Thoughts On Remote Working & COVID-19

We have been working remotely—utilizing various technology tools to facilitate team communication and coordination of work—for several decades. While Zoom is the latest incarnation of a video-enabled team conferencing solution, we were working with PictureTel video systems back in the early 1990’s! The system I had set up in my home in Singapore required 2 ISDN lines and cost about $3,000. For an amusing look back at one of the earliest video conferencing systems, check out this promotional video from 1992.

Working on projects for global corporations, our teams have learned to coordinate and manage complex work efforts with colleagues who are spread across the planet, speaking different languages across dozens of time zones. Tools like video conferencing help, but we often find that the most successful teams are able to establish strong working bonds across distances—and that the tools could never cover for a lack of relationships built on trust.

All of this experience has prepared us for the current COVID-19 pandemic, where remote working has become mandatory for the vast majority of our ecosystem. For us, this is somewhat “business as usual”, as virtual roles are becoming more commonplace if not expected by our clients and independent consultants. It takes a certain skill to establish a rapport across distances. It requires frequent communication, follow-through, and taking strict accountability for work product, commitments, deadlines, changes, and other every-day occurrences that can impact a team’s performance. And, yes, familiarity with the latest tools does help.

We understand remote working—and we screen our candidates as well as our hiring teams for their approach to and acceptance of virtual work relationships. This helps to ensure a successful match to a role, and can save considerable time and effort for all involved.

Here’s hoping that everyone is staying well and healthy—and that we are all able to improve on our remote working competencies, building trust and rapport across distances and virtual environments.