The Monastery Goes Mobile: Advice for Working from Home

Social distancing and shelter-in-place policies have prompted a mass migration of employees from working in offices to working at home. While working from home isn’t new, the sudden and rapid shift has been difficult for some businesses and employees to navigate.

As a mobile team spread across the globe, we’re pros at connecting via video call or keeping tabs on projects digitally; even in a MediaMonks office, you’re likely to see several of our Monks engaged in a meeting with someone in another time zone. If you or your team is new to working this way, don’t sweat it; we’ve got some sage advice.

Bring your office home—literally.

In your transition to working at home, make sure you have all the tools and equipment you’ll need to stay productive. Do you need your second monitor from your desk in the office? Hard drives stashed away in the drawer? Or maybe you need the desk itself? Check with your manager or office administrator to see what can be transported to your home.

This isn’t an imposition; businesses that have the means and ability should offer practical solutions beyond simply digital ones when working from home. “It’s easy to be caught up by buzzwords like ‘digital first’ or ‘digital by default,’” notes the World Economic Forum. “But working in the digital spaces is about more than just applying digital tools and technology. It is about thinking about new behaviors and making sure everyone has the ability to use any tech tools seamlessly.”

Get comfy (but not too comfy).

If you’re already setup at home, understand that while finding the optimal place to “set up shop” is important, you don’t have to stay in the same spot all day. Try moving throughout your home at different times of day—so long as your backdrop is on-point for video calls, and as long as you have access to a charging outlet (or a power bank for backup, as Lewis Smithingham, our Director of Creative Solutions, told Fast Company).

One piece of advice, though: don’t work in bed, and avoid staying in your PJ’s. These are things that your brain associates with relaxation—and can mess with your productivity and sleep quality.

Make the most of collaborative and productivity tools.

If your business uses a real-time communications platform like Slack, make the most of apps and integrations to keep connected or telegraph when you are (or aren’t) available. For example, Slack offers a Do Not Disturb mode for moments when you need to focus. You can also sync your status with your work calendar so others can see if you’re currently in a meeting. It’s the next best alternative to walking by someone’s desk to see if they’re free.

Take breaks and manage a work/life balance.

It can be difficult walking away from work when your living space doubles as a workspace. Make a daily schedule that includes breaks and a time to stop for the day, and stick to it! Time management tools, like your office calendar, often have options to set working hours that discourage setting meetings outside of them.

And speaking of life outside of work, don’t get too stressed if your personal life unexpectedly seeps into video call. While you certainly want to minimize disruption, the occasional child or pet sauntering into the background of a call is often endearing and provides an opportunity for your colleagues to get to know you better.

On that note, check in on your coworkers before getting down to brass tacks in a call or meeting. The ongoing pandemic is affecting everyone in different ways, and it’s worth taking some time away to empathize, relate to one another and break away from some of the tension in the world.

Keep up appearances and keep the office culture alive.

Having the office team spread apart doesn’t have to mean total isolation. To replicate our regular in-office gatherings and standup meetings, our Monks have taken it upon themselves to set up get-togethers via video conference, whether it’s for teams to kick back or an office-wide celebration of the week’s end.

If you’re really in need of some fun, try setting up a virtual happy hour one evening, or even a game night. Shortly after MediaMonks began mandating social distancing at its offices, our Monks built a spreadsheet to collect gamertags and usernames across gaming platforms so they could meet online for some downtime (one of them even rebuilt our New York office in Minecraft).

That last point is key: working from home isn’t just about digital tools or a strict focus on productivity. There should also be some room for fun, whimsey and retaining social bonds within or across teams. Such is the secret for a happy work force (this mass move to telecommuting is weird for many of us, after all). So, put on a cup of coffee, get dressed and double-check your video back drop before you go live—you got this.