The Bottom Line - Fall 2020 - 41

HUMAN SUPPORT SERVICES
HOW WE ARE SUCCEEDING

felt more like military strategy sessions. We
developed tactical plans to address short
range goals laying out our organizational
responsibilities by function while identifying
how the agency needs tied to them. Luckily,
we had already implemented the OCFO
telework policy to address team morale.
Not sure of how long we would be in the
"situational telework" status, we equipped
each staff member with computers and VPN
access to connect to their new normal of
working remotely.
But what about those roles traditionally
deemed ineligible for telework? How would
they fit into the plans? Our administrative
staff was not familiar with working remotely,
but very familiar with working under pressure, being resourceful and making sure we
became efficient in multitasking. They are
an integral part of the team, functioning as
the glue that keeps us together and on task.
Overnight they become virtual assistants
who supported every function in our cluster
from budget formulation and system security updates to keeping us abreast of the
DIFS project updates. These masterminds of
organization and time management continued their work behind the scenes of organizing our virtual meetings, cataloging budget
responses, intercepting mail, all while getting acclimated to working remotely.
For the rest of the team, working remotely

was not a new concept. It is what most of
our team does every day since we are not
all centrally located. COVID-19 forced us to
think differently. It elevated us to the next
level of being SMARTER. This virus pushed
us to take a deeper look at our processes
and reevaluate how we've always done
business. The technology was available, we
just lacked the experience. We had to put
plans in place quickly.
We still had to deliver a balanced budget,
adhere to the Quick Payment Act, submit
timely responses to the auditors, submit
mid-year closing, and complete remote
deposits.
If there was ever a need for a genie in a
bottle, this would have definitely been that
time. This budget season felt like a very long
journey, but we met our goals and solidified the interdependent, ongoing relationship between our cluster and OFOS. This
evolving partnership has also improved how
we use MicrosoftTeams to submit closing packages. This technology has been a
useful tool, helping us to perform efficiently.
Although a significant portion of our work
can be performed remotely, there are still
duties that require an in office presence
such as collecting payments and completing
deposits.
HSSC CONTINUES

FALL 2020 | 41

The Bottom Line - Fall 2020

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