Reflections on Remote Work after Six Months

I remember it well. On Friday March 13^th, the DFCI Broadcast message announced that as of Monday March 16^th, most DFCI staff were asked to begin working from home if feasible. It was doable for our group, so since that Monday we have been working from home full time. I have not yet been back to the office.

It felt strange at first to work from home on so many consecutive days. I had never done that and it was an adjustment. After two or three weeks, I acclimated, and it did not feel so foreign.

One adjustment that DFCI performed well was enabling remote users to use Zoom video conferencing. It seemed that DFCI went from being a company that never used video conferencing, to one that relied on it. Coincidently, DFCI had already been piloting Zoom in 2019, and offered it for general use in Feb 2020, only a month before widespread remote work began. But the fact that suddenly 80% of the DFCI workforce started working remotely prompted a much faster adoption of Zoom to help teams stay connected.

After over six months of working remotely, the following are some assorted personal observations:

• I believe I am as productive working from home as I had been at the office. This is in part because I had been used to working from home at times on my work laptop, and years ago I invested in a large home PC monitor; working on a big screen helps a lot.
• I used to get up at 5am to catch an early train into work. I don’t really need to get up that early anymore, so I don’t, and I don’t miss it.
• It’s too easy for the work day to extend longer when there is no commute to mark the end of the day.
• While the chair I work from is comfortable, I realize I spend too much time in it. It’s not healthy. When I worked in the office, the commute and walking to other buildings or to meetings made my day more active. I haven’t been good about working more movement into my day.
• It’s a luxury and a curse to have the kitchen nearby.
• With no commute, I anticipated exercising much more regularly. However, I used to primarily stay active by going to the gym. But I am still leery about going because of COVID risks and having to wear a mask all the time while there. I don’t relish the thought of 45 minutes on the treadmill wearing a mask. Why don’t I just go for long walks? See above bullet about end of work day.
• I miss people in general. Co-workers I feel lucky to work with. Humanity. For example, I liked having the option to visit someone at their desk to ask a question. In remote work, such spontaneity requires either messaging them on Skype for Business or calling or texting their mobile phone. Visiting is easier and more pleasant.
• DFCI and MGB have been creative in using Zoom to inject a little humanity into remote interactions. While we’ve learned that one can tire of Zoom meetings, they can be helpful.
• Conducting Project University training classes over Zoom has been effective. While nothing beats in-person interactions, the demand for Zoom classes seems even larger. We’ve been able to use Zoom breakout rooms to do class exercises in sub-groups, and Zoom’s polling feature has enabled us to hear from all learners to answer questions in class.
• I miss seeing people, at least some, during the week. The isolation can be difficult at times. But I think I tolerate it fairly well overall. I feel for those who don’t.

I think Dana-Farber and Mass General Brigham have been pleasantly surprised by how effective the organizations have been working remotely. I watch the financial news and it appears many other companies have made the same discovery. I’m very curious what the new normal will be like after we get past COVID-19 times. Feel free to share your thoughts on what this period has been like for you.