GET USED TO THE NEW COVID ERA WORK TOOLS !

Matureworker

OLDER WORKERS & TECH: HATE-LOVE RELATIONSHIP*

·       No, I didn’t get that backwards…

By JON F. WEINSTEIN

Even in our newly destabilized, redesigning new post-COVID-19 world where work, employment and how we conduct it will never be the same as it was before this disease. the more mature worker faces a constant onslaught of new technology.

We have largely gone through the phase of the non-PC-able older worker somehow floundering like a fish just parted from its vital waters. That’s pretty much over. Every modern  mature worker in information, so-called ‘White Collar’ trades has some basic computer literacy.

But time marches on. Simply being de minimus proficient with MS Word is not enough,. Being able to know how to input into an Excel spreadsheet is not a  special skill.. Being able to use basic web searches? Come on…older Americans male up some of the most vigorous email, Facebook and web search users today.

Especially because of the Coronavirus’ reshaping of the workspace into a tech-dependent now more than ever platform, navigating a whole range of newer, virtual day- to day- tools and modalities may be a challenge for some mature workers. And it cannot be. You have to deal.

VIRTUAL MEETING SOFTWARE: In February, who outside of millennial tech cognoscenti ever heard of Zoom? Today, Zoom has gone from  being a select industry tool to a broad-based total life internet tool. It has become a ubiquitous utility like  the PC  itself. It is the only way that we, as human animals, can  now safely , socially communicate.

But Zoom is not the only game in town:  Skype has been around for almost a decade, It’s use has become very widespread as both an audio only as well as a video medium. CiscoWebex and other tools are rising, and rising very fast. In short, if you want to get a job, hold a job and perform with competency, master the new virtual meeting and communication tools. Integrating Audio, Camera( Video) and other settings are easier in some platforms than others.

Instead of approaching your IT people, who will of course usually be younger, technically-savvy people who assume, understandably, that all people in their worlds understand technology as all whom they know have known it since birth, try some psychology .  Communicate with your IT people along these lines:

It is vital that I coordinate and utilize your preferred set up systems and processes. I have read through the settings and choices, but this has to work for our company; our jobs. So, please work with me as I set this up to work for what you require.

Talking to IT is a psychological process. You are basically a cop or social worker, etc. talking to someone who it can be…challenging…to communicate with. These folks like to know subconsciously that you are ready to do things Their Way; that you are subservient. Swallow pride and go along. You’ll get back more than you pay out in terms of feelings of regret at know-towing to some snotty, rude kid who, if it were your own kids talking to you as these kids talk to you, you would not tolerate it. Well, they run the world. Use them.

PLACMENT OF YOUR LENS : Make sure that you are head level with your embedded camera or webcam. Use books, etc. to elevate your device. Prepare focus, range, settings and most important, level, close height between you and the lens before the conference starts. You will show your amateurism and naivete if you conduct on-screen camera re-sets.

YOU ARE ON! Every swipe at your face or scratch or worse is seen by all. These are hard-core, set in steep impressions. You are ‘ on TV’. Revert to VIDEO OFF or cover your lens if you have to do anything other than sit looking attentively into the lends and following the conversation.

IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT THE BACKGROUND: This new work from home era has created a new version of the childhood school game, Show and Tell. You are allowing your colleagues, supervisors, customers and others into your personal home workspace. NO ONE ELSE from the family, including pets, should wade in or in any way be in the picture. All of the negative arguments against telecommuting are encapsulated in that one act. It visually makes the case beyond a reasonable doubt that you are a worker who cannot be a professional, disciplined, work-centric individual while doing work at home.

Likewise, what others see in the background should be blank, light colored only, or professional such as neatly arranged books, tasteful artwork, day to day types of pottery, tapestries, etc. Zoom and Skype have background tools, but they can be very tricky to get working properly. If you have clutter, toys, mess, papers and visible dirt and grime you have fulfilled the edict that A Pictures Speaks A Thousand Words.

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JON F. WEINSTEIN is a small business owner, sales advisor, and writer/commentator on business issues