Professional and Career Topics

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

Darya,

I think that remote work is like everything we do in the engineering world which is ultimately a question of what is the right tool/method to get the work done.

Remote work can be great to add flexibility to schedules and in many ways be more efficient. A friend of mine used to work from home in the mornings because his commute time was crazy if he tried to get to the office when everyone else did, so he worked from home for a couple of hours getting to the office later in the morning but with only a 30 minute commute time. 

It can also be beneficial on projects that pull from multiply disciplines that may not be located in the same office and the shared platforms allow the team to work together. 

A challenge I have encountered with remote work it is easy to stack meetings because there is no travel time to and from offices, and not having a buffer between meetings creates its own mess. Another challenge is mentoring young engineers. I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account. 

Like everything, you have to look at your people and the work to see what is best. Maybe it is a combo which is what I see most often. 

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

Hey James, 

After reading your thoughts, there was one section I would appreciate more of your perspective on, which I have copied below: 

"I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account."

In cases such as those you described - have you found that getting on a Teams call and having one person share their screen to be an effective substitute for an in-person meeting?    I ask because in the types of work I am involved in, I find that junior engineers may feel uncomfortable trying to take notes with me standing over their shoulder, but for some reason don't mind taking screenshots or typing out steps I suggest over a call on their second monitor. This also seems to solve the issue of waiting long periods to close the loop on a simple question.  

I personally have not found any situation where an in-person talk was more efficient than a Teams call/screen-share - but I remain open to the idea that other types of work still require it, hence the reason for my question.    Thanks in advance. 

Darya,

I think that remote work is like everything we do in the engineering world which is ultimately a question of what is the right tool/method to get the work done.

Remote work can be great to add flexibility to schedules and in many ways be more efficient. A friend of mine used to work from home in the mornings because his commute time was crazy if he tried to get to the office when everyone else did, so he worked from home for a couple of hours getting to the office later in the morning but with only a 30 minute commute time. 

It can also be beneficial on projects that pull from multiply disciplines that may not be located in the same office and the shared platforms allow the team to work together. 

A challenge I have encountered with remote work it is easy to stack meetings because there is no travel time to and from offices, and not having a buffer between meetings creates its own mess. Another challenge is mentoring young engineers. I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account. 

Like everything, you have to look at your people and the work to see what is best. Maybe it is a combo which is what I see most often. 

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

I know your question was directed at James, but I'll share my experience as well.

I think a video call works for a lot of tasks, but I think it is lacking for others. Another challenge is when you don't know who is available when you need the help. 

I have saved a lot of time, especially earlier in my career, by just standing up and seeing who was available when I had a question. You can usually tell who is "locked in" on something and who is at a transitional point between tasks, Phone calls from clients or impromptu project discussions don't show up on a calendar. "Inactive" status in chat may just mean they're using other applications or looking at something away from their computer. "Active" may mean they're right in the middle of trying to write an important email or discuss something online with someone else. 

As the person doing the teaching, I often find it a lot easier to tell if they're really "getting it" in person than when we're on a call. I've probably mentioned this in posts previously, but when people can see their own face on camera, it seems they're a lot more aware of controlling the look on their own face. They can also be reacting to something else in their physical environment and not what you're saying, which can be misinterpreted.

 In person I can also easily pull up multiple windows across screens. For example, it can be helpful to show them the relevant code sections and the plans at the same time. Another scenario that I run into quite a bit with certain software is that it is easier to take over for a few minutes partway through assisting them to quickly try a few things to figure out the issue and then backtrack into explaining where I found a solution rather than trying to dictate to them what to try.

More than once in the last year or so I've heard someone say something along the lines of "oh, you should ask so-and-so; he's probably the best person to answer that" and the person replies "okay, I'll just wait until he's here tomorrow since he's working from home today."

One thing I noticed when we were on shelter in place a few years ago and all remote was how much more slowly the younger new hires caught on to a lot of procedures/approaches. None of us had really realized how much of our training was sparked by overhearing/seeing other people do their jobs. They didn't know what they didn't know, so they didn't even know to ask. 

