GSEM working from home: Dimitri Konstantas, Professor of Information Systems

How do GSEM members experience lockdown and telework? Today, Dimitri Konstantas, Professor of Information Systems and Director of the Information Science Institute, shares his experience:

How is your work going, remotely?

It is a bit complicated. Having no “private” office space at home, we have to share the living room. It is not easy to separate private life from work. Small home tasks (taking care of the kids, preparing lunch…) interrupt very often the work flow.

It is not simple either to discuss by phone with collaborators critical issues that need a solution.

What has the situation changed for you?

In the positive

• many deadlines (projects, reports...) have been given an extension, so there is a bit more time to prepare and think.
• the work pace changed, to a more relaxed, since many small office problems disappeared (managing equipment of assistants, solving interpersonal problems...).

In the negative

• I found myself working 12 hours per day, in order to reach a clear 8 hours work (too many interruptions)
• too many videoconferences, since many simple issues can no longer solved with direct contact at the coffee or lunch break.

What has been your biggest challenge during the lockdown?

When it came into force, the big challenge was to install the working environment at home, transfer the correct (physical) files and adapt the home environment.

During lockdown: balancing private tasks (giving courses to the kids, following them up) and work.

What are the unforeseen benefits?

Work can be more relaxing and more efficient  if there is an adequate environment at home (a private office space).

What do you miss the most ?

Interaction with collaborators, research project meetings with international collaborators.

What do you like best ?

Some proposals we had made (like giving a fully online course) which until February were finding resistance suddenly were possible even without any preparation ! What I like is that many things that were under discussion and evaluation, and within a 2-year horizon for their application (remote work, online courses, online conferences, etc.) became the standard in 24 hours and everybody is happy. We feel vindicated!

An advice to cope with confinement ?

No advise. It is a very personal approach and each person has different needs. Some are by nature loners, not needing interaction with others, while others are more social, needing the daily interactions. Also, some persons are very cautious in hygiene safety and other are more relaxed. Not being a psychologist I cannot really offer any advice that fits all.

How can you describe this period in a few words?

A revelation period when to way to approach has changed for ever. In six months we might have forgotten all about it. BUT the effects are here to stay.

What will you retain after the lockdown?

That I can work at home when the kids are not around and no-one will complain, that people need to be pushed a bit to accept new things (that will eventually simplify their life).

One final word?

As a technology person having worked a lot with mobile applications and services, what is interesting to see, is how the new app for COVID tracing will be accepted, People do not realize the major change this app will make and the effect it will have to other apps. Google and Apple modified their OS for this app to work, a change that will also affect and will be used by other apps.

I will not explain the technical part (contact me for details if you wish!), but this app and the way it functions reverses years long-established practices on which the mobile phones and services are based.

The automatic exchange of data between two persons that are nearby via Bluetooth, without the authorization of the owner (as it was the case until now) will have a major impact in how future apps are designed and operating. These changes, (for the better or worse) will open the road for the exchange of other types of information, which will be used for new personalized services.

So, a new era might start...

Thank you Dimitri !

This semester, Dimitri teaches Technologies and Architecture for Data and Security of Information Systems. He is the Director of the Information Science Institute.