This week my employer Spring Venture Group took the unprecedented and proactive step to migrate all company operations to work from home to combat the potential spread of COVID-19. This was feasible because, thankfully, our industry and technological capabilities make the company perfectly primed to work from home.
This was an incredibly impressive feat, as nearly 1,000 employees were mobilized and set up to make the transition within the span of a single day. Our IT department is full of rock stars.
I have worked remotely in various contexts for years, so the work from home lifestyle is something I’m accustomed to. Working from home has its own nuances, stressors, and opportunities. Now that everyone is settled in, I wanted to offer some tips for anyone who is working from home for the first time.
Stick to the same schedule that you would work in the office. Keeping a consistent schedule is key to setting yourself up for a smooth transition. Start at the same time each day. Routine is extremely important when working from home.
Overcommunicate. Ensure you are being proactive in your outreach to managers and teammates. Respond to emails and chats in a timely manner. One of the best leaders I’ve ever worked with once said, “If you feel like you’re overcommunicating, you’re almost there.”
Assume positive intent. Tonality is already harder to gauge over email and chat, and probably even moreso during a shift as big as this one. Remember that we are all working through this together.
Have a dedicated work space, preferably a desk or table in a room with a door. The quality of your work will be higher if you do so because you will have fewer distractions.
Dress for success. While it can be tempting to want to work in your pajamas, you will feel more confident and capable if you get dressed as normal for work.
As much as is possible, maintain quick check-ins through video chat or a phone call. It’s much easier to get complex ideas or temporary issues sorted out by setting up a quick Google Meet than a back-and-forth text or chat.
Avoid the temptation to remain “always on”. One of the pitfalls of working from home is the difficulty to pull yourself away from the computer or phone notifications, and you can end up working more than you normally do in a typical office setting. Create boundaries for yourself to make sure you are still keeping a work-life balance.
The most important thing to do when working from home is to maintain a bias for action. Complaining and working from home are incompatible. Whether it’s communication, IT issues, or collaborating on projects, working from home requires extreme proactivity.
In uncertain times, things can start to feel shaky and we can worry about our place in the world. Not only am I confident we will be okay and things will work out, I think our company will be better and stronger than ever when we come out the other side of this. Continue to focus on bringing value every day and doing great work.
If anything, this change should make clearer than ever that a company isn’t just the physical space we share, a company is made up of you and me, building something together. Let’s keep our heads held high and lead through this change!