“Brave New World” of working from home and delivering our courses on-line
Faculty Colleagues:
Trying to get somewhat back to normal with our faculty Friday messages
Now that we’re almost two weeks in this “Brave New World” of working from home and delivering our courses on-line, I’m hearing from Faculty about the increased work load of putting curriculum online, learning new delivery methods, struggling with various “technical difficulties”, a lengthened work day and a general feeling of being overwhelmed.
I don’t think I’m alone when I say “Working from home isn’t all I thought it would be!” But, I do have one request: please keep track of your time. There’s many apps you can use. (Outlook calendar comes to mind as one of the easiest ones to use) And this will be very important data that your bargaining team can use during the upcoming round of collective bargaining.
I wanted to share three articles that Faculty have sent my way. They resonated with me and I know you’ll find them interesting as well.
The first sets out some basic tip for working from home. I’ve listed some of them below, but the accompanying article expands on the subject.
Tips for Working From Home
- Maintain Regular Hours. Set a schedule, and stick to it…most of the time.
- Create a Morning Routine.
- Set Ground Rules With the People in Your Space.
- Schedule Breaks.
- Take Breaks in Their Entirety.
- Leave Home – go for a walk.
- Don’t Hesitate to Ask for What You Need.
- Keep a Dedicated Office Space.
- Use a VPN
- Socialize with Colleagues
- Be positive.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself.
And more…
Here’s the link to the full article:
https://www.pcmag.com/news/get-organized-20-tips-for-working-from-home
The second article is titled “Nobody Signed Up for This”: One Professor’s Guidelines for an Interrupted Semester. I think it certainly speaks to our current situation.
Finally, this article speaks to the added stress that many of us are feeling and reminds all of us to look after our mental health. It’s titled “Please don’t be guilted into being more productive during the Coronavirus”.
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/coronavirus-productivity_l_5e712a89c5b6eab7793de6c7
During time uncertainty I encourage Faculty to utilize the available free counselling services of the Employee Family Assistance Program (Lifeworks) – 1-844-671-3327, which is available 24/7.
As always, please stay safe and feel free to contact me or Al if you have any questions / suggestions.
In Solidarity and Service to Members,