Revision as of 12:54, 16 June 2020

Welcome to GC Remote Working

This new forum was created by experts at Shared Services Canada in an effort to help GC workers newly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who find themselves working remotely.

This is an unprecedented situation; and one which is continually evolving. Remote workers need easy access to the latest information on the available tools and solutions as well as tips, best practices and updates.

Our aim with GC Remote Working is to gather the relevant remote working information in one place. We are only getting started. Our content is based on available information from all corners of the Government of Canada.

We plan to dive into topics such as security, information and document management, making “smart” use of your smart phone, using alternative tools and an introduction to Microsoft Office 365 and Teams.

Bookmark this page and check back often for more content as the situation evolves.

If you have tips and trick you would like to share, please send us an e-mail.

Information Management and Remote Working

As a Government of Canada teleworker, you might be wondering about your information management responsibilities. What are the rules? Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) has guidelines for managing information of business value when working remotely. No matter where we work, TBS reminds us:

Can’t access your network? Save business information to your approved device and move it to your corporate repository as soon as you can.
Capture videoconference and teleconferencing meeting minutes and decisions.
Consider releasing unclassified information on the open government portal (open.canada.ca).
For questions or further guidance, contact your department or agency’s CIO office or your Information Management team.

Information Management Tips for Using M365 Tenant

Using the GCcollaboration Tenant for M365? Using Teams for the first time and wondering about correct Information Management?

Using M365 and Teams under the GCcollaboration Tenant is meant to support employees during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This temporary tenant is meant for transitory information and is not a tool for storing records of business value. The TBS has guidance for email management that can be equally applied to collaboration documents in Teams.

Emails with information of business value should be transferred to a designated corporate repository (such as GCDOCS) as soon as possible. Examples of emails, messages, and documents of business value may include messages that reference a decision; client communications, message authorizing a business transaction.

Examples of transitory information includes things like copies, meeting invitations, thank you messages, forwarded attachments saved elsewhere and duplicate messages. Transitory messages or documents may be deleted once the information is no longer of use.

GCdocs Offline

Did you know you can work on documents in GCdocs even when you are offline?

You can reserve and download offline versions of items to your computer in advance so you can work with them while you are disconnected from the network. This can be helpful when the network is not accessible.

There are two ways to access GCdocs offline. You can download a copy of a needed document from GC Docs to your computer. Once you are done working on the document, you will download the updated version from your computer back into GCdocs. You can also synchronize your documents through Enterprise Connect on your computer. Check with your Chief Information Officer or Information Management team to find out more.

Topics:

Mental Health

M365

Smartphone

AV Conferencing

Virtual Teams

Information Management

Accessibility

Similar Communities and Forums

Connect here:

Medium: @flexgc.canada
Twitter: @FlexGCinfo
GCcollab: Flex GC group

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Twitter

Community of Practice

We joined in on the May 21st M365 Community of Practice meeting. We invited our friends leading the GC Flex initiative to present on team charters and trusted communications as it relates to remote working. Check out the recording here. Please note that you require a gccollab account for access.

