Don Lutz, ITS’s Manager for Online and Instructional Technology, joined Clark in December 2019 and had been on campus less than 12 weeks when the college’s COVID response moved the Academic Technology Services group to remote work. However, prior to Clark, Don had decades of experience working fully remotely with his previous employer, leading teams of more than 14 remote workers, and completing a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree fully online.

As staff, faculty and students prepare for more remote work in the coming months, Don offers some of his invaluable advice. He believes that the following tips can make all the difference when working, learning and leading from home.

Create Space for Work – both Physical and Mental

Balancing work and home during COVID times is different to remote work prior to 2020. However, especially with these additional strains, creating space can make all the difference.

Physical: If possible, find a space in your home that can be defined as your workspace. While many of us aren’t lucky enough to have the space for a dedicated home office, finding a corner of your living room, bedroom, or kitchen that can serve as a workplace can make a difference in creating boundaries. Even if that space is repurposed in the evenings and weekends, the defined area can help to create structure. This is even more important if you have multiple members of your household trying to work, teach or learn in the same home.

Mentally: Where possible try to preserve some of your workday rituals. Showering, dressing, and brewing your morning coffee creates routine. Some of ITS are even continuing to enjoy a morning ‘commute’ by heading out for a 5-10 minute walk around the neighborhood before sitting down to work and repeating that at the end of the day. Similarly, taking a regular lunch break, closing your laptop at the end of your regular work day, and setting aside time for chatting to colleagues can help.

Use Technology Thoughtfully

While there have been many times when we’ve felt Zoomed out over the past 9 months, the ability to connect, collaborate and meet with each other is important during these difficult times. However, by being thoughtful about our choice of communication, we can help create a better learning or work environment for everyone.

Just like when we’re on campus, before scheduling a zoom meeting, consider if it is the best choice for that particular discussion, or would an email, phone-call or teams chat be more appropriate. Additionally, consider if everyone you’re inviting needs to be present.

And don’t just use technology to connect for formal work purposes. Working remotely can feel isolating, so be sure to reach out to classmates, colleagues and managers to chat, check-in or just say hi.

Ask for Help

As we all move back to a more remote version of Clark, remember that there are many groups to support your work and your mental health and wellness. Take advantage of some of the social outreach being offered by HR, Staff Assembly, Faculty groups, and student organizations.

And finally, from a technical perspective, remember that ITS is here to help. The Help Desk will continue to be available by phone and email throughout the Winter Break and Intersession semester. Please don’t hesitate to reach out us, or your favorite ITS person, if you have any questions, challenges or projects that we can help with.