With telecommuting quickly becoming the norm and millions of employees working out of their own homes, there has been a disconnect between agencies and their workers. Many of those new telecommuters do not know when, or how, to reach out for support, and that has created customer service problems, serious bottlenecks and a huge loss in productivity.
If you are new to working from home, it is important to know when, and how to reach out for help. Getting the support you need can make your telecommuting experience easier and less stressful, all while allowing you to maintain, or even exceed, your previous levels of productivity. Here are a few situations when support is needed, and some tips for getting the help you need.
You Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties
Telecommuters rely on their equipment much more than other home-based workers, and a single failure can create endless headaches and bring productivity to a standstill. If you are experiencing a loss of connectivity or other technical difficulties, you need help and you need it right away.
Hopefully your agency has provided a tech support hotline number for you to call, and that should be your first point of contact. If not, call the boss and ask what you should do to resolve your technical difficulties and get back to work.
While you are waiting for tech support to pick up the phone, you can perform some basic troubleshooting steps on your own. These include rebooting the router or resetting your Wi-Fi network and contacting your internet service provider to see if there are any known outages in your area.
You Suspect a Cyberattack
As millions of new telecommuters trade their cubicles for home offices, scammers are taking note. Telecommuters are increasingly being targeted by hackers and other criminals, and cyberattacks aimed at businesses with remote workforces are on the rise.
Whether it is a suspicious email in your inbox or a strange pop-up on your computer screen, any attempt at cybercrime should be reported to your agency right away. Even if you do not fall for the phishing attempt, reporting it to IT can help your fellow employees and the agency you work for.
Provide as much detail as you can when reporting the attempted cyberattack, including the identity of the sender, the text of the email and information on any embedded links. If the attempted security breach arrives via telephone, provide your agency with the incoming phone number, the time and date and other pertinent details. This information can help IT strengthen firewalls, spam filters and other defense mechanisms, so you and your colleagues can work in safety.
You Need Clarification on an Upcoming Project
Having a deadline can be stressful in the best of times, but what if you do not know where to start? If you need clarification on an upcoming project, including deliverables, dates and other information, it is important to seek help as soon as possible.
Do not be afraid to reach out to your boss for clarification as you need it. It is better to ask now than let the deadline slip later.
You Need to Collaborate with Your Colleagues
Businesses with remote workforces rely heavily on technological solutions, like those Zoom meetings workers have come to know and love (or hate). But what if there are no meetings scheduled and you need to collaborate with your colleagues?
Whether your coworkers are at the office or also in their own homes, it is important to request the assistance you need. That can mean reaching out to your supervisor and requesting a video conference or scheduling a virtual meeting on your own if you have the authority to do so.
Scheduling these meetings can be tricky, especially if the workforce is scattered throughout several time zones. It is important to be cognizant of these time differences, so you can make sure everyone you need is on the same page, and in the same virtual meeting room.
Working from home can be wonderful, but getting the help you need is often a challenge. Knowing when and how to seek support is the first step, and once you know you can proceed with confidence. Even the most independent workers need help sometimes, and you should not be afraid to reach out when you need to.
About PSL
PSL is a global outsource provider whose mission is to provide solutions that facilitate the movement of business-critical information between and among government agencies, business enterprises, and their partners. For more information, please visit https://www.penielsolutions.com or email info@penielsolutions.com.