Exercising Creativity in Remote Working Environments

By Maziar Jafary

Disclaimer: The views are those of the author's alone and do not represent the views of UNA-Canada.

My name is Maziar, and I am currently a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Ottawa, while also working remotely for the Inclusive Quality Education section at the UNESCO-Bangkok office, as a Junior Professional Consultant (JPC) with UNA-Canada. Like many others, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am working remotely. Remote work contains its own opportunities, but it also has its own challenges which require creativity in order for an intern to benefit from their work experience. In this brief post, I will talk about three elements of my own experience as a JPC!

SDG #4 Quality Education

The major challenge of working remotely for a newly admitted intern like me is the lack of enough face-to-face time and oral communication with colleagues. Consequently, it is harder in this remote setting for an intern to get to know how the organization runs and what their role is. In this regard, I have tried to communicate directly with different colleagues as often as possible, and not just with my supervisor, in order to get to know them better, and to find my own place and role in the organization. This also helps me better understand working relations among colleagues and how everything is interconnected. I have also spent time researching the functioning of UNESCO, and its regional offices, which has given me a lot of insight. Though, as I’ve said, colleagues are always there to support, and they are the best guide for interns in their remote working roles.