Vol 59 – HOW THE AHA CENTRE – ICT TEAM MANAGING TRANSITION FROM OFFICE JOB TO WORK-AT-HOME

/ / AHA Centre Diary 1

HOW THE AHA CENTRE – ICT TEAM
MANAGING TRANSITION
FROM OFFICE JOB TO WORK-AT-HOME

Working from home, or WFH, during this time can influence us to make changes to anticipate various pitfalls: difficulty communicating efficiently, lack of access to information, lack of supervision (causing anxiety for both managers and employees), and social isolation. As any other organisation, the AHA Centre team relies much on the ICT team to help the transition from work in office to work from home. The team provides and creates a breakthrough to make work easier from home.

 

UTILISE VARIOUS COMMUNICATION TOOLS AND ESTABLISH GROUND RULES
Before WFH arrangement, there were only two user accounts available for video conference. Since the demand has multiplied exponentially the team has provided five accounts for video call using Zoom, a backup service using WebEx, and for urgent meetings using Google Meet.

All staff has access to this communication tool for their need in collaborating and coordinating with colleagues and partners. ICT team will monitor the access request and make sure everyone can utilise the service.

 

TEAM COLLABORATION
Before WFH set up, it is easier to have daily catch-up with team members to ensure smooth collaboration. Furthermore, it is a normal routine to have frequent team meeting to have a quick catch-up where everyone has the opportunity to have a quick question and answer, which during WFH is no longer possible. So how is working from home going to impact team work dynamic in the AHA Centre?

In the beginning, we all have to struggle to keep up with our work and adjust to work from home. Hard copy notes and documents were daily routines, but since the WFH set up, ICT team had to speed up the usage of Zoho, where the hard copy documents and administrative process are processed to a digital record and approval is done via digital documentation.

 

CREATE A WORK FROM HOME POLICY ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE
Since the work from home policy, ICT Team has created an internal website that provides the latest office policy during the WFH set up. Everyone can access it at all times and everyone knows where to find it. People will be able to find answers to a lot of questions they might have about working from home, whether with regard to remote access, scheduling and working hours, or communication channels.

This will become an important document on the journey to remote working to refer to, not only in times of emergency but also in the future.

 

CREATE A COLLABORATIVE REMOTE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
The AHA Centre staff relies on frequent contact with colleagues and team members in day-to-day work. It is crucial to create a working environment enabling open collaboration. There is a couple of things the ICT team has explored to help staff members connect and collaborate such as:

First, provide by request link for team huddles via video conferencing tools such as Zoom or Hangouts Meet.

Second, rovide suggestion for team collaboration using various software and platform for better team collaboration, such as using Google Whiteboard, Wooclap for Team, and Miro.

Everyone has to figure out how to strengthen virtual collaboration and meetings to communicate but also to celebrate daily victories. This will help the team members stay engaged, focused and productive, as well as fight the feelings of isolation and uncertainty one might have in an unusual, stressful situation.

Having to transition a workforce to working from home in a limited time isn’t easy. However, in the digital age, it is also not impossible. The AHA Centre will continue to provide the staff with the right equipment, tools, and resources to stay productive.

 

 

Written by : Ina Rachmawati | Source : ICT Team