The unprecedented shift into teleworking; a personal story about working remotely in social work education
Editor’s Note: Agata Dera, MSW, is an Associate and LiveSupport Specialist with the Columbia School of Social Work’s (CSW) Online Campus, where she works with social work faculty and students in online courses to optimize the digital learning environment. In this post, she discussed how she transitioned from an office space to remote working. As many of us are working at home because of the COVID19 pandemic, Agata offers practical suggestions and encouragement to this new way of working for many social work professionals. You can connect with Agata on Twitter at @agataddera.
Over the past few weeks of this year, as the world stands together in the face of a pandemic, I have witnessed so many of my colleagues experience an unprecedented shift to working from home. As according to Forbes (Eisenberg, 2020), it is likely that more than half of our workforce is now working remotely, I cannot help but to reminisce of my transition into a virtual workforce. I hope that by sharing my story with you, you will have the insight I wish I once had to enhance your productivity and overall success.
For the past several years, I have been solely working from home due to severe health issues. Working remotely provided me with the flexibility I needed to be able to recover from several major spinal cord surgeries while also continuing my professional career. I truly believe that for me, being able to work from home is a blessing as my career is such a big part of my identity.
After graduating college, I held several positions which mostly consisted of working in a corporate office setting in New York City. I predominantly worked in small to medium size office spaces and I always found myself working in close proximity to my coworkers. Whether the office was an open plan or a shared room, my idea of work always included being surrounded by people and sounds while using communal spaces. As a White House Intern, my typical work day consisted of working amongst thousands of remarkable individuals in a very fast pace and high profile environment.
Upon returning from my dream appointment, my life began to change drastically. Although I was still able to graduate from Columbia University’s School of Social Work (CSW), I had to transition into working from my small home office. Luckily, I was given an opportunity to work for CSW and I have been with the program ever since. Although these days my chances of running into a President of another country while refilling coffee is pretty low, I am truly grateful for being able to work remotely for a program I believe in wholeheartedly.
My fear of feeling isolated while working remotely
One of my biggest fears before taking on a remote position was that I would feel isolated. I was apprehensive that by not being able to be physically present in a meeting or by not going out for lunch with coworkers, I was going to “miss out”. That apprehension applied both to missing out on career opportunities and social connections with co-workers. In contrast, when it comes to socialization with my colleagues, I have found that although making that connection might look different than it did in an office setting, my connections with co-workers was just as meaningful. In fact, I have built wonderful friendships with colleagues I met through virtual spaces only. One way to sustain a strong virtual relationship with colleagues is to start off every meeting by checking in on one another. I have found that taking the time to learn about the people I work with on a more personal level makes a tremendous difference in our performance as a team. Perhaps my favorite way to connect with my colleagues is to get to meet their pets and/or small children who occasionally might make a webcam appearance.
As we face the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home allows me to still feel connected with my coworkers and it also reminds me that I am a part of a truly wonderful community of professionals.
My #1 Tip – Shift your mindset about where you work
Prior to the pandemic, when people learned that I worked from home, they typically responded with “I could never do that”. If a person has never previously worked from home, the transition into working remotely full time might be difficult at first, but not impossible. As we associate going into a physical office to get into a work mindset, all we have to do is learn how to be able to make that connection from a home or any other remote office.
There are some things I found to make working from home a lot more efficient. As an example, I have designated a specific space in my house for my office, which allows me to focus solely on my work duties. I also include items in my work space which help me create a work atmosphere. Some of those items include my school diplomas, framed photos of different professional accomplishments, business cards and so on. I have found that it is a lot easier for me to concentrate on a given task when I am in a consistent area than moving around the house with a laptop.
However, given the current situation, it might be more challenging to get privacy while working from home. Many of us have family members utilizing the same area, we might have children/pets running around and we are generally under more stress. But you do not need a private office space to train yourself to work from home most efficiently. One thing I have found to be incredibly helpful prior to moving into a home office space, was designating an item in my close proximity which would indicate whether it was time to focus on work or not. Think of it like an “ON” and “OFF” switch. Using a lamp can be helpful so you can turn the light on when you are working and turn it off when you are finished. That way, when you see the light it might be a little easier to concentrate on work. It can also be a helpful tool to communicate with any family members that you are working, particularly young children. However, I would not advise to rely on this method for communicating with pets. I can assure you that my dog will whine when she wants to play whether my lamp is turned ON or OFF. This idea came to me growing up watching my dad record his music from a home studio. I particularly remember a “recording” sign above the door which would light up in red indicating when he was recording audio to prevent any interruption.
Other ways to help shift the mindset is to incorporate physical barriers separating the work area from the rest of the living space. As an example, I have observed many virtual professionals using the free-standing room dividers, hanging up curtains and even turning their closet into a very compact workspace. By creating those physical barriers, not only do we have the ability to control our webcam background but we can also establish a space for work related matter.
My #2 Tip – Setting up boundaries
Similarly, I have found it very important to be able to mentally check out from my office when my work day is over, and this is not easy. When we work outside the home, there is a very clear boundary of when and where the work starts and when it ends (entering/exiting an office space as an example). Although for many, bringing work home, answering work emails on weekends and thinking about work is a very common occurrence, making that clear distinction between work and personal life might get challenging particularly in the beginning of the transition to teleworking.
