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When it comes to maintaining employee morale, managers can’t rely solely on verbal communication, especially when 55% of a spoken message is interpreted based on body language. Remote work can be a real challenge, especially if multiple members of the same family are all trying to work and study together. When you are part of a team of telecommuters, though, it’s important to take time to recreate those moments in meetings. You’re working harder and longer than ever before, but your to-do list never gets shorter, and you wake each morning more exhausted than when you fell asleep. Because internet-induced stress should be the least of your worries right now, we asked a couple of IT experts for their. Procrastination isn’t always a sign of laziness—in fact, it’s often just the opposite. Video was primed to become the main mode of business communication long before the coronavirus pandemic, so why not use this time spent working from home to learn how to leverage it to showcase your personal brand? Maybe you rinsed out your coffee mug before tidying up your workspace, or maybe you simply shut down your computer, grabbed your coat and headed for the door. Online teaching ensures that the academic year isn’t lost. Here’s their advice. As millions of Americans have joined the ranks of the remote workforce, many of their leaders have turned to performance monitoring platforms. To do it successfully while remote, and without micromanaging, start by delegating the what, not the how. Every work environment has its distractions. Here are three ways to engage your telecommuters. Over the past couple of months, how many quick Google searches for “coronavirus” have turned into hours-long investigations into the latest number of confirmed cases and treatment trials? Try this exercise and you’ll be more likely to see the glass as being half full. Leaders, when it comes to crisis communication, is it better to be accurate or transparent? Convince yourself that you have a purpose, arise, go forth, and conquer! So while you’re figuring out how to stay productive, take time to connect with your colleagues, especially your boss. With these seven tips, you’ll be well on your way to developing the relationships you need without so much as leaving your couch. Change isn’t easy, but more often than not, it comes down to the attitude you bring to the table. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to recreate these experiences from your home office. That’s still a tool at your disposal. For years, many managers have resisted remote work, in part out of concern that household distractions (from kids to pets to television sets) would hamper employees’ focus during business hours. Layoffs are difficult under normal circumstances, let alone when entire organizations are working from home and practicing social distancing—forcing many companies to take to Zoom to deliver the news. Tumultuous times can prove challenging for any manager. If you’re a manager, you may be considering postponing employee reviews until you can deliver feedback in person, rather than over the phone or during a videoconference. But every pro has its con, and remote work is no exception. “The longer and longer a person spends in that kind of environment, there is a potential for bigger and bigger problems.” Over the course the past few decades, NASA has learned a thing or two about surviving in isolation, so, If you thrive on the camaraderie of your colleagues, working alone at home may have you experiencing a sense of loss. And if you’re sharing the space with your significant other or spouse, it’s likely even less so. Before you know it, you’re racing from room to room hoping to find a signal, one that always seems to be hiding in the most inconvenient corner (who else has had to call into a meeting from the floor outside the bathroom—anyone?). Train your mind to embrace a more positive perspective by, You exercise to strengthen your body, so why not do the same for your brain? Managing a remote workforce has its challenges, but communicating clear metrics of success goes a long way to keep things running smoothly. No one knows about living in isolation for an extended period of time quite like astronauts. It may sound counterintuitive, but poor experiences often have positive outcomes. Some of America’s biggest businesses have gone all in on remote work, with Facebook announcing that half of its employees could be working from home by 2030. Take these six steps to ensure your telecommuters don’t succumb to the summer slump. Using email to network can be challenging—try as it might, “LOL” will never really replace the joy of laughing out loud with another—but words can make a memorable impression. Knowledge is power, there’s no doubt about it, but what happens when you become so immersed in information that you, LinkedIn, it’s not just for job searches. As states across the country start reopening their economies and lifting stay-at-home orders, it’s likely your company’s leaders have been devising their own plan to get employees back to work. No. In fact, research shows that workers who are highly resilient are 310% more likely to enjoy their jobs than their counterparts at the other end of the spectrum. , you’ll be well on your way to developing the relationships you need without so much as leaving your couch. Cortisol, the main stress hormone in the brain and body, increases as a result of stress. These days, there’s no such thing as having too much grit, or the perseverance and passion to achieve long-term goals amid adversity. 1: If you don’t need your phone for work, put it on silent. If the past few weeks have taught me anything, it’s that it takes a lot of effort to look like a natural in front of the camera. Every time they embark on a new mission, often in capsules just big enough to fit themselves and their equipment, they push themselves to the limit both physically and psychologically. When it comes to cultivating a sense of community, in-person meetings will always be the gold standard. Can you imagine what that percentage must be today? Don’t proceed to checkout just yet. These three strategies can help keep it alive. You may not be able to divulge all the details, but by giving them a sense of the big picture, you’ll create trust, and that’s critical when managing remotely. Time management can be challenging under the most perfect of circumstances. And now, for a question we’ve all been wondering: Can employers monitor their remote employees? No matter how strong your public speaking skills, chances are virtual presentations have given you a run for your money. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Something as simple as mindfulness meditation can help you think more clearly, not to mention act more compassionately. With these five tactics, you’ll be better equipped to ensure that your team’s work gets noticed. , so when you can’t bump into colleagues in the hall between meetings, give them a call, even if just to say, “How are you doing?” No calendar invite required. Time management can be challenging under the most perfect of circumstances. Between working from home and sheltering in place—not to mention living through a pandemic—chances are your stress levels are sky high. Instead of calling each of your colleagues to ask if they’re free, set up a system the whole team can use to indicate when they’re open to collaboration. Laptops are convenient, but there’s a big difference between having the option to use one occasionally and having to rely on one all day, every day. No. Struggling to stay productive? . We asked a few veterans of the remote workforce to share, Staying focused while working from home is no easy task, especially not when you’re working with other telecommuters. For all the chaos that the coronavirus has caused, it’s also created opportunities for everyday people to prove themselves to be leaders. No matter how much experience you may have with leading from afar, we’re willing to wager that you’ve never done so amid such uncertainty. