We at CWS are at the midpoint of our Office-Free Friday’s (O.F.F.) Summer Experiment, our attempt to send our employees off-site to work on Fridays. In our original post, we talked about the fact that the office can be an interruption factory. Working remotely will hopefully increase productivity and efficiency. As long as we have the lines of communication and technology set up, we should be able to pull this off with flying colors. Ultimately, we want to have more remote workers so we can expand our ability to hire great talent. The best talent for our company may not live within 25 miles of our office. This will also teach us how to pick up and successfully work with clients from around the country—and even the world.

INITIAL HICCUPS

I have to admit, it started out a bit rocky. We debated how to best communicate, as most of the issues were about communication. Several people enjoy using HipChat, which we use for our company chat room. But some people find the bouncing icon that alerts whenever someone posts a comment to be an interruption in itself.

Others tend to over-communicate, possibly to prove they can successfully work remotely. Again, that in itself becomes an interruption.

Still others, primarily our sales department, never feel that they have a remote Friday as they are in client meetings a large part of the day, anyway.

NOT OFF—JUST AWAY

This is definitely teaching us a fast lesson in how to communicate concisely and efficiently. This is a good thing.

When we started sharing the idea of Office-Free Fridays (O.F.F.), several people thought we were just that—OFF on Fridays. My family, for one, fell into that group. Often, my son would say, “Tomorrow’s Friday. You’re off, right?”

I would then have to remind him, “No, I’m not off, I’m just working from home. This means you cannot interrupt me.” Clearly our families have to be trained as well.

CWSers WEIGH IN ON O.F.F.

I asked my teammates to weigh in on their experiences thus far and share their tips.

*Joe Milbach-Web Developer says: “It helps to keep work life and home life separate. Find a designated work area/room that you can office out of. This will help you stay on-task and not doing household chores.”

Joe’s fav spot: “Java Creek Cafe & Brewed Awakenings in Cedar Rapids, IA.”

*He is our true, full-time remote worker and does so very successfully.

Dustin Hart - Web Developer says: “When coding websites, I find it's helpful to be in the office (an option as well on Office-Free Fridays) But when doing the design and mockups for a new site, I feel it's easier to focus and "stay in the groove" working from home without office distractions. I try and save that work for Fridays now."

Dustin’s Fav Spot: “Having an office setup in a spare bedroom definitely helps me stay on task versus if I were lounging on the couch in front of the TV.”

PJ Calkins - Account Strategist/Business Development offered this advice: “Save the office work (writing, research, proposals), when possible, for Friday. This allows me to dedicate time to non-office work tasks (meeting people, stop-ins, calling) during the rest of the week.”

PJ’s Fav Spot: “My newly built home office or outside. The window and the fresh air are something I enjoy.”

John McMahon - Account Strategist/Business Development recommends: “Make sure you plan your day and have everything you need. The last thing you want is for your laptop to die because you forgot the power cord.” (Sounds like he is speaking from experience.)

John’s Fav spot: “St. James Coffee in the morning, then usually the office in the afternoon."

Biggest Distraction: “Kids”

Jonny Yucuis - Project Manager said, “Make sure to be available for communication. It's great for me because I get a lot of questions during the day when I’m in the office. Random walk-ups don’t occur on Fridays, which is very helpful. It's a great day to tackle the "I need a lot of time for this task.”

Jonny’s Fav Spot: “Kitchen table.”

Biggest Distraction: “Bosco the Cat.”

Sara Pennington - Office Administrator, “I’ve been able to tackle big projects. I have one task that takes about six hours and I need uninterrupted time. I reserve this task for Fridays.”

Sara’s Fav Spot: “Home, outside on my deck."

Biggest Distraction: “Getting sunburned.”

Tracy Lauritzen - Account Strategist/Business Development, “I think it’s important to set expectations at the beginning, expectations on productivity and communication. It needs to be clear for both sides.”

Tracy’s Fav Spot: “If I ever got a remote Friday (she’s one who’s always scheduled-up with meetings), it would be at my camper by the river. It’s quiet because everyone else is at work and my son could play and swim and not interrupt me.”

Ethan Herber - Marketing and Social Media Specialist, “Certain tasks I can complete much faster away from the distractions of the office.”

Ethan’s Fav Spot: “Caribou Coffee. I order a Regular Mug of Joe and get free refills all day.

Biggest Distraction: “Heart palpitations from all the coffee.”

Sheryl Barlow - Business Development Director, “This is my project day. If you have a day designated to tackle something, it doesn’t get put off so easily.”

Sheryl’s Fav Spot: “I move around from my home office chair to the kitchen counter to the chaise lounge.

Biggest Distraction: “The fridge.”

PATIENCE. TRUST. CHOICES.

All in all, it’s going well, and I think we get better at it each week. It’s an exercise in trust, and we already trust each other a great deal. We’ve also practiced patience when it comes to communication. Some early adjustments were made and we’re sailing smoothly now. Honestly, some people prefer to work in the office. It’s nice and quiet on Fridays, and they find their regular Monday through Thursday desk serves the purpose on Fridays as well. Giving people the choice to decide how they work best seems to be the ultimate answer.

If any of you have suggestions, ideas, or questions about working remotely, feel free to share.