Along those same lines, one thing I've been fascinated by is seeing the ripple effect of someone asking a CAD question in person. They'll get an answer, and pretty often someone nearby will either jump in with a different/better way to do it, or someone with years of experience will say, "when did they add that??" 

I think video calls are a great tool for when we can't feasibly be in the same place, but I nearly always prefer an in-person interaction if that is an option since it often has unanticipated benefits.

Hey James, 

After reading your thoughts, there was one section I would appreciate more of your perspective on, which I have copied below: 

"I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account."

In cases such as those you described - have you found that getting on a Teams call and having one person share their screen to be an effective substitute for an in-person meeting?    I ask because in the types of work I am involved in, I find that junior engineers may feel uncomfortable trying to take notes with me standing over their shoulder, but for some reason don't mind taking screenshots or typing out steps I suggest over a call on their second monitor. This also seems to solve the issue of waiting long periods to close the loop on a simple question.  

I personally have not found any situation where an in-person talk was more efficient than a Teams call/screen-share - but I remain open to the idea that other types of work still require it, hence the reason for my question.    Thanks in advance. 

Darya,

I think that remote work is like everything we do in the engineering world which is ultimately a question of what is the right tool/method to get the work done.

Remote work can be great to add flexibility to schedules and in many ways be more efficient. A friend of mine used to work from home in the mornings because his commute time was crazy if he tried to get to the office when everyone else did, so he worked from home for a couple of hours getting to the office later in the morning but with only a 30 minute commute time. 

It can also be beneficial on projects that pull from multiply disciplines that may not be located in the same office and the shared platforms allow the team to work together. 

A challenge I have encountered with remote work it is easy to stack meetings because there is no travel time to and from offices, and not having a buffer between meetings creates its own mess. Another challenge is mentoring young engineers. I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account. 

Like everything, you have to look at your people and the work to see what is best. Maybe it is a combo which is what I see most often. 

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

I know your question was directed at James, but I'll share my experience as well.

I think a video call works for a lot of tasks, but I think it is lacking for others. Another challenge is when you don't know who is available when you need the help. 

I have saved a lot of time, especially earlier in my career, by just standing up and seeing who was available when I had a question. You can usually tell who is "locked in" on something and who is at a transitional point between tasks, Phone calls from clients or impromptu project discussions don't show up on a calendar. "Inactive" status in chat may just mean they're using other applications or looking at something away from their computer. "Active" may mean they're right in the middle of trying to write an important email or discuss something online with someone else. 

As the person doing the teaching, I often find it a lot easier to tell if they're really "getting it" in person than when we're on a call. I've probably mentioned this in posts previously, but when people can see their own face on camera, it seems they're a lot more aware of controlling the look on their own face. They can also be reacting to something else in their physical environment and not what you're saying, which can be misinterpreted.

 In person I can also easily pull up multiple windows across screens. For example, it can be helpful to show them the relevant code sections and the plans at the same time. Another scenario that I run into quite a bit with certain software is that it is easier to take over for a few minutes partway through assisting them to quickly try a few things to figure out the issue and then backtrack into explaining where I found a solution rather than trying to dictate to them what to try.

More than once in the last year or so I've heard someone say something along the lines of "oh, you should ask so-and-so; he's probably the best person to answer that" and the person replies "okay, I'll just wait until he's here tomorrow since he's working from home today."

One thing I noticed when we were on shelter in place a few years ago and all remote was how much more slowly the younger new hires caught on to a lot of procedures/approaches. None of us had really realized how much of our training was sparked by overhearing/seeing other people do their jobs. They didn't know what they didn't know, so they didn't even know to ask. 

Along those same lines, one thing I've been fascinated by is seeing the ripple effect of someone asking a CAD question in person. They'll get an answer, and pretty often someone nearby will either jump in with a different/better way to do it, or someone with years of experience will say, "when did they add that??" 

I think video calls are a great tool for when we can't feasibly be in the same place, but I nearly always prefer an in-person interaction if that is an option since it often has unanticipated benefits.

