5 pro tips for work-from-home video conferencing success
In just a few short weeks, the coronavirus pandemic has already transformed the way Americans live and work. At this time, the CDC urges minimal contact with others and gatherings of more than 10 people are highly discouraged.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29% of Americans can currently work from home. With social distancing policies in place, that number is expected to grow. Tap or click to find out how to prepare your business for remote work.
Many businesses are now relying on teleconferencing to get the job done. But is it actually an effective strategy for workers? Here’s what we’ve learned after relying on teleconferencing for the past week at Komando.com.
An awkward dance: The strengths and weaknesses of teleconferencing
Last week, the Komando.com editorial team moved its operations remotely as part of our company’s social distancing policy. Our mission is to continue to deliver the trusted advice and content you rely on, while still maintaining responsible health and hygiene practices.
After configuring our desktops for remote access and saving our passwords, we left home for the day and prepared ourselves for the new process. The results have been optimistic, but not without some quirky situations and snafus.
When morning arrived, everyone logged into Google Hangouts Meet for our daily meeting. Once the cameras lit up, the entire editorial crew could be seen and heard onscreen.
Well, all but one of us. Not all computers and internet connections are created equal, and one of our writers was unable to talk to the crew without sounding like Alvin and the Chipmunks — his voice high pitched and absurdly fast.
As a workaround, he connected to G Suite using his phone and was able to join our meeting without further issues.
But that wasn’t the only technical hiccup during the video conference. Cameras would spontaneously blur and a distinct audio lag would occur that left several of our staff talking over one another.
After some brief growing pains, the editorial team became comfortable with the tools at our disposal. Using G Chat, we would frequently communicate on our progress and deadlines, and coordinate with one another to deliver our finished products.
Roll with the punches
Everyone working from home could slow down your Wi-Fi - here's what you can do
The coronavirus pandemic has shocked the world economy. To prevent the spread of infection, companies across America are urging workers to stay indoors and work from home as much as possible.
It’s a sudden, drastic change. But social distancing is shown to prevent the spread of the virus. Plus, there are plenty of tools that make working from home easier than ever. Tap or click to find out how to prepare your business.