Confinement Covid: Organizing Teleworking (for those who can)
published: 18/03/20, 17:22
An article that gives some organizational tips for teleworkers: https://www.lunion.fr/id139938/article/ ... eletravail
Six tips for better managing telework
For many, confinement rhymes with telework. A turn that is not always easy to make. Vincent Bransiecq, used to the discipline, offers us some advice.
On telework, Vincent Bransiecq, founder of the company Skuadron, which federates a community of freelance developers, knows a lot about it. It therefore seemed to us ideally placed to present this "discipline", while because of confinement, more and more of us have to work from home. A complicated change of practice for many: even if the term is in vogue, telework is not really in French usage, and to be effective, it cannot be improvised!
1. Keep good habits
Work barefoot, or in pajamas? We forget. The first rule, in terms of teleworking, is to “keep the habits” of the days worked. "We get up at the same time, we take a shower, we get dressed", as for a normal day. It sounds obvious, but it will help you get started properly.
2. Make time for other activities... without mixing it up
During a telework day, you will be required to perform all kinds of domestic tasks. This is not a problem, provided you do not mix everything up, at the risk of “forgetting the priorities, assures Vincent Bransiecq. I advise to organize your day, to give yourself time slots dedicated to work, for which you will be more efficient if you are concentrated. In addition, if we do not separate the different tasks well, it generates a little stress”. We therefore postpone the launch of the dishwasher or the sweeping: it will be after work.
3. Time with the children
Many families have to reconcile telework and childcare at home in these times of confinement. "Child management upsets our agenda," smiles our expert, himself a dad... and whose wife is also a fan of teleworking. “We chose moments during which I work, and when my wife takes care of the children, and others when the roles are reversed. Children need attention, and if you work while trying to take care of them, you can't concentrate. If you have the opportunity, do not hesitate to isolate yourself, and to set rules.
4. Isolated desk or couch?
Where to put your things to work? “I move around, I'm not always working in the same place. This will change from person to person. If I don't want my children to bother me, I sit at a small desk in the bedroom with the door closed. For tasks that require less concentration, it will be the living room table. “His wife, she needs” a work environment “well identified, fixed. As in business, the main thing is to be able to concentrate at ease: "when we are interrupted, we are less efficient", and we waste an incredible amount of time getting back into our bubble, sometimes longer than the interruption herself. This is “Carlson's law”: “doing a job continuously takes less time than doing it in several stages”.
5. We do not necessarily respond immediately to messages
Away from your colleagues, you risk being bombarded with notifications: SMS, emails,... Everyone must accept that the answers will only come later, always to avoid loss of concentration.
6. Set clear goals
Difficult to fix the cursor in terms of the amount of work. Vincent Bransiecq advises to operate by objectives rather than by working time (serious change of paradigm compared to office work). “At the beginning of the week, or better yet, at the end of the previous week, we set ourselves a list of objectives. And we realize, when we can concentrate and we are not interrupted that we spend much less time than expected on our tasks. We are more efficient, we will work for less time. What we did in eight hours at the office, we will do in four. Another piece of advice for workaholics: "you have to accept that the day ends when you have reached your goal for the day".
Towards a change of habits?
Will an imposed situation lead to a revolution in the habits of the world of work? “The current situation, where many have no choice but to telework, shows that this solution is possible and effective. This will open the eyes of many companies, and mentalities can change,” says our expert. In 2019, 29% of French people had used it, according to a study by Ifop. Only a tiny part would practice it at least once a week, on the other hand. "Abroad, it is often said that the French always have a train behind, but that when they take it, they take it quickly". Today, our country is well behind in terms of telework compared, in particular, to northern Europe, but this forced experience could, in the future, change many things.