Hey James, 

After reading your thoughts, there was one section I would appreciate more of your perspective on, which I have copied below: 

"I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account."

In cases such as those you described - have you found that getting on a Teams call and having one person share their screen to be an effective substitute for an in-person meeting?    I ask because in the types of work I am involved in, I find that junior engineers may feel uncomfortable trying to take notes with me standing over their shoulder, but for some reason don't mind taking screenshots or typing out steps I suggest over a call on their second monitor. This also seems to solve the issue of waiting long periods to close the loop on a simple question.  

I personally have not found any situation where an in-person talk was more efficient than a Teams call/screen-share - but I remain open to the idea that other types of work still require it, hence the reason for my question.    Thanks in advance. 

Darya,

I think that remote work is like everything we do in the engineering world which is ultimately a question of what is the right tool/method to get the work done.

Remote work can be great to add flexibility to schedules and in many ways be more efficient. A friend of mine used to work from home in the mornings because his commute time was crazy if he tried to get to the office when everyone else did, so he worked from home for a couple of hours getting to the office later in the morning but with only a 30 minute commute time. 

It can also be beneficial on projects that pull from multiply disciplines that may not be located in the same office and the shared platforms allow the team to work together. 

A challenge I have encountered with remote work it is easy to stack meetings because there is no travel time to and from offices, and not having a buffer between meetings creates its own mess. Another challenge is mentoring young engineers. I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account. 

Like everything, you have to look at your people and the work to see what is best. Maybe it is a combo which is what I see most often. 

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

Heidi kudos for creating a method to work with other engineers. I noticed you're in Tulsa. I lived their while working on a project for PSO. 

I think this is a big difference in how home office and field personnel engage.

While technology has greatly improved, meeting someone in person wasn't an option. So, I had home office engineers adapt to being coached via phone. I learned to pause more often, ask them questions and give them space and time to think about what was being taught.

I think having different approaches to match learning styles and dealing with different work setups have to be developed to align with the work needs of our talent.

I know your question was directed at James, but I'll share my experience as well.

I think a video call works for a lot of tasks, but I think it is lacking for others. Another challenge is when you don't know who is available when you need the help. 

I have saved a lot of time, especially earlier in my career, by just standing up and seeing who was available when I had a question. You can usually tell who is "locked in" on something and who is at a transitional point between tasks, Phone calls from clients or impromptu project discussions don't show up on a calendar. "Inactive" status in chat may just mean they're using other applications or looking at something away from their computer. "Active" may mean they're right in the middle of trying to write an important email or discuss something online with someone else. 

As the person doing the teaching, I often find it a lot easier to tell if they're really "getting it" in person than when we're on a call. I've probably mentioned this in posts previously, but when people can see their own face on camera, it seems they're a lot more aware of controlling the look on their own face. They can also be reacting to something else in their physical environment and not what you're saying, which can be misinterpreted.

 In person I can also easily pull up multiple windows across screens. For example, it can be helpful to show them the relevant code sections and the plans at the same time. Another scenario that I run into quite a bit with certain software is that it is easier to take over for a few minutes partway through assisting them to quickly try a few things to figure out the issue and then backtrack into explaining where I found a solution rather than trying to dictate to them what to try.

More than once in the last year or so I've heard someone say something along the lines of "oh, you should ask so-and-so; he's probably the best person to answer that" and the person replies "okay, I'll just wait until he's here tomorrow since he's working from home today."

One thing I noticed when we were on shelter in place a few years ago and all remote was how much more slowly the younger new hires caught on to a lot of procedures/approaches. None of us had really realized how much of our training was sparked by overhearing/seeing other people do their jobs. They didn't know what they didn't know, so they didn't even know to ask. 

Along those same lines, one thing I've been fascinated by is seeing the ripple effect of someone asking a CAD question in person. They'll get an answer, and pretty often someone nearby will either jump in with a different/better way to do it, or someone with years of experience will say, "when did they add that??" 

