Test Innovators and Social Distancing: How We Make Working Remotely Successful (And Even a Little Fun)
In the United States, and many other countries across the globe, citizens have been asked to practice social distancing in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here at Test Innovators, we are participating in social distancing by having all of our team members work from home. We are grateful that our business can run 100% online, making it easier for our team to operate at full capacity while still practicing social distancing.
Here are a few things we’re doing that make social distancing and working remotely successful:
1. We keep on keepin’ on (with a little help from technology).
Thanks to technology, we are able to make our workdays as normal as possible, and a big part of that is maintaining effective communication and collaboration. In our regular day-to-day operations, we use Slack to stay connected. Through Slack, we share files, send messages, make calls, and even have video conferences. For meetings that involve a bigger group, we use Zoom.
Pro tip: To maintain some level of normalcy, make it a goal to wear regular clothes (not pajamas) at least a couple days a week.
2. We make our home offices (almost) as good as our work offices.
Before we closed our office, employees took home any tools and resources they needed to be able to work from home. This included two (and sometimes three) computer monitors, wireless mouses and keyboards, and any other essential office supplies. Employees are also compensated for any work supplies they need to make working from home successful.
Sadly, not everyone can take home the office dogs.
3. We always make sure to have a little fun.
Because we are a small company (with about 25 team members), we have a strong company community and culture. In order to maintain our company culture, our team meets virtually via Zoom on Friday afternoons to enjoy lunch together. We each get lunch, paid for by the company, via take-out, drive-thru, or delivery to support local restaurants. During our lunch, we catch up and play virtual games. Virtual games, you may ask? Surprisingly, there are quite a few games that can be played over video chat. Our favorite games are pictionary (possible with the Zoom whiteboard) and charades. If you have any virtual game ideas, please feel free to share them with us!
Pro tip: When playing virtual charades, mute your microphone so you can talk aloud while acting out your phrase. For whatever reason, being able to talk while you act can be helpful.
As we do our part and practice social distancing, our purpose remains the same—to support students. We are actively working to provide you with educational resources and tools to help you through this uncertain time. Stay tuned for more information.
