At Home with the Scooters

3 OBSTACLES WE FACED TRANSITIONING TO REMOTE WORK – AND HOW WE OVERCAME THEM

MAY 29, 2020  |  IN AGENCY  |  BY FLYING SCOOTER

We’re an agency – so working remotely happens a lot, but not for the full team. Sometimes we’re on production sets, sometimes we’re on a client’s campus and sometimes we are at home. While working from home isn’t all that bad (think cozy slippers and a warm cup of joe), it does have its challenges. Just like with any big change, we’ve had to ehance our adaption and communicate (over-communicate) as we settled into a new routine. Along the way, we’ve picked up a few tips and tricks that we hope will help you as the world continues to stay at home:

  1. Sporadic Schedules
    It’s easier than ever to roll out of bed and get right to work, especially now that the average commute is just a few steps away to our desk. With nothing to do in the mornings, the team and I have started clocking in before our traditional 9-to-5(ish) day, leaving us more time in the evenings to relax and spend time with family. The lack of structure, however, initially caused some confusion; starting and ending work at a different time each day left us unsure of what times we could reach one another and when to assign deadlines.We responded to this obstacle by communicating our weekly schedule in advance (instead of day-of), which in turn encouraged us to start the day at a regular time. Life may seem far from normal right now, but that doesn’t mean we should abandon our routines. If anything, we need them now more than ever.
  2. Getting Lost in Textlation
    Let’s face it; Slack and email just aren’t as good as an old-fashioned conversation. Before the days of remote work, it was simple to stop by a team member’s desk and discuss the details of an assignment and clarify questions in real time. While Slack has been our team’s lifeline, messages get lost in the constantly buzzing feed and typos sometimes lead to confusion. Without our daily chats and office shenanigans, it’s also difficult to maintain the friendship and support we have had within our team.Enter: Zoom. This video platform is no secret, but it has been essential in keeping us connected to each other and our clients. Despite being busier than ever, our team has made a point of taking extra time out of the day to have weekly video meetings and daily phone updates. Being able to see one another, laugh with each other, and have important conversations face-to-face has made us feel closer – not further apart.
  3. Cabin Fever
    Before our team began working from home, we shared a beautiful, open office space. If we ever needed some inspiration (or more importantly, caffeine), we could take a lap to the lobby, enjoy the panoramic views of downtown Pittsburgh, and treat ourselves to a cup of coffee. Nowadays, however, many of us forget to get up and moving – myself included. In the first weeks of lockdown, the only times I would get out of my chair during the workday would be to refill my mug and grab a quick snack, but as Jenni once wisely said, “that’s not UP enough.”

Our team cares about each other’s health and safety, and now we encourage one another to take regular breaks and care for our minds and bodies. Whether it’s getting in a quick stretch, whipping up some coffee, or making the long journey across the apartment to a different desk, movement is important. When you’re on a crunch for time, a 10-minute break may not seem like top priority, but your work will suffer if your motivation and clarity start to crash. Giving each other the flexibility and encouragement to put personal health first has been crucial in this transition, and it is one of the reasons we’re sharper and smarter than ever.The current state of the world may be chaotic, but we’ve found that incorporating these simple rituals into our work day has helped our team feel calm and collected – and we hope it does for you, too. Stay home, stay safe, and remember we’re all in this together.