I think video calls are a great tool for when we can't feasibly be in the same place, but I nearly always prefer an in-person interaction if that is an option since it often has unanticipated benefits.

Hey James, 

After reading your thoughts, there was one section I would appreciate more of your perspective on, which I have copied below: 

"I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account."

In cases such as those you described - have you found that getting on a Teams call and having one person share their screen to be an effective substitute for an in-person meeting?    I ask because in the types of work I am involved in, I find that junior engineers may feel uncomfortable trying to take notes with me standing over their shoulder, but for some reason don't mind taking screenshots or typing out steps I suggest over a call on their second monitor. This also seems to solve the issue of waiting long periods to close the loop on a simple question.  

I personally have not found any situation where an in-person talk was more efficient than a Teams call/screen-share - but I remain open to the idea that other types of work still require it, hence the reason for my question.    Thanks in advance. 

Darya,

I think that remote work is like everything we do in the engineering world which is ultimately a question of what is the right tool/method to get the work done.

Remote work can be great to add flexibility to schedules and in many ways be more efficient. A friend of mine used to work from home in the mornings because his commute time was crazy if he tried to get to the office when everyone else did, so he worked from home for a couple of hours getting to the office later in the morning but with only a 30 minute commute time. 

It can also be beneficial on projects that pull from multiply disciplines that may not be located in the same office and the shared platforms allow the team to work together. 

A challenge I have encountered with remote work it is easy to stack meetings because there is no travel time to and from offices, and not having a buffer between meetings creates its own mess. Another challenge is mentoring young engineers. I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account. 

Like everything, you have to look at your people and the work to see what is best. Maybe it is a combo which is what I see most often. 

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

I know your question was directed at James, but I'll share my experience as well.

I think a video call works for a lot of tasks, but I think it is lacking for others. Another challenge is when you don't know who is available when you need the help. 

I have saved a lot of time, especially earlier in my career, by just standing up and seeing who was available when I had a question. You can usually tell who is "locked in" on something and who is at a transitional point between tasks, Phone calls from clients or impromptu project discussions don't show up on a calendar. "Inactive" status in chat may just mean they're using other applications or looking at something away from their computer. "Active" may mean they're right in the middle of trying to write an important email or discuss something online with someone else. 

As the person doing the teaching, I often find it a lot easier to tell if they're really "getting it" in person than when we're on a call. I've probably mentioned this in posts previously, but when people can see their own face on camera, it seems they're a lot more aware of controlling the look on their own face. They can also be reacting to something else in their physical environment and not what you're saying, which can be misinterpreted.

 In person I can also easily pull up multiple windows across screens. For example, it can be helpful to show them the relevant code sections and the plans at the same time. Another scenario that I run into quite a bit with certain software is that it is easier to take over for a few minutes partway through assisting them to quickly try a few things to figure out the issue and then backtrack into explaining where I found a solution rather than trying to dictate to them what to try.

More than once in the last year or so I've heard someone say something along the lines of "oh, you should ask so-and-so; he's probably the best person to answer that" and the person replies "okay, I'll just wait until he's here tomorrow since he's working from home today."

One thing I noticed when we were on shelter in place a few years ago and all remote was how much more slowly the younger new hires caught on to a lot of procedures/approaches. None of us had really realized how much of our training was sparked by overhearing/seeing other people do their jobs. They didn't know what they didn't know, so they didn't even know to ask. 

Along those same lines, one thing I've been fascinated by is seeing the ripple effect of someone asking a CAD question in person. They'll get an answer, and pretty often someone nearby will either jump in with a different/better way to do it, or someone with years of experience will say, "when did they add that??" 

I think video calls are a great tool for when we can't feasibly be in the same place, but I nearly always prefer an in-person interaction if that is an option since it often has unanticipated benefits.

Hey James, 

After reading your thoughts, there was one section I would appreciate more of your perspective on, which I have copied below: 

"I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account."

