Almost exactly five months ago – on March 12 – University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Interim President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, announced that mandatory telework was being implemented at UMB. Everything surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic was changing very rapidly at that time, so the telework order didn’t include many specifics, such as how long telework would last or precisely how it would be carried out.

“As we go forward, we will doubtless find issues that need solving, and we'll need to make adjustments to policies and guidelines. In this very fluid situation, we won't have every answer, at least not right away, so we ask for your patience,” Jarrell wrote. “The most important thing is that we all do our part to keep ourselves and our community safe and healthy.”

Juliet Dickerson, Bruce Jarrell, and Matt Lasecki discuss teleworking on the Virtual Face to Face program.

Of course, there were a lot of other major policy changes in those early weeks, including restrictions on travel, in-person learning, and research. But none of them impacted so many so profoundly as the order to stay home.

Like millions of other Americans, teleworking UMB employees are experiencing the good and the bad of it. On the plus side: a much shorter and traffic-free commute, saving money on everything from dry cleaning to Starbucks, and for many the greatest benefit of all — complete sartorial liberation. Maybe you saw the cover of The New York Times Magazine on Aug. 9 that proudly declared “Sweatpants Forever.”

But for all the freedom telework has promised, it’s also come with a long list of real issues, like the emotional toll of reducing human contact to a bunch of little faces on a computer screen, challenges surrounding child care and schooling at home, bosses and colleagues with different expectations about the length of the workday or even the workweek, and even insecurity about professional growth and advancement. Don’t forget about the real operational limitations of home offices: pets, kids, office equipment, and the like.

So, how have we done over the past five months, and what have we learned? Will everything go back to the way it was when the pandemic ends? Or is some of this going to stick? How have the views of University leadership evolved and what can UMB do to improve the working conditions and effectiveness of teleworkers and teleworking teams?

The guests for the Aug. 13 edition of Jarrell’s weekly webcast, Virtual Face to Face with Dr. Bruce Jarrell, have been right in the thick of it: Matt Lasecki, SPHR, associate vice president and chief human resources officer, and Juliet Dickerson, MS, director of staffing and career services, both from Human Resource Services.

Not long into the program, the panel faced a barrage of questions from the audience. Are teleworking employees permitted to move to another location, even out of state, if they continue working? Down the road, when this is “over,” how will it change the way UMB allows teleworking? How can I be reimbursed for supplies, equipment, or even office furniture I need to do my job at home? And, how can I work around family needs, like child care and kids learning at home?

A recent letter updating the campus community on teleworking emphasized that supervisors are expected to be as flexible as possible. “I was so heartened to see your email that reinforced your philosophy about families first; it made my entire pandemic brighter,” said Giordana Segneri, MS, director of marketing and public relations for the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Variations of her question about child care and scheduling were asked by several audience members, including Chaslyn Batchelor, an executive assistant in the Office of Administration and Finance with a second-grader at home.

“My division is very family-friendly, but as a campus, what are the considerations that are being thought of about those who are teleworking but who are also the primary educators for their children as kids also tele-learn?” she asked.

“The campus is fully aware of the angst that is really permeating across parents of children K through 12 and younger,” Dickerson replied. “There is no one single solution out there, but I can tell you that we are committed as a campus to try to provide what we can in terms of flexibility, leave programs. Everybody’s situation is different, so there is no one answer, but what I would say to Chaslyn and anyone else with this particular concern is to work with your HR representative or contact HR if you need help navigating what the options are.”

You can watch the entire program and hear all of the questions and answers on telework by accessing the link above.