Important lessons, especially about equity and inclusion, from the mass experiment the world did rapid-switching to distributed work

1. Remote work: lessons
from the home front
Elizabeth Ayer, 18F (GSA)
March 24, 2021
FCW Telework Workshop

2. 18F is a civic tech
consultancy within
the federal
government

3. Me intro
18F’s natural habitat

4. About me
Director of the Public Benefits Portfolio, 18F
Previously
Portfolio Director, Redgate Software
Product Manager, Siemens PLM
Software Developer, Cambridge University
https://whereismap.net/where-is-tacoma-washington-what-county-is-tacoma-tacoma-map-located/

5. Government’s
transition has been
astonishing
Remote work: lessons from the home front

6. Especially against a backdrop of
overload in people’s lives.

9. The best lessons I’ve learned
about remote work have been
from remote school.

10. No communication is so clear it can pass
unmangled through a first grader.
Things I’ve learned from remote schooling:

11. Attention is the most precious commodity.
Things I’ve learned from remote schooling:

12. MLP: Friendship Is Magic Season 7
Episode: Not Asking for Trouble

13. Less talking about work,
more doing work together
Establish working
agreements
Embrace high-quality
facilitation
Build in and respect
breaks
Engagement in virtual settings

15. Remote is a disadvantage.
Things I’ve learned from remote schooling:

17. https://hbr.org/2017/11/a-study-of-1100-employees-found-that-remote-workers-feel-shunned-and-left-out

18. Soon we’ll be back in offices. What
does “build back better” mean for
remote work then?

19. Promoting equity in remote work

20. Managing remote teams: level the playing field
Get everyone on the same
communication methods.
Scales Of Justice Icon Png #124128

21. Managing remote teams: elevate quiet people
Make the effort to recognize good
work from afar.

22. Managing remote teams: externalize norms and
procedures
Process is making a comeback to
support inclusion.
Mindfully revitalize your processes
with a spirit of enablement.
22

23. Remote work lessons recap
● The scale of change and flexibility has demonstrated that
government can change fast according to need.
● By default in remote settings
○ Communication is less reliable,
○ Attention is extremely unfocused,
○ Remote people get excluded
● However, by designing for the engagement you want and looking
out for quiet people, we can come through this with better, more
inclusive structures.

24. Resources
Articles
● Cognitive load theory and COVID-19
● Buffer 2021 State of Remote Work
● A Study of 1,100 Employees Found That Remote Workers Feel
Shunned and Left Out
Facilitation books and websites
● Liberating Structures and Gamestorming
● The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

25. Thank you!
elizabeth.ayer@gsa.gov
@ElizAyer