In cases such as those you described - have you found that getting on a Teams call and having one person share their screen to be an effective substitute for an in-person meeting?    I ask because in the types of work I am involved in, I find that junior engineers may feel uncomfortable trying to take notes with me standing over their shoulder, but for some reason don't mind taking screenshots or typing out steps I suggest over a call on their second monitor. This also seems to solve the issue of waiting long periods to close the loop on a simple question.  

I personally have not found any situation where an in-person talk was more efficient than a Teams call/screen-share - but I remain open to the idea that other types of work still require it, hence the reason for my question.    Thanks in advance. 

Darya,

I think that remote work is like everything we do in the engineering world which is ultimately a question of what is the right tool/method to get the work done.

Remote work can be great to add flexibility to schedules and in many ways be more efficient. A friend of mine used to work from home in the mornings because his commute time was crazy if he tried to get to the office when everyone else did, so he worked from home for a couple of hours getting to the office later in the morning but with only a 30 minute commute time. 

It can also be beneficial on projects that pull from multiply disciplines that may not be located in the same office and the shared platforms allow the team to work together. 

A challenge I have encountered with remote work it is easy to stack meetings because there is no travel time to and from offices, and not having a buffer between meetings creates its own mess. Another challenge is mentoring young engineers. I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account. 

Like everything, you have to look at your people and the work to see what is best. Maybe it is a combo which is what I see most often. 

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

Hey James, 

After reading your thoughts, there was one section I would appreciate more of your perspective on, which I have copied below: 

"I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account."

In cases such as those you described - have you found that getting on a Teams call and having one person share their screen to be an effective substitute for an in-person meeting?    I ask because in the types of work I am involved in, I find that junior engineers may feel uncomfortable trying to take notes with me standing over their shoulder, but for some reason don't mind taking screenshots or typing out steps I suggest over a call on their second monitor. This also seems to solve the issue of waiting long periods to close the loop on a simple question.  

I personally have not found any situation where an in-person talk was more efficient than a Teams call/screen-share - but I remain open to the idea that other types of work still require it, hence the reason for my question.    Thanks in advance. 

Darya,

I think that remote work is like everything we do in the engineering world which is ultimately a question of what is the right tool/method to get the work done.

Remote work can be great to add flexibility to schedules and in many ways be more efficient. A friend of mine used to work from home in the mornings because his commute time was crazy if he tried to get to the office when everyone else did, so he worked from home for a couple of hours getting to the office later in the morning but with only a 30 minute commute time. 

It can also be beneficial on projects that pull from multiply disciplines that may not be located in the same office and the shared platforms allow the team to work together. 

A challenge I have encountered with remote work it is easy to stack meetings because there is no travel time to and from offices, and not having a buffer between meetings creates its own mess. Another challenge is mentoring young engineers. I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account. 

Like everything, you have to look at your people and the work to see what is best. Maybe it is a combo which is what I see most often. 

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

Christopher,

A teams meeting can be an effective substitute for an in-person meeting when discussing technical items or review comments on a set of plans or a report. But as I stated it can hinder the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. Like many of us that post regularly on message boards like this I have been in the business for a couple of decades and much of what I have learned about how to be a "good engineer" would be hard to pick up or share in a virtual format. While we have cameras so we can see faces you don't get to see body language like you do in person. Seeing a young engineer's body language while you are discussing something can help you as a mentor to ensure that you are communicating effectively. It can also spur other conversations that may not be technical but build relationships.  

I had a professor at The Citadel, first semester junior year, that told my highway design class that 90% of engineering is dealing with people, truer words have never been spoken. That is where we can lose so much mentoring young engineers solely using the virtual space. Relationships are hard to build without face-to-face interaction and at the end of the day our business, any business really, is about relationships. 

Like many tools we have, Teams is a great tool and has its place in engineering but it cannot replace the skills learned from face-to-face interaction which are invaluable to being successful in our field. 

Love the discussion around this topic. 

Hey James, 

After reading your thoughts, there was one section I would appreciate more of your perspective on, which I have copied below: 

"I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account."

