IT Tools and remote work
The tools that are made available for EPFL Staff are either EPFL based (across Schools, centers, etc.), IC School based (across labs) or lab based. EPFL based services are available widely and usually do not trigger additional costs. The choice should be made on a team by team basis and depending on how you structure your communication.
Commodity communication tools at the EPFL are not always enforced or started by default on machines. An example of this is the IM tool Jabber. Jabber is available but not started by default on machines. Therefore, when you would like to ping someone, you need to go through an email which is much more time consuming than writing an IM.
Besides Jabber, other IM tools exist (Slack, MS Teams, etc…) and this shows the dichotomy between diversity and standardization. It forces teams to organize the usage of their tools for efficiency and this is amplified when teams work remotely.
For all non EPFL based software, check the data compliance guide.
To help you work from home effectively, you’ll find a list of suggestions and tools below that could be useful.
When possible, hardware at home should replicate the material at work with similar ergonomics. This of course depends on your percentage of remote work, budget and EPFL policies.
- VPN with CISCO any connect
- List of services – click on a particular service, it tells you if VPN is needed or not.
- Adapted Desk/Chair
- Docking station
- Monitor(s) with webcam integrated
- A laptop that is performant and light enough to be carried between Campus and Home
- ISP capability
- Printer if needed
- “DropBox like” solution: Switch Drive https://drive.switch.ch/ or G-Suite Drive (https://gsuite.google.com/dashboard). Both are EPFL based
- Slack Collaboration at the level of file creation, modification and conversation channels. Faculty based with SSO (https://epfl-ic.slack.com), and lab based.
- https://github.com/icepfland/or C4science.ch
- MS Teams is coming up as an EPFL based tool through office365. Collaboration at the level of file creation, modification and conversation channels
- Email: Least common denominator at EPFL, if everything else fails, an email will do the job!
- IM: Instant messaging which should help/support team and collaborative -informal- communication with CISCO Jabber EPFL based (https://www.epfl.ch/campus/services/en/it-services/unified-communications/).
- Soft Phone: with CISCO Jabber too (see above) where communication forwarding (https://myuc.epfl.ch/ucmuser/main#telephonypage)
- Slack available at IC School + Labs + MS Teams coming up soon (EPFL Based)
- WhatsApp group (Signal, Telegram, etc., ).
- Digital white board (Mac-iPad pro for Zoom)
- Windows world (Surface Pro, etc…)
- Lots of possible HW options: Digital white board with Samsung flip 2 or Microsoft Board Surface
- Slack
- MS Teams
- Jabber
- Switch Drive
- VPN CISCO ANYConnet
- ….
Managing remote teams from our experience thus far
In a hybrid model type of working scheme, working part-time on campus and part-time at home, the material, behaviors and activities integration or relation is key to creating an effective working environment.
Connect with your team
While the material and tools are important, it is worthy to have in mind that a team might need to have a “common employee experience”. Check-in with everyone in your team on a regular basis as you would in the office via face-to-face videoconferencing. This will help the team stay in contact and informed. You can also create a room where live e-chatting is possible, or informal daily digital coffee breaks could be another idea.
As we gently begin returning on campus, think about setting-up a schedule of days working on campus and remote work using for example a rotation system adapted to your type of team.
People have objectives to achieve but are free to organize their work, so trust is cornerstone. However, the basics of working together should still apply even when working remotely: preparing for online meetings as you would on campus, setting agendas, starting meetings on time, etc. .
Not postponing difficult conversations. They should still take place via a digital meeting if you don’t have an alternative solution. These types of conversations often can’t or should not wait “the next time we are on campus”.
“How to remote work in a hybrid model” needs to be verbalized to your team. It might be obvious for some, but stating the obvious could be useful for everyone. Raising awareness about the pitfalls of remote work such as loneliness, risk of disengagement, no time work boundaries, lack of informal, etc., is also important so we can react and adapt accordingly.
Learn more about what you need to work remotely and EPFL support program with professional coaches.
Do you have any IT tools to suggest or team management tips for working remotely? Share them with us and the IC community.