Since March 17, 2020, the Records Management Assistance team has been primarily working from home to maximize social distancing measures. We all feel very fortunate for the opportunity and resources to do teleworking. We make appearances at the library once a week or so, but otherwise we spend our time answering consulting questions and developing new training from the comforts of our homes. Let’s take a quick tour!
Andrew’s space
My “treehouse” workspace consists of an old printed copy of the TSLAC Employee Guide and RIM reference materials at the ready. I recently became a Certified Records Analyst, and have become accustomed to pulling out my Franks, Saffady and RIM for Dummies book at a moment’s notice. There’s a pull-up bar primed for immediate use when inspired and an underused posture corrector rests on back of computer chair. My small laptop pales in comparison to the dual monitors at the library office. I do have a “decent” webcam for video conferencing, which comes in handy for our weekly team meetings.
Coming soon: a young cat to keep me company while I work from home.
Bonnie’s space
I don’t have to feel lonely during the workday because of my three pets sitting in as coworkers. There’s an 18 year-old retiree who acts as a footrest, a 7 year-old big boi who tries to steal the chair, and a 1.5 year-old puppy who is cute all day long. My work days usually go something like this:
- Try to wake up early at the same time I used to but sometimes I end up turning on the computer only minutes after rolling out of bed. Make coffee then log into GoToMyPC.
- Mid-morning I take a 15 minute break to walk the dog and get some of that sweet outside experience to make up for not leaving the house for days.
- Work on getting new and old webinars posted on the website, answer consulting questions, help out fellow analysts, organize and review state schedules, offer brainpower to supervisor as requested, and take copious breaks to retrieve lunch and snacks from the kitchen.
- Update work log to show consistent productivity and prove that I’m not playing video games all day.
- Remind myself to log out after 8 hours even if I hit a stride later in the afternoon.
Rebecca’s space
My workstation consists of webinars (on webinars), coffee in the mornings, and Topo Chico in the afternoons. Currently, I am facing a sad and empty wall due to a new move, but I still have the best view in the house with my dog, Brody, always somewhere in sight. Due to being a homebody and straight out of college, the transition to working remotely has not been too impacting on productivity.
