Remote Working - Tips

Background:

I'm currently working remotely at Just Eat as Principal Cloud Security Engineer, heading up a team of 5 for the Group.

I've been in IT over 20 years in IT for numerous companies in numerous sectors but moved into infosec in 2011. I Started briefly “working from home” whilst on-call with RBS 15 years ago or so, on dial-up modems where it took over 20 minutes to get connected to mainframe systems!

I started doing full days at home occasionally for Trainline but then really transitioned into a more formal working from home pattern when we had our first child in 2017. I moved to two days a week at home to be able to help my wife.

Historically though I have had poor working from home setups, often involving kitchen tables!

I then spent a couple of years travelling quite extensively for work and getting used to working on trains, in airports and in hotel rooms.

Now:

Now, my role with Just Eat is 90% at home in Edinburgh. I travel to London about once a month (or I used to!) but only for a few days for specific reasons. 

• I have a proper office at home - I'm very lucky to be able to do that..
• I manage 4 people, split across London, York and Canada.
• I’m very vocal - often when people see me in the office, they don’t realise I’m a remote worker!
• I have a very good work ethic - I don’t see being at home as an easy day or a skive, I love my job and I want to succeed in it, no matter where I physically am.

What’s Easy And What Do I Enjoy About WFH:

Company:

• Fundamentally, the tech just works. Slack, Hangout, a solid VPN, Jira, Trello etc (that said, we minimise the stack as best we can).
• A brilliant tech support team who respond on Slack within minutes. 
• We’re already a global company anyway, dealing with different offices and timezones. Me being somewhere else only feels like an extension of that.

Personal:

• Put simply, I get to see my children every day. I start work around 7:30am but it’s at the breakfast table with my two little ones. I have time to get the eldest ready for Playgroup and I get to play with them both. I’m finished in time to make dinner and sit with them, then do the night-time routine of bath-times and bed-times. I can only imagine when they’re older how good that has been for them and me.
• I get to really define what my working day looks like. I’ve blocked out 90 minutes in my calendar before to take my toddler to the trampoline park near us. That’s time I simply wouldn’t get if I was in an office. I’ve also been able to attend doctor’s appointments, my children’s inoculations and going forward and occasionally get to drop off / pick up at Playgroup.
• I get to exercise more as I’m not travelling. Exercise is a massive help for me in terms of mental health.
• I obviously save money and time not commuting.
• I feel like I’m lucky to work for a great company but stay in my amazing home city.
• I can also technically work from anywhere; coffee shops even pubs - Brewdog even have remote working desks in some cities!

What’s Difficult

• Controversially, being around the kids a lot CAN be difficult! I hear what’s going on downstairs even though I am closed off in my office. I hear when the toddler hurts herself or is being a pain! She understands Daddy is “at work” but I still get the occasional chap on the door or her shouting! 
• There have been times my little one has cried because I’ve had to turn down reading to her, which pulls at the heartstrings a little!
• I have to be really blunt about me being at work. I’m not “available” for niff naff and trivia.
• I can get to a Friday and realise I haven’t really left the house a great deal (which I guess is modern life just now!). I often force myself to get out and about, even just for coffee.
• It can actually be hard to switch off. Most people leave an office to get transport home, but my office is always here and I do find myself dipping into messages at night. One reason I cook almost every dinner at home is because it gives me an absolute cut-off time to finish!
• I certainly miss office banter! I try and recreate that online, but it’s not the same.

How Do I Make It Easier?

• I have a proper working space that is my office. I go to it and stay in it for much of the working day.
• I fundamentally still have routine - roughly a ‘normal’ working day, albeit with flexibility and when I feel most energetic.
• I have a proper desk and chair.
• I have whiteboards, pens, paper, sticky notes - most of the things I would need in an office.
• I’ve “branded” my office space - there are company logos above my whiteboards.
• I wear my company hoodie - it reinforces a sense of being at work.
• I know this sounds silly, but get dressed! If you stay in your PJ’s, you’re not fully in the working mindset!
• I check in with the team first thing every morning.
• I overshare - I’m chatty on Slack and I have anything from 5-10 online conversations a day.
• I moved my exercise bike into my office room. So I cycle during All Hands where I don’t have to talk! I also have a drum kit you can probably see behind me on meetings!
• I work in fairly short bursts - maybe 40-50 minutes at a time then I maybe grab a drink or stretch my legs - no different to an office really.
• I document a lot more - especially on our Wiki.
• It’s all about good habits over bad habits - I don’t feel guilty taking proper lunch hours and breaks because my productivity is high and I’m trusted implicitly. 

How Do I Manage A Team Remotely?

Fundamentally there’s a large amount of trust in the workplace anyway, but I work with wonderful guys and we all trust each other - it isn’t a hierarchical thing.

• We really make use of the applications we have. Jira, Wiki, we have used Stand-Up bots and JamBoards.
• I have weekly or fortnightly one-to-ones focusing on personal development and happiness, not particularly work tasks.
• Everything is about collaboration - we are split across time zones, but we have team members who adjust to Canada time sometimes to get work done.
• I manage another remote worker and I’ve been very focused on ensuring he has everything he needs to get up to speed and feel comfortable. Again, oversharing info, wiki and regular check-ins.
• One time this has been difficult was in recruitment when I couldn’t physically be in the office to meet a candidate. But my team-mates rallied around really quickly.
• I still often value actually speaking to someone rather than Slack. Sometimes conversation can be misunderstood in text, especially humour.

COVID 19 

Let me start by saying this is not normal for any of us! Even those who work from home a lot. A lot of those coping mechanisms are simply not available just now.

On a company level

• We’ve gone fully remote around the globe in a matter of weeks.
• We have a daily virtual coffee for the team - we talk garbage!
• Our working day isn’t a 9-5 - we work when we can.
• Weekly virtual drinks.
• We have an open ‘Water Cooler’ hangout where people can jump on for a chat.
• Slack channels for support.
• Mental health support, mindfulness apps, one to one counselling and support.

On a personal level - and to avoid stress and anxiety

I mean, let me start by saying this is crazy. There’s no playbook for any of this and I am having good days and bad days as I’m sure you all are. It’s never been more important to communicate. Isolation can be tricky.

• CHOOSE FAMILY FIRST.
• I’m spending a lot more time making sure my team and colleagues are ok and have what they need.
• I’m separating work from personal life - put that phone down!
• I’m taking the right breaks and exercising. 
• I got out for the first time yesterday in 11 days due to self-isolation and it was actually amazing.
• We’re a little less focused on output and more about getting the right work done at the right time - the whole world has turned upside down and we’re not sure when we’ll get back to normal.
• I dug out my decks and mixer and I now spend a bit of time per week live streaming mixes again for fun!
• I have reconnected with friends again - our WhatsApp group has never been so lively! It’s a shame a global crisis has brought us closer together, but we’re using each other as a great support mechanism just now and the chat is amazing!

One of the best comments I have seen about remote working is that it’s a process. You don’t just become a remote worker overnight, it takes adjustment and learning.

We discuss it as a business now as more are making the transition. We have a Guild specifically for remote working.