Making Remote Work Work, 3 Months In...Update Interview with Katy VanVliet, ReUp Education

Right as the pandemic was hitting, I spoke with remote work expert Katy VanVliet and shared this interview on Making Remote Work Work. We got a lot of great feedback on the ideas Katy shared from her experience working at ReUp Education, a fully distributed organization. I reconnected with Katy a few weeks ago to get her updated thoughts.

KHP:

Since ReUp is a distributed organization, working remotely is not new for you.  What HAS changed in the last few months as people work from home during the COVID pandemic? 

Katy: 
We have a lot of team members who are parents. And one of the things that's different about working from home during a pandemic is the lack of childcare, and that some people have partners and spouses working from home now.  One thing we talked about in our last conversation was over-communication.  It has now become over-communication about schedules because as you can imagine, we really had to consider who needs a split shift, who needs to take a two-hour lunch in order to get their kids up and running on their e-learning class. And all of that had to be coordinated with internal meetings and partner meetings. We had to really align on schedules and then set timelines on revisiting those schedules. 

KHP: 
What has been most helpful as you've adjusted to that new scheduling reality? 

Katy: 
The schedule is not going to be the same for everyone.  For example, we have some team members who start really early, then are offline for the morning, and then attend a team meeting right at lunchtime. Then they're offline again. Then they work in the evenings so they can be available for our students.  That works for some people, but it doesn’t work for others.

I’ve also set timelines with my team to say, “Let’s try this, and revisit it in two weeks.”  That gives everybody space to breathe.  Things are moving so quickly that sometimes even two weeks later, people need a different schedule. 

KHP:
I love that, that I love that you're sharing about the actual policy and communication, but also in order for those conversations to happen and feel okay there needs to be trust. 

Katy:
Absolutely.  It’s easier if you have already aligned on the end results you want a worker to contribute. And you have to trust that you are working with fully capable adults, that when empowered will get the results done.  And if you see the signs that that's not happening, then you have a conversation about it.  My assumption is people want to do their job, but people are just stretched really thin right now. 

KHP:  

The last time we talked, you shared a bunch of sort of your favorite remote work practices. I'm curious to hear out of, out of all the things that you do remotely to manage and lead a team, what are your favorites right now in this moment of pandemic distributed working? 

Katy: 
Our availability channel in Slack has taken on a whole new level of necessary.  We have people saying “I’m snoozing for the next two hours,” “I’m available via Slack,” “I’m not available via Slack.” That’s the channel to check to see who’s offline doing dinner and who’s going to be back at 7pm. That way, I can pause and check myself before I send a message to someone, or make sure to say “I know you’re offline, no pressure to respond.” 

We’ve also given a new spin to our Joy Up at ReUp efforts.  We’ve had a couple of story times for all the kiddos that are home and you get to see everyone’s kids on camera.  We also have people showcasing skills like gardening and knitting. It is only a short time every week or every other week, but it still really allows you to feel connected to the people on your team. 

KHP:
It has been one of the silver linings for me is just getting to see all of my coaching clients, kids, and pets popping in and getting a little window into their real life. 

Katy: 
Yeah. New faces and new spaces. That's for sure. 

KHP:
Well, since we talked last, Katy, one thing that has become clear is that this is not a short term crisis. Things are going to be uncertain and stressful, and people are going to be working in different ways for a while. I'm interested to hear how you're thinking about this next phase- what’s on your mind at ReUp? 
Katy: 
We’re excited to offer others in our industry support and information about supporting students virtually.  We have learned a lot about asynchronously supporting students in bite-sized ways!  We’re also launching the ReUp Network, which will help support students in moving into a new institutions or upskilling via certificate programs or other opportunities.