Attributions and Sources

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
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-==Working Remotely: Taking Care of Our Mental Health==
+=='''Information Management and Remote Working'''==
-Remote working used to be about less commuting, balancing your schedule or avoiding office distractions when you needed special concentrate.
-These days, remote working is not an option for many of us, which means a changed work environment –  a more stressful one. Many of us work from desks created in the corners of our homes, with new work tools and need to deal with “coworkers” – our pets, children and roommates – who are now with us through our work day.
-Balancing all this can be a struggle. The good news? There is help available.
+As a Government of Canada teleworker, you might be wondering about your information management responsibilities. What are the rules? Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) has guidelines for managing information of business value when working remotely. No matter where we work, TBS reminds us:
-'''Employee Assistance Program (EAP)'''
+*Can’t access your network? Save business information to your approved device and move it to your corporate repository as soon as you can.
+*Capture videoconference and teleconferencing meeting minutes and decisions.
+*Consider releasing unclassified information on the open government portal (open.canada.ca).
+*For questions or further guidance, contact your department or agency’s CIO office or your Information Management team.
-Through the Government of Canada’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), GC employees have access to completely confidential help provided through a third-party provider in either official language, free of charge.
+[https://www.canada.ca/en/government/publicservice/covid-19/managing-government-information-working-remotely.html You can read more about the TBS guidelines here.]
-Check out your Department or Agency’s EAP for Covid-19 related information on topics ranging from working from home with children and concentration and stress. For more information on how you can access your organization’s EAP services [https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/occupational-health-safety/employee-assistance-services/specialized-organizational-services.html check here] .
+==Information Management Tips for Using M365 Tenant==
-There is also an extensive library of health and wellness resources on [https://canada.lifespeak.com/Account/Login?language=1?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ssccovid19 LifeSpeak], a digital well-being platform, available to those in the GC. It has a section of blog posts related to [https://canada.lifespeak.com/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fcovid-19%2f4855%3fbps%3dblog%26newsletterID%3d11541%26share%3dtrue&bps=blog&newsletterID=11541&share=true?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ssccovid19 COVID-19]  on topics like:
+Using the GCcollaboration Tenant for M365? Using Teams for the first time and wondering about correct Information Management?
-*Helping your kids listen during COVID-19 isolation
+Using M365 and Teams under the GCcollaboration Tenant is meant to support employees during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This temporary tenant is meant for transitory information and is not a tool for storing records of business value. The TBS has [https://www.canada.ca/en/government/system/digital-government/modern-emerging-technologies/information-management/email-management-employees.html guidance for email management] that can be equally applied to collaboration documents in Teams.
-*Staying connected as a couple during COVID-19
-*Social distancing: What it means and how you can manage it
-You can access these through your Department or Agency’s Group Account, where you can create your own account or browse anonymously. The password is “canada”.
+Emails with information of business value should be transferred to a designated corporate repository (such as GCDOCS) as soon as possible.  Examples of emails, messages, and documents of business value may include messages that reference a decision; client communications, message authorizing a business transaction.
-'''Sun Life Financial'''
+Examples of transitory information includes things like copies, meeting invitations, thank you messages, forwarded attachments saved elsewhere and duplicate messages. Transitory messages or documents may be deleted once the information is no longer of use.
-The Government of Canada’s benefits supplier, Sun Life Financial, also offers a '''Mental Health in the Workplace''' series with resources, products and services to help manage mental health issues in your workplace. These resources Include a workplace mental health risk assessment, access to research, resources and videos. You can access it here, in both languages:
+==GCdocs Offline==
-[https://www.sunlife.ca/Canada/sponsor/Group+benefits/Group+benefits+products+&+services/Mental+Health+in+the+workplace?vgnLocale=en_CA Sunlife Mental Health in the Workplace]
-'''Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace'''
+Did you know you can work on documents in GCdocs even when you are offline?
-Chief Human Resources Officer for the Government of Canada has a web portal for GC workers during Covid-19. Start here [https://www.canada.ca/en/government/publicservice/covid-19/protect-mental-health.html Mental Health and Covid-19: Protect Your Mental Health]  for a list of links and many sources of information related to protecting your mental health. You can also follow along on Twitter [https://twitter.com/CEMHW_CESMMT @CEMHW_CESMMT] for regular updates and timely  information.
+You can reserve and download offline versions of items to your computer in advance so you can work with them while you are disconnected from the network. This can be helpful when the network is not accessible.
-During Mental Health Week, there was a live “Power Chat”  Question and Answer event co-organized by the Federal Workplace Well-Being Network and the Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace, in cooperation with the Canada School of Public Service. Expert panelists answered questions on how to maintain social connections while juggling personal responsibilities with professional duties. The event was held in separate English and French sessions. More than 4,000 people registered online. You can watch the event, and others like it,  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04F5Fhy4VUU here].
-'''How are you feeling? Assess Yourself'''
-The Canadian Mental Health Association has a mental health self-assessment tool called the Mental Health Meter that can help you understand the characteristics that make up good mental health.
-[https://cmha.ca/mental-health-meter Mental Health Meter]
-'''Mental Health for Managers'''
-The Canadian School of Public Service hosts job aids to help managers on their GC Campus. There you will find a variety of mental health job aids developed specially for those who manage people. There are 13 different chapters with topics including; Balance, Recognition and Rewards and Workload Management.
-[https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/Tools/jobaids-eng.aspx#mental Mental Health Job Aids]
+There are two ways to access GCdocs offline. You can download a copy of a needed document from GC Docs to your computer. Once you are done working on the document, you will download the updated version from your computer back into GCdocs.  You can also synchronize your documents through Enterprise Connect on your computer. Check with your Chief Information Officer or Information Management team to find out more.
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Difference between revisions of "GC Remote Working/Home"