Forum Discussion
Welcome to the Enable Remote Work community
With more than 3% of the workforce—or around 5 million people—now working from home at least half of the time, remote work within the non-self-employed population has grown by nearly 200% in the last 15 years.¹ More than 70% of employees worldwide work remotely at least once a week.²
Not a huge surprise considering the significant improvements in technology that have happened over this time. Of course, remote work is not new, but with more and more people working remotely, especially in these difficult times, different challenges have emerged.
To help address these challenges, we have created a community space for sharing best practices, guidance, and experiences around enabling remote work. Registering is fast and free, and in seconds you’ll have access to the community forums and feedback submission areas. Simply sign in with your Microsoft account to register and select the "Join" button on the Enable Remote Work community.
We’ve created a space for you to ask questions, answer others’ questions, and participate in discussions. Folks across Microsoft will also be engaging you in these discussions. We will be publishing blog articles here to keep you updated on related announcements and helpful resources. There is also an active poll to get us started – tell us whether you are working from home by clicking the ‘vote’ button on the panel in the right.
We’re very excited to welcome you to the new Enable Remote Work community. We can’t wait to hear about your experiences and ideas!
[1] Latest Telecommuting/Mobile Work/Remote Work Statistics, Aug 2019; Analysis of 2005-2018 (released in 2019) American Community Survey (US Census Bureau) data conducted by Global Workplace Analytics.
[2] IWG Global Workspace Survey, 2019
This is a great iniative AnnaChu. I think we'll see a variety of tips in this community. I'm looking forward to reading the stories of how teams work remotely together and address their different needs. I'd also like to see stories where working remotely is new to people, and they share what their daily learning journey here. It will give insights into how change managers and org leaders can develop a culture that supports remote working.
26 Replies
AnnaChu Great initiative Anna and as I was reading your post, I wondered what the results were of people moving to remote work in the last couple of weeks - and what those figures will change to in the next couple of weeks as countries are now feeling the pressure of the pandemic. Glad to be part of this community to share ideas, tips and support because at times, it is a little bit lonely working from home but it need not be.
It will definitely be something we'll observe and I hope to get your thoughts on what you're seeing from your hemisphere Helen Blunden! Let's hope we can beat some of the isolation by staying connected with community!
AnnaChu For sure. I'm seeing an increase in 'fun' online meetups with people from different networks just creating online catch up meetings. So for those quarantined, no need to feel alone. Just join an online meetup. It's kinda like a "Neighbourhood Watch" meeting - but fun - not serious - and very informal. Great way to stay connected with people around the world and meet new people. So it's not about work all the time either.....!!
This is a great iniative AnnaChu. I think we'll see a variety of tips in this community. I'm looking forward to reading the stories of how teams work remotely together and address their different needs. I'd also like to see stories where working remotely is new to people, and they share what their daily learning journey here. It will give insights into how change managers and org leaders can develop a culture that supports remote working.
I've been working remotely (it started with Microsoft in 2011 when I was an FTE and continued for all subsequent employment) for 8 1/2 years now and the best suggestion I can offer is to do your best to separate your work time from personal time: schedule work outs or breaks in your calendar, set a time to start and end when you are able to, make sure you "clock out" mentally as well as physically. It's very convenient (no commute, do laundry while you're working, etc) but can be overwhelming if you don't set proper boundaries.
ThereseSolimeno I totally agree.
darrellaas I totally agree. Great to share and read stories. I think many can update their wfh setup and thoughts around what is needed to make them have a better experience and keep not only productive but also connected in to the organisation.
Agreed darrellaas!
Very excited to see some more of the tips, tricks, and questions by those where WFH is new. For those who have been in the WFH mindset for a long time, we can sometimes take certain things for granted.
Also, so many can be afraid to ask or not know where to ask, having this will help so many embrace the new and empowering WFH opportunity.
Thanks AnnaChu!!
