Using Technology To Engage Team Members Remotely

Last week, one of my favorite (canceled) sitcoms, Parks and Recreation, had a one-night special. A reoccurring theme of the episode was a phone tree where a phone call would start with one person calling another and then it passes on down to the next one with each person offering a glimpse into their day. For the past 9 weeks companies, including My IT, have had to be creative thinkers with technology. During this pandemic, everyone has been challenged with new ways of working, socializing distantly and communicating. Here some ways we have remained active:

Morning huddle using Teams – every morning at 8:00 a.m. all New Orleans My IT staff “meet” up in a Teams huddle. One of the upper management bosses leads the huddle by giving each person the opportunity to discuss any issues they may be having with a technical problem. It is the chance to bring up upcoming events or interesting information that may help inform company actions. This is standard practice when everyone is in the office but keeping it a priority by moving it to Teams helps keep everyone focused on our common goal of taking care of clients and maintains a sense of normalcy. Additionally, it forces us to all be accountable to each other every morning at the same time. (Pants optional).

Slack channels – while we have used Slack for several years, these Slack channels have become a lifeline for keeping everyone informed at the same time. These are the channels that are, in my opinion, the most important.

• Specific ones for tech questions – these include noc, helpdesk, Meraki, etc. These channels are critical for both quick answers as well as thoughtful, processed, informed discussions. Techs can talk through scenarios to find the best solution to a problem. While I am not a technical member of the team, I always read these messages with awe and respect for their level of knowledge.
• Random channel is where we can let our hair down and have non-work banter. Working with techie/nerdy/geeky people (I absolutely include myself in that list) is so much fun! My colleagues are full of witty banter and smart humor.
• Kudos – this is my favorite channel. This is where I get to post all the amazing quotes from our clients praising the efforts of everyone on the team. On a separate channel, Peer-to-peer kudos, coworkers brag on each other. Recognition of a job well done is always appreciated and a great respite from the day-to-day work.
• Covid19 memes – with all the tragedy each day, we needed an outlet for humor. Everyone remains respectful of the seriousness of the situation, but come on, we all need to be able to laugh about toilet paper hording and killer hornets.

Daily/weekly check-ins with supervisor via Teams – my boss has been awesome with checking in at least once a week with a Teams video or call. He is sincere with empathy for the situation we are faced with. He genuinely wants to know how things are going. For me, this has given me confidence in my work and pride in the company as a whole. We have had great collaboration with ideas and goals despite not working down the hall from each other on a daily basis. These video sessions often include glimpses into our lives (cute kids and cat) that may never have been witnessed had we not been working from home. It somehow makes us more human to each other. More than that, it holds us accountable for our jobs and projects that are important to the success of the company.

Monthly all-staff meeting through Teams – it has been a routine for the New Orleans office to have a monthly company meeting. We have not been able to all meet together in the same room since February. The owners and upper management have made it a priority to keep us all informed by having a virtual company meeting. It was reassuring to hear from them that the company is still maintaining revenue and high client satisfaction scores. Transparency is vital for employee morale and My IT is sensitive to that.

These are just some of the ways that I have personally stayed connected with work. I’m sure other departments have ways that they take other measures to be in contact. While I am so proud to work for My IT and am so unbelievably impressed with the teamwork created during quarantine, I am so looking forward to seeing my wonderful colleagues face-to-face in the very near future. It will require some of us to actually wear pants.