There are a number of things managers would rather not hear from a team member. High on that list must be:
“Oops. That one seems to have fallen through the cracks.”
What does it actually mean for something to “fall through the cracks”? And how can we manage the work our teams do so this happens less often?
Are you finding that you have a few stressors in your life these days? Your dining room table is also a home office and school desk; your cat interrupts important virtual meetings with your boss; so much togetherness! Connecting to a strong sense of purpose might just help you deal more effectively with stress whatever your situation might be.
Six months ago, few local governments had telework policies in place. In response to the statewide COVID-19 shutdown, remote work very quickly became the norm.
Today, Washington's local governments are facing different challenges. Some teams have become a hybrid of in-office and remote workers, to accommodate individual needs and duties. Or maybe, based on your experience, you are now considering remote work as a possibility for the future, a great perk that can help you recruit from a wider pool of candidates.
During the statewide COVID-19 shutdown, government managers had to shift rapidly from having their team in an office setting to leading a team remotely. Some employees may now be returning to their offices, but some continue to work in a virtual environment. Even face-to-face team meetings have a new challenge because of social distancing rules.
Managing remote teams
The Office of the Washington State Auditor made the move to remote auditing in March, and overall we have found the transition to be successful and sustainable for the foreseeable future. However, we have noticed that audits sometimes take a little longer in this environment. In adapting to auditing in a remote environment, flexibility and robust communication have been key to performing timely audits.
Here is a safe bet: You have led more virtual meetings in the past few months than in the prior year. Maybe it has gone from one a month to one a week. Or from one a week to one a day. Or many each day. Virtual meetings are on the rise for everyone, so what can we do to make them better?
Remember the Basics
Even though it's virtual, it's still a meeting. So advice about better meetings still applies, and is even more important because virtual meetings can be more challenging. What are those basics?
Many local governments found themselves abruptly thrust into the world of online meetings when state-level mandates to prevent the spread of coronavirus forced them to cancel in-person events. After several months' experience, you might be reconsidering your initial choice. We have assembled a list of five things to consider when choosing an online meeting platform.
COVID-19 has challenged many governments to consider remote work strategies and how their work processes would need to change. Process improvement specialists have started gathering – virtually – to share their experiences and lessons learned during the pandemic. We are calling these sessions “Virtual Lean Coffee.”
From stickies to screens
As your employees continue to telework, they might be handling, transferring and storing confidential data at home differently than they did at their usual work location. Ideally, you would have a policy in place and trained employees in this area. If you have taken those steps, that is a great start! However, given this period of change and transition, you'll still want to check in with staff to ensure confidential data is safeguarded.
As local government workers get accustomed to working from home, there are a couple things our information technology experts here at the State Auditor's Office consider to be some especially risky areas. This blog post will cover the highest risk areas we can think of, but there others you might be encountering.