3
OPINION
Remote work challenges
E ngineering is not a task completed in solidarity in a cubicle. It’s a collaborative effort requiring a team of experts combining their individual expertise and experiences to solve a problem. And let’s not forget, no good engineering problem has ever been solved without a good calculator and a white board. Problem-solving unforeseen challenges in order to boost productivity and regain work-life balance when working from home.
Jason Wilson, P.E.
My engineering firm employs about 60 people in multiple locations across California. However, our leadership has always endeavored to operate our firm as “one” office. To accomplish this, they’ve provided us the software, programs, and tools necessary to seamlessly manage and collaborate on projects across offices. We truly embrace the teamwork aspect of design engineering as we understand that it takes a team to solve real world problems. A while back, my firm began allowing employees to work remotely. I was at first excited as this would allow us to save loads of money on after-school childcare and help my wife and me to juggle all the evening activities that become part of daily life when you are raising two small kids. I was already experienced in collaborating with colleagues who
worked outside my home office. I was proficient using the tools provided by my firm and was confident I would also be successful as a remote worker. It was supposed to be business as usual. I did not anticipate or prepare for the challenges ahead. I did not anticipate the challenge of parenting and working simultaneously. I underestimated the distraction presented simply from being inside my own home, instead of at the office. These challenges and distractions combined to disrupt my work-life balance instead of enhancing it. I had a problem to solve, and my calculator and whiteboard would be of no help.
See JASON WILSON, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER JULY 15, 2024, ISSUE 1545
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker