Today we’re highlighting the first guest of our Work From Home spotlight series: Paul Mobley. Paul leads sales and legal operations at Ephesoft, a tech company in Irvine, CA. “I have always worked where I’ve needed to work,” he mentioned before explaining that he’s worked at multiple WeWork locations, traditional corporate offices, conference rooms, hotel rooms, and from home. A flexible attitude is what makes working from home, and ultimately anywhere, not a large hassle for Paul.
Staying Connected With The Team
Paul says he’s been more communicative than ever before, utilizing many different tools such as Google Hangouts, Salesforce Chatter, and Zoom to keep in touch. His team used this technology before COVID-19, so there was no additional learning curve. He uses whichever communication method is preferable for the situation and the other people’s needs. Instant Messaging may be used for something needed immediately, where Zoom meetings are held for higher priority and more complicated topics. Texts and phone calls are not out of the question, they’re still great ways to have conversations and meetings “on the go” and get some fresh air.
“The internet has changed the distance barrier we used to have,” stated Paul. He explains that in the past, most people thought that we’d have more interaction with someone in the same office compared to someone working remotely. Yet, it could easily be the case where we actually interact more with co-workers that are remote. It comes down to who you report to, who is on your team, and/or who reports to you. Regardless of where employees are located, today’s technology allows us to connect within seconds with the ability to screen share and turn on our videos. It doesn’t matter if that person is in the same building or on the other side of the world.
Spending Extra Free Time
Many people who are new to working from home have some extra time on their hands now that they don’t commute to and from the office. Some use the specific time they usually spend in the morning driving to work on other activities such as walking, meditating, reading, listening to the news, sleeping in, the list goes on. Paul doesn’t think of it in a way that it gives him extra time, but that it allows him to allocate his time throughout the day more effectively. He sometimes uses that time early in the morning to get a head start on the day and block out time later in the day for a break to refuel and refresh.
“Taking small risks is like trying new foods. As our palettes change, it gives us more opportunities to try new things.”
This “extra time” also allows us the freedom to try something new. It’s time for employees to step up and take on more responsibility within the company if they have the time. It could be learning more in-depth about other departments’ processes within the company or more about current customers’ needs to see how you can further help them solve business challenges. This time can also be used to recover from a stressful day. Paul also enjoys regular bike rides to clear his head during busy days. Finding your head-clearing activity can help reset when it feels like you’ve been working for too long.
Being Authentic and Developing Closer Relationships With Your Team
Working from home gives employees the ability to show their personality today more than ever before. At the office, we are allowed to have pictures, fun mugs, and other items on our desk, but it’s never as personal as what’s at home. Paul recommends you go into meetings with the mindset of it being held on your terms versus the company’s because it’s in your personal space. You get to choose how public or private you want to be when you attend a meeting from your own home. When meetings are held in the office, it’s standard to wear nicer clothes, have no distractions, etc. At home, the expectations are different and it allows us to show our authentic selves through the clothing we wear, our backgrounds, and our overall presentation. We are only limited by our creativity. For example, sometimes he feels cooped up inside and needs a change of pace. Using wifi on his computer or using the data connection on his phone, Paul has the freedom to roam. Most people on these calls or videos understand this because they may be experiencing similar feelings of being stuck!
“Have fun – you don’t have to work from home, you get to work from home,” said Paul towards the end of our discussion. He mentioned people may not want to lose what they’ve gained while working from home. This could be enjoying a new morning walk routine so much that upon returning to the office, they wake up 20 minutes earlier than usual to walk before heading into the office. It could also include something more substantial, such as a 2-hour mid-day break where employees make up that time later in the evening at home. He doesn’t view working from home as uncomfortable because, “If you live there every day, it shouldn’t be uncomfortable. It’s only uncomfortable because we haven’t done it before.”
ABOUT EPHESOFT
Ephesoft is the leader in Context-Driven Productivity solutions, helping organizations maximize productivity and fuel their journey towards the autonomous enterprise through contextual content acquisition, process enrichment, and amplifying the value of enterprise data. Customers use this innovative technology to automate any document-based business processes or tasks, improving accuracy, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs. Ephesoft’s focus is to improve enterprise productivity, which results in better customer experiences, more fulfilling careers, and higher business profitability.
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