What working from home means at the WSJ

Wall Street Journal managing editor Karen Pensiero sent out the following message to the staff on Friday:

Folks,

As many of us settle into working from home, now’s a good chance to get on the same page about what, realistically, that entails and how we can best support one another.

While you’re working from home, you should:

– Respond within just a few minutes to a Slack or Google Hangout message from your colleagues. Let your manager know when you are taking a break, conducting an interview, in a meeting, or will otherwise be unavailable for a while.

– Make sure your cell-phone number is readily accessible — in your email signature, in your Slack status, in Workday, etc.

– Keep your phone’s ringer turned on and answer it when it rings. Now is not the time to screen calls.

– Turn on the camera during Google Hangouts, unless it weakens the connection to an unacceptable level.

Basically, because we can’t just walk up to each other’s desks right now, we need to be just as receptive and reachable virtually as we are when we’re in the office.

If you have questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact your manager.