On Friday, March 20, 2020, AIA Virginia hosted an open discussion on managing and working in remote teams. Several Virginia architecture firm leaders shared their approaches, best practices, and lessons learned.
Panelists:
Robert Clark, PE |Baskervill
Nick Cooper, AIA | HKS
Bill Hopkins, AIA | Hanbury
Rob Reis, AIA | Hanbury
Moderated by: Corey Clayborne, FAIA
Listen to the webinar and read the key takeaways below.
Key Takeaways
- Communication and transparency are key.
- When comfortable, share your camera during video calls. It enhances communication when people can see facial expressions.
- Maintaining a sense of community is important. One firm hosted a virtual happy hour where team members shared their favorite drink recipes. Another gives awards for best hat or hairstyle during online team meetings.
- Firms are using GoToMeeting, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, and Slack to stay in touch with each other and clients.
- The biggest challenges so far have included audio quality and broadband/wifi issues.
- Test technology in advance so meetings can start on time and glitches are minimized.
- Consider business continuity. If you do not have a continuity plan in place, begin planning now in the event that key team members become ill.
- If you don’t already have them in place, consider enacting policies regarding remote work, travel, and meetings that address the current call for social distancing.
- Don’t forget to care for your well-being and mental health. Schedule breaks to walk around and get fresh air.
- Try to carve out a working environment that matches your traditional space.
- Temper your expectations. Your schedule may need to be flexible. With flexibility, comes transparency. Don’t forget to communicate.