In cases such as those you described - have you found that getting on a Teams call and having one person share their screen to be an effective substitute for an in-person meeting?    I ask because in the types of work I am involved in, I find that junior engineers may feel uncomfortable trying to take notes with me standing over their shoulder, but for some reason don't mind taking screenshots or typing out steps I suggest over a call on their second monitor. This also seems to solve the issue of waiting long periods to close the loop on a simple question.  

I personally have not found any situation where an in-person talk was more efficient than a Teams call/screen-share - but I remain open to the idea that other types of work still require it, hence the reason for my question.    Thanks in advance. 

Darya,

I think that remote work is like everything we do in the engineering world which is ultimately a question of what is the right tool/method to get the work done.

Remote work can be great to add flexibility to schedules and in many ways be more efficient. A friend of mine used to work from home in the mornings because his commute time was crazy if he tried to get to the office when everyone else did, so he worked from home for a couple of hours getting to the office later in the morning but with only a 30 minute commute time. 

It can also be beneficial on projects that pull from multiply disciplines that may not be located in the same office and the shared platforms allow the team to work together. 

A challenge I have encountered with remote work it is easy to stack meetings because there is no travel time to and from offices, and not having a buffer between meetings creates its own mess. Another challenge is mentoring young engineers. I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account. 

Like everything, you have to look at your people and the work to see what is best. Maybe it is a combo which is what I see most often. 

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

Darya,

I think that remote work is like everything we do in the engineering world which is ultimately a question of what is the right tool/method to get the work done.

Remote work can be great to add flexibility to schedules and in many ways be more efficient. A friend of mine used to work from home in the mornings because his commute time was crazy if he tried to get to the office when everyone else did, so he worked from home for a couple of hours getting to the office later in the morning but with only a 30 minute commute time. 

It can also be beneficial on projects that pull from multiply disciplines that may not be located in the same office and the shared platforms allow the team to work together. 

A challenge I have encountered with remote work it is easy to stack meetings because there is no travel time to and from offices, and not having a buffer between meetings creates its own mess. Another challenge is mentoring young engineers. I think it is critical for young engineers to have face time and the ability to pop into someone's office with a question instead of sending an email and waiting for a response; a potential 5 minute conversation is now hours or days waiting for a response which may slow project progress, but also removes the opportunity to learn how to be an engineer. This goes for more seasoned staff as well; sometimes I just need 5 minutes to look at a sketch/drawing with someone to ensure we are going in the right direction and taking everything into account. 

Like everything, you have to look at your people and the work to see what is best. Maybe it is a combo which is what I see most often. 

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.

I was having a conversation with an AEC HR leader earlier today. One of the topics was the lack of training for managers. They aren't taught how to manage people in the office and definitely not remotely. 

I love working with my team remotely. I'm much more intentional with communications, accountability for deadlines and being responsive to my teams needs.

Hello everyone! I want to share my thoughts on the productivity of remote work and hear your opinions.

I first encountered remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has become a regular part of my professional life. I understand that not all professions are suitable for remote work. We are not discussing roles that require constant presence on-site or direct operational managers without whom projects cannot move forward. I am talking about positions such as engineering-economic, financial, and engineering-planning specialists. These are people who participate in competitions, contracts, and agreements, handle material procurement, plan schedules and finances, and perform calculations.

For these specialists, teamwork is important, but it can be effectively organized through online platforms and virtual meetings. From my experience, I have been working remotely for over five years, sometimes from different countries and time zones. Despite that, I always complete my tasks on time and am available for meetings when needed. Productivity does not decrease; in fact, in the right team, remote work can be extremely effective. I have seen entire offices working remotely more productively than similar offices on-site.

Of course, people are different. Some are less responsible and may relax at home, but there are also employees whose productivity increases when working remotely, allowing them to focus and deliver high-quality results.

I would like to hear your opinions. How do you feel about managing teams remotely? What challenges have you encountered? Do you associate remote work with the advancement of technology and processes, where many tasks can be efficiently handled on a shared online platform? I would be glad to hear perspectives from both managers and staff. For me, this mode of work has proven productive and modern, but I am very curious about the experiences of other professionals.