Hint: Telecommuter learn to hit the mute button FAST!!
NWescapee said
03:17 PM Sep 16, 2014
One would think that with working FT from the road for over a year and up to 25% of the time on the road for the 3 years before we went FT that I would have gotten much faster at muting those conference calls when Dale is making noise in the background. I think I need a remedial course
So what happened? Typical Monday morning status call for one of my projects, one of the execs was pontificating a bit too much and I rolled my eyes. No big deal, they can't see me, however, Dale could and he burst out laughing really LOUD!! As a company we've just recently started using Microsoft Lync for many of the conference calls instead of the phone and I wasn't quite quick enough to hit the mute button with my mouse. I think I need a little more practice
Dale frequently describes my job as "cat herding". So to top it off, later in the call when I remove myself from mute and cover action items / next steps, etc. he meows loudly in the background when I obviously wasn't on mute. Really??? OK, he needs a remedial course in working from home etiquette too!!
Love my hubby, really like my job most of the time and feel blessed to have been able to take it on the road with us, but every once in a while Dale just has to find ways to add new challenges to sharing a work space for the 2 of us that was smaller than my previous office At least this office changes views frequently
Lonney Wade said
04:07 PM Sep 16, 2014
NWescapee wrote:
Dale frequently describes my job as "cat herding". So to top it off, later in the call when I remove myself from mute and cover action items / next steps, etc. he meows loudly in the background when I obviously wasn't on mute. Really???
Funny, funny, we are so alike. If I did that I would be sore for a week from the bit out of my rear or (xxxx), can we say that word here?
Lonney
Edit by moderator: Prefer we don't. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Wednesday 17th of September 2014 12:41:17 PM
DebbieM said
06:58 PM Sep 16, 2014
Sorry Ruth, but I have to check myself from time to time like Dale. Steve also works FT from the road and sometimes I just can't help myself. He is frequently on global conference calls and occasionally I mimic the different accents or call out movie lines when I hear a name mentioned from a famous movie. Example, there is a guy from England named Adrian which makes me think of the Rocky movies and I can't help but lip-syncing "Yo, Adrian!". <<sorry>>
WestWardHo said
09:47 PM Sep 16, 2014
Oh, you spouses of workin' RVers are BAD!
Had some great laughs about your facial expressions and noises - but seriously your spouse is working in a small space so be good. Wonder how H & L handle this?
We find (non-working, retired with lots of phone calls still important to us stuff) that only one can be on the phone at the same time. I can go to the bedroom and shut the door but that doesn't work for those who need to be online at the same time. Maybe turn off the speaker phone or are "they" still managing to hear/conclude both sides?
Sorry I wasn't more help but at least they gave you laughs during the workday!
Sherry
Terry and Jo said
12:43 PM Sep 17, 2014
Hey Ruth,
Tell Dale that fifth wheels have a "basement" for a reason. I've been threatened with that a time or two.
Terry
NWescapee said
01:11 PM Sep 17, 2014
We've tried having Dale work outside some, but that invariably leads to interruptions as people are curious about what he's doing, etc. A 2 hour task can double in time for him with interruptions. Of course, then there was the time he started up the drill while I was on a conference call with the windows open and someone asked who started up the margarita machine! Ooops, it was 10 AM PT and folks on the East Coast were wondering if we started happy hour early.
We've gotten a lot better about sharing space and being conscious of noise levels for each of us at times, but obviously we haven't perfected it yet.
Sherry - I have worked in the bedroom with the door closed when we were having the cooling unit replaced on the fridge. It's barely doable, but beats having to find office space somewhere else.
cherylbrv said
03:46 PM Sep 17, 2014
I've had to take a business call (an interview with a potential new client) and landed up talking in the bathroom as Mitch was puttering around inside. It was raining out, so neither of us wanted to escape out there.
Camper Chronicles said
06:56 AM Sep 18, 2014
Too funny. Are you a project manager too Ruth?? Herding cats is absolutely what I do lol. The rain is my biggest problem. IT's loud everywhere and no way to escape it on those calls.
