Working from home : Feedback from the team at Tranquil IT (part. 2)

Like many companies, it has been several weeks since we have taken the necessary measures to ensure that everyone could work from home ! On that note, a few days ago we shared with you testimonials from members of our team regarding their experiences. Vincent has also talked to you about our transition in a previous article.

We’d like to continue sharing our “best practices” with feedback from two other team members. I leave you here with Camille and Cindy and we will find each other again at the conclusion !

What’s life like while working from home?

The first question I asked myself, is where am I going to quarantine? I don’t have wifi at my house, and I doubted that my 4g connection would be fast enough for the VPN. Even worse, what I like most about work, is the relationships I have with my colleagues. I particularly appreciate the rapid circulation of information, thanks to our implementation of an Open Space office. Normally, I just stand up from my desk to get information that I need, but with the confinement, when I stand up from my “desk”  all I can see is the TV in my house (turned off during working hours of course). The solution : Leave for Saint Nazaire, to my sister’s house for :

1. Having wifi (this is a silly debate we have going, but we’ll still say I went for wifi)
2. Being able to talk to someone while quarantined ( again, this is more fun)

Result : I have set myself up with three computer screens in my sister’s kitchen, who was a little nervous when she saw me unpacking all my things. She takes advantage of being able to overhear my calls and has in turn learned a little bit more about my work, which is always nice. In the end, working at home impacts us and the people who unwillingly have to suffer from it. Now my sister knows just about everything about WAPT, she knows my colleagues through our exchanges on Mumble, and I have been able to explain my work at the same time.

What are the advantages of working from home with Tranquil IT?

Technically speaking, everything works. Our tech team has done a great job. Everyone is working well even from afar, and the distance did not overcome our usual dynamics. This period brings new perspectives to Tranquil IT, we now know that working from home is possible. It has pushed us to put in place solutions that were not considered before Covid19, and/or solutions that were set aside but not yet implemented due to lack of time. A typical example is that today we are able to perform services on WAPT and Samba AD remotely, which is good for our carbon footprint!

 From a general viewpoint : A fine display of solidarity

From what I have seen in the French IT sector, a lot of humanitarian actions have been carried out in a short period of time. I have noticed that many companies have expressed their desire to help different organizations implement working from home, by offering free solutions or advice. On Linkedin I’ve noticed everyone sharing their IT knowledge. On forums, I have also “seen” people reaching out to each other, offering goodwill above all. It’s nice to find that across multiple social networks others share the same values as us at Tranquil IT, notedly the helpfullness between systemadmins.

Naturally we have made WAPT Enterprise free of charge during the confinement (ends 11/05/2020) for anyone that needs to quickly deploy software and configurations while working from home. This decision was made quickly and mirrors one of the reasons why WAPT was initially created.

In the end, this particular period has allowed us all to realize that we have an indispensable capacity to adapt to this kind of situation. I hope, like the rest of the world, that we can quickly get back to our regular lives at home, our friends at the bar, and our colleagues at the office.

Why choose to offer working from home part-time?

As an administrative manager, I assist Tranquil IT’s leaders in making financial and HR decisions concerning the company. With government measures put in place, we had to react quickly and efficiently. In the decision making process, we made it a point to honor and preserve the safety of the employees while maintaining Tranquil IT’s activities. We also have the role of assisting our customers. It is for these reasons that we opted to work from home part-time.

 

Working from home : My feelings

At first, I was slightly nervous to work from home. It’s true that we had never practiced this type of organization at Tranquil IT. I asked myself, was it was really possible to recreate my work environment at home ?

With the help of our system admins, and WAPT , installation became childs play. Today, I have the opportunity to work in optimal conditions. With the confinement, it’s important to maintain social contact with family, friends and colleagues at work. So we use Mumble, a free communication application, which allows us to chat through virtual rooms when we need to.

I can therefore, regularly cover HR points with each employee to ensure their well-being. New tasks are still waiting for me in the end. I am going to need to adapt to new legal and social practices regarding working from home, and part-time work. In particular, to prepare the March payroll with all the new ramifications of the new organization put in place. Overall, even when working from home we’re still learning!

With four testimonials about working from home, I do not have much else to add. The conclusion is therefore upon us. All I have to say is have a good confinement and hopefully we can take advantage of it! See you all very soon, in the mix of an article or in person (respecting 1 meter of distance of course!).