COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruption to daily life. Get ahead with new mindsets and lessons learned during this year’s annual 2020 Get There Challenge, running through Oct. 18. New this year, build professional skills and healthy habits by unlocking online achievements—many that can be done from home—to earn badges and win weekly and grand prizes.
Anyone age 18 or older who lives and/or works in Oregon can join the Get There Challenge at any time, through October 18, by visiting GetThereOregon.org.
“We’re now rethinking how work and business get done. One of the notable standouts is remote work with hybridized operations becoming more a standard practice,” said Stephanie Millar, Get There program manager at the Oregon Department of Transportation. “The question is now how to do remote work better. Greater proficiency and adoption longer-term (post distancing) can reduce draining daily commute trips and help lessen traffic congestion.”
Millar added, “Many remote workers and businesses are still on a learning curve and could be using better practices and tools to realize greater efficiency. Among the challenges are home office WiFi optimization and security. Get There and our experts can help.”
Get There is partnering with Comcast Business during this year’s Challenge as its top presenting sponsor to build awareness around how to maximize remote work performance. Included as part of the Get There Challenge is a WiFi optimization achievement, sponsored by Comcast Business, to help improve home office connectivity and productivity.
“Getting the strongest WiFi signal in your home is important as slow speeds can lower your work efficiency and overall productivity. Remote work—especially with kids doing school from home—can put a lot of demand on your home WiFi,” said Tom Hoesing, Director of Sales Engineering at Comcast Business—Oregon/SW Washington. “Video conferencing, accessing private network systems, and using cloud applications and digital tools all require reliable and fast WiFi.”
Hoesing noted that the Get There Challenge WiFi achievement equips participants with simple tips for how to get the most out of their home systems, such as optimal router or gateway placement, updating devices, and using WiFi extenders to eliminate dead zones (one of the weekly prizes sponsored by Comcast Business).
Between Oct. 5-18, the Get There Challenge offers 20 different remote work and transportation options achievements participants can unlock online at GetThereOregon.org to earn badges and points toward weekly and grand prize drawings. Achievements include optimizing your home WiFi, sharpening bike maintenance skills, joining scavenger hunts, and logging remote work/telework days and trips made by bike, foot, transit, carpool, and vanpool.
Weekly prizes include home WiFi extenders, Hydro Flasks, Dutch Bros coffee, gear from Showers Pass, and Fred Meyer, Café Yumm, Oregon E-Bikes, and Ruffwear gift cards. Plus, one grand prize winner will receive a $500 cash card.
The Get There Challenge is sponsored by Comcast Business, RideAmigos, Scoop, Oregon E-Bikes, Ruffwear, Showers Pass, Black Star Bags, Enterprise, and the Transportation Options Group of Oregon. The Challenge is powered by Get There, a trip planning and carpool matching tool. Get There is a program of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).