Maintaining Productivity in Uncertain Times

Written by Adrian Barritt, AECOM

The way we deliver our work has changed significantly over the past few weeks with mandatory remote working rolled out for many organisations across our industry.

And although remote work isn’t new to us here in Australia, the scale at which it has been adopted is unprecedented.  

But now more than ever, we as transport professionals need to stay productive and continue to work alongside each other to navigate this disruptive period and ensure our transport projects and services remain relevant/are delivered. 

Here are a few tips how we, as transport professionals, can stay productive and support each other as the ‘home office’ may become the new-norm for many of us over the coming weeks. 

Keep chatting - set up regular calls with your teams, clients, contractors, researchers, suppliers and service providers. Share what has been completed, what needs to be done and any challenges you’ve encountered. 

Communication can still be instant – make the most of collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams, Trello or Zoom to keep connected with each other on a daily basis. And you can always revert to phone calls or text messages too. 

Reach out to your networks to check-in – even if you can hear their dog barking in the background.  Celebrate birthdays. Use LinkedIn to offer praise or share insights – mention@AITPM

Make time for the ‘corridor’ conversations you used to encounter in the office – we still have heaps of industry-knowledge to share that needs to be considered and applied to our projects.

And if remote working is unknown or new to you – you’re not alone. Check out what online training is available to suit your needs, including this free course on Future Learn – collaborative working in a remote team.

Look out for each other

Still, even with these tools, these are challenging times and the next few months are going to be very challenging for everyone. 

While we may see some disruption to our projects and services, we must look out for each other so we can continuedelivering industry-leading initiatives and remain resilient and relevant. 

Head to our AITPM LinkedIn homepage to let us know how your working week has changed and to share practical tips.