Checklist: Action Steps
Best Practices for Inclusive Remote Work in the Academy
When you are working remotely, the four principles of transparency, uniformity, assistance, and respect take on even greater significance. The checklist below is an overview of practices that support an inclusive remote work environment.
- Actions
- TRANSITIONING TO REMOTE WORK
- Principles
- Resources
- Actions
- Identify essential services and job functions that must continue seamlessly, without interruption: - at the unit level; and - for each constituency within the unit (i.e., faculty, trainees, administrators, staff).
- Principles
- Transparency Uniformity
- Resources
- TOOL B: Prioritizing Commitments and Activities
- Actions
- Collect alternate contact information, including location, and share (with permission).
- Principles
- Assistance Transparency Uniformity
- Resources
- Actions
- Identify and prioritize technology (software licenses, hardware) and other supplies to support these functions
- Principles
- Transparency Uniformity
- Resources
- TOOL A: Identifying Technology Needs
- Actions
- Survey unit to assess technology needs, including the availability of high-speed internet access, VPN access, and laptops that meet CUIT security standards.
- Principles
- Assistance Transparency Uniformity
- Resources
- TOOL A: Identifying Technology Needs
- Actions
- Develop and conduct work-at-home training to verify remote access, familiarize colleagues with software, and model best practices for interaction.
- Principles
- Assistance
- Resources
- Actions
- Create a communications plan to create community and to share information. Possible tools include Zoom video meetings and Slack workspaces. Communicate frequently, yet succinctly.
- Principles
- Transparency Uniformity
- Resources
- TOOL C: Communications Protocol
- Actions
- Develop and implement a digital security policy; ensure that backups are available if primary servers go down.
- Principles
- Assistance Uniformity
- Resources
- CUIT or department protocols
- Actions
- Develop and share best practices for remote communication, establishing preferred platforms (i.e., Zoom for faculty meetings and Slack for chat) for the unit. Establish expected engagement level for virtual meetings and response times for emails and messaging apps.
- Principles
- Transparency Uniformity
- Resources
- TOOL C: Communications Protocol
- Actions
- PROVIDING ONGOING SUPPORT
- Principles
- Resources
- Actions
- Direct faculty and staff to existing Columbia resources; i.e. Office of Work/Life, The Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, Office of University Life, Columbia Libraries, the CTL, and EOAA.
- Principles
- Assistance
- Resources
- Actions
- Encourage faculty to comfortably share their teaching and mentoring needs during this time by modeling these practices at the leadership level.
- Principles
- Assistance Transparency
- Resources
- Actions
- Create structures for leadership to check in with colleagues and assess their needs as they evolve.
- Principles
- Assistance
- Resources
- Actions
- Collect feedback, reassess needs, and adapt processes accordingly.
- Principles
- Respect
- Resources
- Actions
- Acknowledge colleagues for being adaptable and engaged throughout this transition.
- Principles
- Respect
- Resources