Like many of us, Steve Molis was told that he would be working from home until further notice back in March of 2020. He is still waiting for that notice almost a year later. Molis continues to work from home alongside his wife and daughter who is in a hybrid fifth grade class. Steve started working with Salesforce when it was a new technology that he worked on when he had the time. Fast Forward 26 years and he’s now a senior salesforce administrator holding down the fort from his home.
With his wife taking the nursery turned guest bedroom as her office, Molis set up shop in the living room. It was actually a pretty good set up. He could look out their picturesque window at the songbirds and had plenty of room to get work done. But then in August a microburst sent a tree directly into their living room. Thankfully, no one was hurt. But it was bye-bye home office. So, he moved into the bedroom and set up a makeshift desk.
Overall, working from home has been challenging and sort of like a balancing act between working and helping his daughter with remote learning. He has had to learn to juggle back-to-back meetings, too many video communication platforms to count (seriously, whose idea was it to have Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangout? And what even is Uberconference and why does it say I have a meeting in 5 minutes?) and has found that working from home has completely changed the work dynamic.
Work itself is being redefined by the pandemic, and while business is booming for Molis, there are certain aspects that are lacking. Namely, he misses face-to-face communication with colleagues. Gone are the days of walking over to your coworker’s cubicle and asking them a question about a project you’re working on. Now, with mostly all virtual communication as the new norm, it is harder to get a read on what coworkers really mean. So, what would have been one quick in-person conversation, has now turned into endless email chains and countless clarifications in order to finish a project.
In “Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting your Expertise Used,” Peter Block discusses what consultants are really missing out on when they are forced to rely heavily on virtual communication. Our senses become obsolete because we no longer are able to read body language or understand cues from other people that they give off in person. It makes communication more difficult because we need to take more time to really listen and ask questions. There is more effort taken to double check meaning and check in with coworkers on progress, thoughts, and concerns—time that could have been spent on actually completing a project.
Molis has felt these challenges the most when comparing how him and his team used to troubleshoot changes on one of his biggest salesforce projects and how they go about the large task now. Before the pandemic, Molis and a team of about six to eight colleagues would hunker down in a conference room with their laptops and test out scenarios that could happen and then figure out a way to fix whatever problems arose. Now the team uses Zoom to troubleshoot their code but it is just not the same. Molis notices that something is missing when him and his team’s main communication is virtual.
Even with advances in technology and seeing people through their computer cameras, there are still barriers to his work because of this digital divide. Zoom happy hours and online team game nights are fun but they can’t compete with actually engaging with coworkers in person. And they don’t even come close to the escape rooms and dinner dates with his wife that he’s missing. While Molis has been productive while working at home, it’s just not the same as getting to work in an office. He cannot exactly pin down why that is; it is just clear that something is missing.
Since going virtual last year, Molis has learned to adapt to working from home. He is getting better at foreseeing the challenges in communication and knowing how to adjust to the lack of face-to-face communication. He has realized that he needs to explain things in plain English that is easily understood. He makes more of an effort to be available for questions and clarifications. And, if he is ever unsure on direction, Molis makes sure to follow up right away instead of working under an assumption that could turn out to be wrong further down the line.
A positive of working from home and relying on technology more than ever is that Molis has found more support and connection through the Trailblazer online community. He was even given the opportunity to speak at virtual “Dreamin’” events, Salesforce Saturdays, and other virtual events. All of which have helped him find connection in his work even with the technological divide.
While working from home has been a learning curve for Molis, it certainly has not been slow. In fact, business is booming and he has found himself to be busier than before the pandemic. He likens this rise in business to the boom in home improvements. Since everyone is stuck at home right now, saving money by not going out to eat, and spending way more time cooking than ever before, people are redoing their kitchens. Home improvement is on the rise because we are all stuck in our homes and suddenly it’s: “If I’m going to get serious about my banana bread, I should really get a new oven,” and “Have the walls always been yellow above the microwave?”
It’s the same with salesforce technology. Businesses are utilizing their virtual services more and more right now and starting to see where they could improve or update. Companies are seeing more traffic on their websites and holes are becoming more apparent. More and more people are calling on salesforce to help them run a smoother operation.
With work and virtual school keeping him on his toes, Molis’s advice on how to stay productive is to stick to a routine. Do not fall into the pajamas-all-day trap. His advice: try to maintain a schedule that is similar to your office schedule. Get up at your normal time, get dressed, brush your hair, brush your teeth, and get to work. His other piece of advice: take breaks. Seriously, don’t try to grind through lunch. Take a little time to eat and then get back to it. Working from home can often blur the lines between where the workday ends and the home life begins so make sure to set boundaries. Of course, he notes, this is easier said than done.
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