In March, the All Staff Council (ASC) created a chat group in Microsoft Teams called “Staff—Remote Work Support Group.”  This group was formed to share remote work best practices, obtain crowd-sourced responses to remote work inquiries, and connect staff from across campus. If you’re not part of this group, here is a sample of what’s been shared. If you are a staff employee and interested in joining, please send an email to ascspecialinterest@drake.edu. 

Working from home. What seemed impossible has become the daily routine for many. Thanks to technology, including ITS remote best practices, we are creating a blueprint that will serve us well going forward.

Taking care of work and your children. One of the biggest challenges for parents is juggling work and parenting, while also taking on the role of teacher. Websites such as educateiowa.gov and National Geographic at Home offer online education tools. For those wishing to focus on this topic, the ASC recently created a Teams chat “Parents Group.” To join this chat group, please send an email to jenny.jones@drake.edu.

Wellness tips. Taking care of yourself can often be a challenge. Throw in a pandemic, closed gyms, and social distancing and your well-being can take a hit. But there are a multitude of resources to help, starting with Drake’s Group X virtual workouts. The ASC recently created a “Wellness Group” Teams chat for those who wish to focus on this topic. To join this group, please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

Other resources. The “Staff—Remote Work Support Group” has become a repository of helpful, and sometimes just plain fun resources. Whether you want to use a video background in Teams, are looking for some free entertainment (online classes, games, movies, etc.), or are simply trying to find some 20-second songs to sing while washing your hands, this chat group has it.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources