Chris Howard is used to working from home. The vice president of U.S. public sector at Nutanix has been working remotely for 15 years. But even for Howard, the changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has required some adjustment.
“This is our new life behind the computer screen. There is no opportunity to meet in person right now so it’s an adjustment period,” Howard said in a recent interview. “I’ve working from home for 15 years, but I always had the flexibility to travel and see clients. But this, our new reality for 10 or 12 hours a day and it can be tough to deal with.”
Howard, like many government contractors, are using video teleconferencing systems to keep in touch with his co-workers and industry and agency partners.
“We are doing a lot of virtual lunches and some virtual happy hours just as a way to get people engaged and have a semblance of a team,” he said.
It’s that engagement and ensuring the relationship continues that is something agencies tend to struggle with. But in this age of social distancing, certain agencies are standing out in how they are communicating with vendors and customers alike.
Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2020/04/dod-dhs-setting-the-bar-high-for-vendor-communication/
The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech has established a webpage where all contract-related developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) are summarized. Find the page at: https://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/coronavirus-information-for-contracting-officers-and-contractors/