522 – Teams best practices for WFH

In these uncertain times, many organisations are scrambling to enable their workers to be able to carry on even when the rest of the world is seemingly losing control. At least the meme creators are busy.

Ex-Microsoftie Allister Frost has some wise words to share about Working From Home, and given that he was Chief Puppy Controller for a well-known marketing team, he knows things that are currently relevant.

Microsoft Teams may have had a couple of bumps since the Covid-19 virus started to cause people to stay at home; early in the week there were a couple of outages that have been swiftly resolved, but it’s since been announced that the service added 12 million daily active users in the last 7 days – that’s a 40% increase in usage, so it’s no surprise if the infrastructure creaked a little as it grew.

There are many tips for making good use of Teams –

• Microsoft.com’s Stay productive when working remotely (and easy to follow instructions for participants who might not be familiar with the software – there’s a handy Quick Start guide too)
• A plea to switch on your webcam as standard practice, to help combat social isolation
• How to position your camera properly when recording (or even how to record using your phone)

Stay at home, stay safe, and follow Buzz Aldrin’s advice.