NWescapee said
09:19 AM Sep 18, 2014
Trace - I'm in sales support, but the role is very much a project manager / bid manager type role.
In our previous trailers when we lived in the Pacific NW the sound of rain was always an issue. However, in our current 5th wheel it's really not much of an issue, better insulated, higher ceilings, etc. and I just don't notice it much. Of course, hail is a different story.
Other times I find myself muting quickly or days I have to close the windows because they are mowing in the RV park, or you get those noisy neighbors who arrive in the middle of the afternoon and instead of hand signals or walkie talkies they use the yell and scream method to back into the site next to us, etc.
Most of the time I get some warning that I need to close windows or mute to be able to hear my work colleagues, much harder when that noise in just on the other side of the kitchen counter, especially when Dale's trying to make me laugh at a totally inappropriate time when I'm on a work call.
Just one of those little circumstances that can make life on the road more interesting.
One would think that with working FT from the road for over a year and up to 25% of the time on the road for the 3 years before we went FT that I would have gotten much faster at muting those conference calls when Dale is making noise in the background. I think I need a remedial course
So what happened? Typical Monday morning status call for one of my projects, one of the execs was pontificating a bit too much and I rolled my eyes. No big deal, they can't see me, however, Dale could and he burst out laughing really LOUD!! As a company we've just recently started using Microsoft Lync for many of the conference calls instead of the phone and I wasn't quite quick enough to hit the mute button with my mouse. I think I need a little more practice
Dale frequently describes my job as "cat herding". So to top it off, later in the call when I remove myself from mute and cover action items / next steps, etc. he meows loudly in the background when I obviously wasn't on mute. Really??? OK, he needs a remedial course in working from home etiquette too!!
Love my hubby, really like my job most of the time and feel blessed to have been able to take it on the road with us, but every once in a while Dale just has to find ways to add new challenges to sharing a work space for the 2 of us that was smaller than my previous office
At least this office changes views frequently
Funny, funny, we are so alike. If I did that I would be sore for a week from the bit out of my rear or (xxxx), can we say that word here?
Lonney
Edit by moderator: Prefer we don't. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Wednesday 17th of September 2014 12:41:17 PM
Sorry Ruth, but I have to check myself from time to time like Dale. Steve also works FT from the road and sometimes I just can't help myself. He is frequently on global conference calls and occasionally I mimic the different accents or call out movie lines when I hear a name mentioned from a famous movie. Example, there is a guy from England named Adrian which makes me think of the Rocky movies and I can't help but lip-syncing "Yo, Adrian!". <<sorry>>
Had some great laughs about your facial expressions and noises - but seriously your spouse is working in a small space so be good. Wonder how H & L handle this?
We find (non-working, retired with lots of phone calls still important to us stuff) that only one can be on the phone at the same time. I can go to the bedroom and shut the door but that doesn't work for those who need to be online at the same time. Maybe turn off the speaker phone or are "they" still managing to hear/conclude both sides?
Sorry I wasn't more help but at least they gave you laughs during the workday!
Sherry
Hey Ruth,
Tell Dale that fifth wheels have a "basement" for a reason. I've been threatened with that a time or two.
Terry
We've gotten a lot better about sharing space and being conscious of noise levels for each of us at times, but obviously we haven't perfected it yet.
Sherry - I have worked in the bedroom with the door closed when we were having the cooling unit replaced on the fridge. It's barely doable, but beats having to find office space somewhere else.
In our previous trailers when we lived in the Pacific NW the sound of rain was always an issue. However, in our current 5th wheel it's really not much of an issue, better insulated, higher ceilings, etc. and I just don't notice it much. Of course, hail is a different story.
Other times I find myself muting quickly or days I have to close the windows because they are mowing in the RV park, or you get those noisy neighbors who arrive in the middle of the afternoon and instead of hand signals or walkie talkies they use the yell and scream method to back into the site next to us, etc.
Most of the time I get some warning that I need to close windows or mute to be able to hear my work colleagues, much harder when that noise in just on the other side of the kitchen counter, especially when Dale's trying to make me laugh at a totally inappropriate time when I'm on a work call.
Just one of those little circumstances that can make life on the road more interesting.