Making this clear distinction was much more important for me at the start of my transition into work remotely as I was just training my brain to fully get into work mode in a place which I typically associate with rest and fun. Additionally, working from the sofa where I hope to later watch a movie night from, might further blur the line between work mode and home mode. That is why I personally find a designated area (if possible) to be incredibly useful in shifting my mindset of where I work.
Tip #2 – Learn to work in temporary spaces
Over the last 3 years, as I struggled to take control of life threatening illness, I spent a significant amount of time in hospitals and clinics. I specifically remember commandeering a small private room in an infusion clinic where I set up a temporary work station during my long IV treatments. To me, it was important to continue working when I was feeling well enough to do so because my work is a big part of my identity. So twice a week, I came into the clinic with my laptop, an ethernet cable, a pair of headphones and some good coffee. I would then put a small sticker in the upper right corner of my monitor that symbolized to me that it was time to work (plus I love stickers so that could also be part of this ritual). That allowed me to fully concentrate on work despite the fact that I was connected to an IV. What made a huge difference was the mindset that I had developed in being able to “turn ON” work mode on command. For me, an important aspect of this temporary work space was planning ahead. Typically during the weekend I would write up a short list of things needed for working from a different location. When packing, it was much easier to refer to my list so I do not forget any critical items such as a laptop charger.
*Please know that I am not recommending anyone work if they are feeling sick or tired. As a person living with severe illness, I have learned to listen to my body and when I am unable to give my undivided attention, I take a step back.
The future of the workforce
I personally believe that this transition into a workforce more well adapted for remote positions, could have a major impact on the social work field. Working remotely allows us to connect voices from many parts of the world in an incredibly effective way. This is particularly beneficial for collaborative work on international policy and global change. By teleworking, we can host various conferences, webinars and meetings bringing together people from all over the world in an instant. Additionally, teleworking could have a great impact on a more micro level work. As an example, when providing counseling, it would allow us to meet with our clients in more urgent situations, it could limit the operational spendings of a practice or an individual as it would decrease the need for a physical office space and it would allow us to see clients who are unable to travel. Similarly, creating virtual support groups particularly groups designed for supporting individuals sharing similar yet very specific experiences, would allow us to bring people in despite of where they live. Lastly, utilizing the advancements in technology allows us to create a workforce more inclusive for individuals like myself unable to commute into an office setting due to illness and/or disability.
It is of course important to note the barriers in a virtual connection such as lack of the necessary computer hardware, level of comfort within an online space or limited access to the internet based on one’s location. Although using technology provides us with the ability to connect with others from the comfort of our own home, I wish to point out that not everyone has access to the virtual space.
The lessons I learned as a remote employee
Working from home allowed me to develop a unique set of skills, I wouldn’t have gained otherwise. I have learned to become more comfortable with working on my own, to come up with solutions and to limit personal distractions. Lastly, I learned that the way we interact with one another might look different but with so many virtual tools available to us, creating or sustaining that human contact is feasible. In conclusion, the transition to working from home most efficiently takes time and effort. It is about applying skills you already have and adapting them to working from home. I hope that if you have recently begun teleworking, you will take a few minutes to give yourself some well deserved credit. Changing our lives in an instant is not easy and dramatically shifting our work structure is certainly part of that change. I also hope that as you make some coffee (tea or any other drink of choice) and sit at your computer wearing some comfortable pants, you will be proud of yourself for doing your best during this time. Make sure to reach out to a coworker (I often will send a quick email) and share how much you appreciate the work that they do. Chances are, if you had any reservations about working from home, they have as well. At the end of the day, we are all in this together and sometimes a quick note of appreciation can go a long way.
If you wish to learn more about setting up your lighting for a great webcam image from your home office, check out my previous post on the power of lighting in a virtual space (Dera, 2020). What advice would you give others about working in remote settings? Please use the comment section below to share your comments with me.
References:
Akala, A. (2020, May 1). More big employers are talking about permanent work-from-home positions. Retrieved from CNBC website: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/01/major-companies-talking-about-permanent-work-from-home-positions.html
Dera, A. (2020, March 16). The Power of Lighting in a Virtual Classroom: Tips on improving webcam lighting for online educators [Blog Post]. Retrieved from Teaching & Learning in Social Work website: https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2020/03/16/the-power-of-lighting-in-a-virtual-classroom-tips-on-improving-webcam-lighting-for-online-educators/
Eisenberg,R. (2020, April 10). Is Working From Home The Future Of Work? Retrieved from Forbes website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2020/04/10/is-working-from-home-the-future-of-work/#7fb05f1f46b1
Jagannathan, M. (2020, May 3). ‘I was told I could never work remotely’: Before coronavirus, workers with disabilities say they implored employers to allow them to work from home. Retrieved from MarketWatch website: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/theres-no-excuse-for-not-offering-remote-work-the-coronavirus-induced-work-from-home-revolution-feels-like-vindication-for-some-workers-with-disabilities-2020-05-01
How to cite this post:
Dera, A. (2020, June 16). The unprecedented shift into teleworking; a personal story about working remotely [Blog Post]. Retrieved from Teaching and Learning in Social Work: https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2020/06/15/the-unprecedented-shift-into-teleworking-a-personal-story-about-working-remotely-in-social-work-education/
