Adapting to a Virtual Office

Since the middle of March, many of us have been working remotely due to COVID-19. Whether located in the corner of your family room, a closet, or on your kitchen island, our new commute times are now seconds and the new business attire is quite comfortable. However, our new workstations may not be as quiet as they were before and interruptions are inevitable.

While we are adapting as best as we can, adjusting to a new virtual office does come with challenges. Intrada Technologies suggests approaching our new normal by assessing these challenges proactively, rather than reactively.

Virtual Office Adjustment Tips

1. Your new office normal should begin with a discussion with family members about work privacy.
   This discussion should prevent unauthorized access to screens, ensure the confidentiality of work-related phone calls, and lessen the likelihood of confidential files and documents being read. Think carefully about where you set up your workspace so you can be productive and efficient, while also following your company's policies. When you close up shop for the day, be intentional about closing windows on your screen and gathering documents into a folder where others will not accidentally see something they should not.
2. Just because you are home does not mean you are available at any request.
   Be realistic as you discuss your availability with both family members and your employer. Be honest with family about your work requirements and what you need from them. Then, listen to their needs. If children are involved and your partner/spouse also has a job, make compromises to best meet everyone’s needs and respect responsibilities. Following your family chat, discuss your new goals and preferred schedule management with your employer. This will help diffuse resentment and appropriately set expectations on both sides. Not being on-call with family members should be included in the preceding work privacy discussion. Set expectations and follow them.
3. An office should be an area where you can easily focus.
   If you do not have children, the kitchen island may work for your situation. If you do have children, being in the middle of the room with the most traffic may not be ideal unless your super power is ignoring things. Remember the old real estate adage about the best place to buy – location, location, location. Choose wisely. Then, set up the workspace that works for you.
4. Document Sharing Recommendations
   Intrada Technologies encourages those working remotely to use a business account/configuration for sharing documents, not personal accounts. Some options include Google Drive – Business, Microsoft Office 365 with SharePoint and Dropbox Business.
5. Video and Audio-Conferencing Software Options
   Intrada has used GoTo Meeting for several years with much success and we recommend it. Zoom is another option, but this new conference calling platform has been in the news a lot with how they are handling security. Overall, Zoom is fine to use and a great tool, but remember, as with any platform, you must protect meeting access to prevent the hijacking of meetings.
6. Follow a schedule
   Most experts recommend following a schedule like you typically would if your commute was not ten feet. Structure and productivity go hand-in-hand. Make your bed. Shower. Get dressed. Eat breakfast. Try to make the new routine to work as normal as it was before the change of scenery.

How can Intrada Help?

Intrada Technologies is a full-service web development and network management company with a focus on creating ongoing, trusted partnerships with each of our clients. We make sure our clients have what they require to run their businesses with maximum efficiency and reliability, as many of their needs are mission-critical.

Our unique, collaborative partnerships allow us to provide our clients with the assurance that we will be there when they need us. From API development with websites to Voice Over IP (VoIP) for remote or softphone solutions to security and compliancy management to cloud hosting to equipment and software sales, we are here to help. Give us a call. Intrada Technologies – Exceeding Expectations.