Employees must have essential technology skills for working remotely
Be open to changing your living conditions so you can find a quiet place to set up a temporary office to work undisturbed.
Since the pandemic forever changed the way we work, approximately 42% of the U.S. labor force works from home full time.
If you’re lucky enough to be employed, you are probably hunkered down in your home trying to be productive on your own, said Vicky Oliver, author and career development expert.
While living in the technological age has facilitated the transition to working from a home office, saving on commute times and allowing people to organize their own schedules, this new way of working has meant learning new technology, which has created challenges for many, Oliver said.
One thing is certain, “things will not get back to normal any time soon,” Oliver said. “Office communications, client meetings, networking events, conferences, and customer interaction may all require a technological component into the foreseeable future.”
Oliver, along with other workplace experts, advises learning the following technological skills:
1. Navigate new platforms. Working from home requires mastering new communication platforms.
For example, at the moment Zoom and Microsoft Teams have replaced in-person meetings. And document sharing (via Dropbox, Google Docs and Confluence, to name a few) allows the team to collaboratively edit.
Oliver advises learning the platforms you need to work out of your home. Look into free online tutorials and certificate programs available at community colleges and online learning centers.
2. Stay connected . It’s important to keep in touch with coworkers and colleagues and participate in programs sponsored by your professional organization. If someone in your professional association invites you to a Zoom happy hour, make it your business to accept the offer, Oliver said. “Dress as you would for an in-person networking event (at least from your waist up),” Oliver said. Rather than Tshirts or workout clothes, it makes you look more professional, not to mention boosts your spirits.
3. Master social media. Oliver suggests finding out if your colleagues post on social media platforms. Chances are they’re already on LinkedIn. Become familiar with the features of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Oliver said. “Some of your coworkers may be on TikTok,” she adds.
The social media world is always changing and expanding, all the more reason to tap into it and use it as a potentially valuable information source.
Don’t feel that you have to master all social media at once, which may result in spreading yourself too thin trying to keep them each fresh. Create an account affiliated with your professional life on the platform you prefer, then ask your colleagues, clients, and vendors to “friend” you or add you to their network. In short, social media is an excellent tool to stay in touch with virtually everyone in your organization, bosses and coworkers to clients.
4. Claim your pod. Be open to changing your living conditions so you can find a quiet place to set up a temporary office to work undisturbed.
Depending upon the amount of space and people occupying it, finding a place to work at home during the pandemic can be challenging. The goal is to simply reconfigure your living space so that everyone in the household has their own space replete with the necessary technology and equipment.
“Dens, kitchen nooks, and other spaces may need to be repurposed so that everyone can feel comfortable as well as connected,” Oliver said.