeping your work/life in balance and setting appropriate boundaries. Work regular hours and make sure you take breaks. Some people say that one of the hardest adjustments of working at home is learning how to stop working all the time. This is a stressful time and your personal time away from work will help preserve your attention and effectiveness when you need to work.

Connecting with people

Most employees say that what they like about their job is what they do and the people the work with. In usual times, we spend more hours each week with our co-workers than we do with our families. Hopefully, you have a supportive team and enjoy your time together.

When teleworking, you often don’t have the social interactions that you would typically have with your friends; no water cooler or break room chats, no casual hallway check-in conversations. It’s important to keep connected to people we rely on for support. Take time to check in on co-workers. Join a conference call early and establish personal connections with people before the official meeting starts. Maintaining trust is harder with social distancing so it takes more deliberate efforts to maintain these connections.

This is a challenging time. It’s important that we keep doing our work so we can keep Utah moving. Try to stay flexible and creative in finding ways to remain productive. Remember to keep your work and personal responsibilities in balance. Thanks for all you do.

Suggested Courses in UDOT Learning Portal:

• Being Productive When Working from Home

• Working From Home: Strategies for Remote Employees

Managing and supervising a team remotely is a new experience for many leaders facing the current COVID-19 situation. While some UDOT supervisors have experience with managing crews in different areas, many supervisors are facing challenges with the new work-from-home arrangement. It would be ideal if teams had time to prepare and work out issues such a communication and teamwork, many of us are scrambling to adapt to an event that happened quickly and without much preparation.

Some of the challenges facing teams right now include:

• Not having face-to-face connection

• Technology challenges

• Non-work stresses and demands

• Disruption of usual work practices

• Inability to access critical information or data

How to support your team when working apart

• Confirm expectation

• Create daily scheduled check-in times

• Provide support and encouragement

• Offer multiple ways to communicate and interact

• Promote positive activities beyond work duties to maintain relationships

Suggested Courses in UDOT Learning Portal:

• Managing Remote Teams

• Leading Teams - Leading and Managing Effective Virtual Teams

• Remote Management: Effective Ways to Communicate with Team Members