- #A long way home discussion questions how to#
- #A long way home discussion questions full#
- #A long way home discussion questions free#
For others, it will be live phone conversations or videoconferences. How do we create those virtually? For some groups and individuals, it will be constant instant messaging. These are actually big and important parts of the workday that have a direct impact on performance. People lose the unplanned watercooler or cappuccino conversations with colleagues in remote work. How does working from home affect psychological health? What can employers do to make sure that people are staying focused, committed, and happy? There’s ample research showing that virtual teams can be completely equal to colocated ones in terms of trust and collaboration.
All these things can help maintain the connections you had at the office. Remember, too, that you can do fun things virtually: happy hour, coffee breaks, lunch together. Newer employees, those working on critical projects, and people who need more contact will require extra one-on-ones. In fact, contact should probably go up for the whole team and its members. If you’re used to having meetings, continue to do so. In a remote environment, frequency of contact cannot go down. Once those things are sorted out, meet with your group at least once a week.
#A long way home discussion questions how to#
Figure out: How often should we communicate? Should we use video, phone, or Slack/Jive/Yammer? If you’re not using one of those social media systems, should you? What’s the best way for us to work together? You’ve got to help people understand how to do remote work and give them confidence that it will work. But I want to make sure you all feel that you have what you need.” This should be followed by a team launch to jump-start this new way of working. We don’t know how long this is going to last. Say, “Hey, folks, it’s a different world. How should those check-ins happen? As a group? In one-on-ones? Via phone calls? Or video chats?įirst, you should have a group conversation about the new state of affairs. Ask: “What can I do to make sure that this sudden and quick transition is working for you?” Make sure not only that they’re set up but also that they have a rhythm to their day and contact with others. As for managers, they need to check in on people. Remember that you might actually enjoy working from home. Ask yourself: How will I protect myself from feeling lonely or isolated and stay healthy, productive, and vibrant? Create that for yourself. If you’re an extrovert and accustomed to a lot of contact and collaboration with others, make sure that still happens. If you’re used to moving physically, make sure you build that into your day. Take a shower, get dressed, even if it’s not what you’d usually wear to work, then get started on the day’s activities. What should people who aren’t accustomed to remote work do to get psychologically ready for it?ĭevelop rituals and have a disciplined way of managing the day.
#A long way home discussion questions full#
Do people have the requisite technology or access to it? Who has a laptop? Will those who do be able to dial in to their organizations easily? Will they have the software they need to be able to do work, have conference calls, and so forth? What about the employees who don’t have laptops or mobile devices? How do you make sure that they have access to the resources they need to do work? Direct managers have to very quickly ensure that every employee has full access so that no one feels left behind. What’s the first thing that leaders and individual managers can do to help their employees get ready?
So, no, organizations are not set up for this. The scale and scope of what we’re seeing, with organizations of 5,000 or 10,000 employees asking people to work from home very quickly, is unprecedented. In this edited Q&A, drawn from a recent HBR subscriber video call in which listeners were able to ask questions, she offers guidance on how to work productively at home, manage virtual meetings, and lead teams through this time of crisis.Īre organizations prepared for this sudden transition? How do corporate leaders, managers, and individual workers make this sudden shift? Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School, has spent two decades helping companies learn how to manage dispersed teams.
As governments and businesses around the world tell those with symptoms to self-quarantine and everyone else to practice social distancing, remote work is our new reality. The coronavirus pandemic is expected to fundamentally change the way many organizations operate for the foreseeable future. To get all of HBR’s content delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Daily Alert newsletter.
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