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Getting started

How to effectively transition from co-located to a distributed team.

Checklist for team leaders

Establish policies and permissions

Obtain written approval (if necessary) for employees to work from home.
Read your agency’s telework policy or establish one if needed.
Read — and revise, if needed — the security policy regarding telework activities.
Create policy on what equipment will be provided / reimbursed by the agency.

Set up tech infrastructure

Identify technical pain points of any employees who have already tried working remotely, and make a plan to address these issues first.
Set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN), if required, and confirm that your employees can access it from their homes.
Run load tests to ensure your VPN and other services can handle a sudden uptick as workers access on-premise and cloud applications from remote locations.
For your tech employees, make sure critical services like source control, build pipelines, and dev/test/prod environments are available remotely.
Scale and automate tech infrastructure as needed

Re-consider roles and responsibilities

Identify which employees need to remain in the office to do tasks that require access to specific on-site equipment.
Set up workflows to ensure that employees in the office are not required to handle remote employees’ regular assignments (i.e., answering phone calls to desk phones).

Ensure employees have the right equipment

Access to high speed internet at home (or ability to tether from mobile device)
Laptop or computer
Headset / earbuds and webcam for video conferencing
Schedule training or instruction to help teams use remote collaboration tools effectively and independently.
Determine a policy to reimburse employees for certain remote office expenses.

Set up regular touchpoints

Schedule daily check-in calls for teams via video conferencing
Schedule virtual office hours/times when people can ask you questions

Adopt digital tools for paper-based tasks

Eliminate the requirement for physical paperwork wherever possible
For the long term, consider launching a project for ‘going paperless’
Document signing: Docusign or other electronic signature app
Virtual faxes: Free online fax services

Set measurable expectations

Establish work assignment logs or other tracking tools to provide specific and attainable performance expectations for all employees — those in the office and remote workers.
Maintain signed copies of any checklists or agreements (e.g., Employee Safety Checklist, Team Agreement, Telework Assignment Logs, etc.)
Remember that you won’t be able to measure and track every detail, nor should you try — instead, adopt processes that allow the work to speak for itself and build a culture of trust.

Checklist for teams

Know your agency’s policies and procedures

Security and data handling procedures (get clear, written guidance)
Telework Policy
Team Agreements
Employee Safety Policy
Telework Assignment Logs (or similar tracking procedures)
Request changes to your agency’s policies if you see areas for improvement (and find other agencies you can point to as examples)

Run experiments before leaving the office

Work from a different desk / room to identify any paper files you may need (then consider whether those files can be digitized).
Identify and bookmark key URLs for systems needed in your daily work.
Use a cell phone hotspot to test network access, and consider whether you need to make changes to your cell phone data plan.
Confirm working phone / e-mail access to your agency’s IT helpdesk.

Set up your remote work environment

Dedicate a desk or working space in your home.
- Background (for video conferencing) should be free of clutter or other people
- Surrounding noises and distractions should be minimized
Consider how you will handle the management of kids or others in your care.
Consider your internet connection speed and make adjustments if bandwidth is an issue.
Be flexible when your remote environment does not work perfectly — allow for a learning curve for yourself and others.

Set up your remote work tools / technology

Working laptop or computer, headset / earbuds, and webcam for video calls
Onboard to video conferencing platform that your team has chosen
Onboard to team chat / collaboration tools that your team has chosen
Onboard to project management / document sharing tools your team has chosen

Set up your online calendar

Make sure there is a link to a video call in every calendar invitation
Schedule a virtual ‘coffee’ with a co-worker to practice with video calls
Schedule a recurring social call — perhaps on Fridays — to strengthen your connections with co-workers

Set a daily routine

Get up, dress professionally, make coffee, walk the dog — keeping your usual workday habits will prepare your mind to ‘get to work’.
Schedule intentional breaks to get up and move throughout the day for mental and physical health.
Set agreed-upon working hours with your team, then stick to them — avoid the temptation to keep working because there is no ‘office’ to leave at the end of the day.
If you’re caring for kids or fulfilling other responsibilities in addition to work, write those obligations into your work calendar so you can honor your priorities.

Resources

Guidance

Telework Basics (U.S. Office of Personnel Management)
Telework Guide (U.S. Office of Personnel Management)
Telework Best Practices (CISA)
The Remote Playbook (GitLab)
Working from Home — a Guide (Charles Patterson)

Services

Training

Get customizable training for small or large groups at your agency on remote / telework best practices.

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Coaching

Get personalized coaching and implementation help for building effective distributed government teams.

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Consulting

Get one-on-one consulting for orientation on telework policies and best practices, along with recommendations for your agency.

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