The PM Chronicles: The first remote work experience
I am resuming my participation in LinkedIn with articles about aspects of my professional journey in my country of origin, Peru, and my adopted country, Canada. With twenty years of experience, there are exciting things to remember. These texts are always aimed at those who want to have notions about the issues related to project management, planning and work organization: I will show you where to start digging. I hope you enjoy it.
Unusual things have always happened to me since I came to live in Canada years ago. I will also say "unique" because of the novelty of some fields of work I was already developing; that were – and are always – in total transformation. It came from creating marketing and communication strategies that had a formal origin but were beginning to be applied directly to nascent social networks. What did you do in your country of origin? Québec job counsellors asked me. I did not know how to explain something clearly. I was a hybrid between what was already known as marketing, advertising and design; but directly supported by the developing digital communities. Are you a designer? Sometimes. Are you a writer, then? Sometimes also. Oh, so you do web design? Well, of course, not so much anymore, but I ensure it is always up-to-date and exciting content. Also, it's not just about the Web. Ah, Webmaster, right?...
I've never got a mentor to shape my career here in Quebec. A professional career has had the same sign as those in which technology has been applied in everyday life. I was (and perhaps still am) a "Jack All Trades" of the digital world. I am trying out the new and seeing how digital products have a much faster cycle than other offline products, which struggled (and struggled) against the constant threat of decline with rapid iterations, sometimes faster than the intended user's ability to learn. In that, I am a lot like all of you, obviously.
Just as the productive activities were transformed towards the end user, it was inevitable that the same thing would happen with the way that work teams did it. How did the transition to remote work start for me? Quietly, actually. In my first Canadian team, we had a couple of colleagues who inevitably had to go out and visit clients who didn't live in the same city. That meant they spent much of their time away from the office visiting institutions, giving conferences, and establishing strategic links with other organizations like ours. Logistically, they were expected to be in contact with us all the time. This gave them some independence to manage time but made the boss understand that "being in fieldwork" would mean they would not be available for certain activities, and the meetings were perhaps by phone or video. Thus, little by little –thanks to those colleagues – the path for virtual work was forged in the company.
Another significant imperative for virtual work was undoubtedly the harsh (and famous) Canadian winter, which often made it physically impossible to get to the office. So one fine day, it was agreed that we would work from home when the temperatures were unbearably low (with the consequent danger of driving on practically slippery ice tracks). We just had to report it. I was grateful with all my heart not to freeze waiting for a bus at -21C. As one of my co-workers said, "if we can deliver the merchandise (the day's task), the rest is supplementary," and the work was made, even amid the most severe snowstorms. It was not, therefore, a strange thing for us to send a group email to explain that, given the circumstances, today we weren't going to the office that day.
But, the first real remote work experience in that company was mine. I had decided to move to another city and, in a conversation with my work colleagues, they suggested asking the administration if moving out with my current job was possible, at least until I could settle in my new destination. They agreed because they were already interested in establishing this type of work and testing the possibilities of virtual collaboration applied to our company. At that time, an addendum was attached to my contract, specifying my virtual schedule, location and certain essential obligations to carry out my work; that included going to headquarters, if necessary, once a month. Although we had already implemented specific virtual remote working tools, my initiative was to install virtual cooperation systems with my team: I was "the IT person" and the one leaving. So, first, I had to investigate how to carry out certain activities virtually. Then I had to propose those tools to the team, which was collaborative. It was enjoyable to explain how it was possible to coordinate, work and produce with a click and a conversation. Everyone quickly got involved.
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Our first virtual meeting was chaotic. The video conference program was a disaster. We ended up chatting on the phone, with the computer camera open but no audio. Super weird, I know. But, as the weeks went by, we all adapted. Productivity had grown exponentially. My teammates got used to my physical absence. Teamworking was punctual and exempt from excessive "noise." We focused on our goals. The experience was successful and encouraged the next colleague to work from another city, with the same quality of results.
I'm honest; one of the most remarkable things I noticed about this first remote work experience was that success resided in managing the workload. Also, that bad offline relationships can affect online working relationships. For example, a boss who distrusts experts will find a virtual way to micro-manage his workers, generating stress. In the same way, a worker who does not perform his job with the same professionalism puts his position at risk, but also the ability of other people to enjoy the right to work from home. It's not fair, I know.
When other virtual work experiences came, they did not find me "lost in the space." On the contrary, they taught me a lot about how to lead virtual teams, use digital tools and many tricks to organize work when you collaborate with people who, like you, work from anywhere on this planet. Virtual work gave me a great sense of responsibility because I had to organize my priorities, my times and above all, (as my work colleague used to say) "deliver the merchandise" on time. But in this first Canadian professional job, my questions and answers about work, optimization of work and project management began; and I am very grateful I had that opportunity to discover it. I will tell you in other chronicles what I found.
I am a specialist in project management, mainly digital and work organization, especially in small companies. If you are interested in my services, we can start the conversation here, on LinkedIn or on my website www.dreampicker.ca