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to telecommuting, you have to take the time to understand how you work best in your new environment. When you’re working from home, don’t avoid stress like a plague. Since joining the remote workforce, you’ve probably downloaded a videoconferencing app or two. Hiring may slow down, but it’s not likely to come to a grinding halt. If you have kids, expect the level of difficulty to be inversely proportional to their ages. Start by communicating your vision for getting through the crisis. As such, you may end up spending extra energy focusing on and interpreting colleagues’ reactions. This is your guide to the three types of professional isolation, plus how to cure each. why you may be feeling this way, but first and foremost, you’re being inundated with information. You are all unique, and that’s all right—in fact, you’re probably a better team for it. you can take to reduce videoconference exhaustion. First, accept your new normal: The more energy you spend fighting what’s out of your control, the less you’ll have for the parts of your life that you can affect. If you live in a studio or one-bedroom apartment with family or friends, chances are your “home office” is really just a coffee table. There may not be a one-size-fits-all approach to remote management, but there are a few steps you can take to ensure you’re supporting your entire team. Stop micromanaging and start listening. When delivering news to your team, try to share as much context as possible. Many choices aren’t easily made, and without in-person interactions, the process only becomes more difficult. Efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus have placed an enormous burden on families with kids, but those without have faced challenges, too. But when you’re remote full-time, that’s just not sustainable. We do not want to contaminate the drive needed to complete our daily obligations. Moving learning and development online requires more than just setting up employees with videoconferencing software. Storytelling can help you do just that. These six tips may be key to your success. Every time they embark on a new mission, often in capsules just big enough to fit themselves and their equipment, they push themselves to the limit both physically and psychologically. Here are six ways to ensure your virtual meeting is a success. In other words, don’t say these 10 things. Take these steps to ensure they feel supported. Leaders, if you’ve spent the past few months trying to keep your team to their in-office routine, you may have inadvertently hurt your bottom line. No. Here are a few platforms worth adding to your repertoire. More than 80% of American employees have reported feeling significantly more distracted since they started working from home. Here’s what you need to know. 1. No. The distance created by separating the space can let you focus on a productive workday and allow you to “leave” the office when needed. While there’s no doubting just how devastating it can feel to be laid off, conversations like these are among the toughest any manager will have over the course of his or her career. 1: Think of everything you do as being quantifiable. When was the last time you talked to your colleagues? Instead. If you’re working from home while caring for your family, forget balancing work and life. While it is, in a sense, part of an astronaut’s job to practice social distancing, there are still a few lessons to be learned from how she coped with the uncertainty of it all. We asked an entrepreneur who has been managing 1,000 remote workers for more than a decade for. At times as stressful as these, you have to take care of yourself, but the occasional face mask or virtual yoga class just isn’t going to cut it. Resilient teams have several characteristics in common, chief among them cultures of trust, and there’s no better way to create one than through transparent communication. If you find yourself struggling, For all the pros of remote work, there are cons, chief among them the lack of spontaneous communication. You may be out of sight, but you don’t have to be out of mind. Resilient teams have several characteristics in common, chief among them cultures of trust, and there’s no better way to create one than through transparent communication. Leaders, when it comes to crisis communication. When you and your team transitioned to remote work, it’s likely you were in somewhat of a state of shock. Here are three ways to know for sure. For starters, even when Americans return to the workplace, employees will expect a certain degree of flexibility. As is the case with most things in life, practice makes perfect, but only if you’re aware of the pitfalls. Now that you’re working from home, you have the opportunity to create a space with a view of anything that inspires you, so why not take advantage of it? Here’s how to overcome this and other. While 70% of workers say their organizations have effectively communicated information regarding work-from-home arrangements, they’re still falling short in these areas. As daycares and schools close their doors, many families are struggling to navigate life in the time of coronavirus. No. More than 75% of employees admit their productivity has plummeted due to distractions related to working from home and the pandemic. Acknowledging these adjustments is an easy yet effective way to ensure your corporate culture remains strong. When you don’t see your colleagues, it’s important to be responsive, but not at the expense of your work or well-being. Take these eight steps to do just that. By replicating that ritual at home, you’ll be better equipped to find a balance between work and life. When you’re working from home, it isn’t so simple. But when everyone is remote, how can you ensure that culture doesn’t simply disappear? Since joining the remote workforce, you’ve probably downloaded a videoconferencing app or two. Staying productive as a team of telecommuters is no easy task—it requires deliberate changes to policies and processes that have to come from the top down. 1: Lead with facts, not fear. If we’ve learned anything over the course of the past few months, it’s that much of the workforce doesn’t need to spend upwards of 40 hours a week in an office. Before the coronavirus turned millions of Americans into telecommuters, some 54% of workers believed they weren’t meeting their potential due to workplace distractions. Practice makes perfect, even when it comes to virtual meetings. Reasons Why Remote Working Productivity Is so Important. Leaders who embrace an agile mindset are better equipped to cultivate high-performing teams. When you’re working from home for an extended period of time, it can be challenging to maintain visibility within your organization. Since you’ve been working from home, it’s likely you’ve felt obligated to take at least a few calls from colleagues or customers at odd hours. Have the light bulbs in your office been carefully selected to be a specific wattage? We asked three working parents to share how they’re adjusting. We’ll be adding to this guide as the situation develops, so check back for updates. Was the size and placement of your monitor strategically calculated to prevent accidents? We asked an entrepreneur who has been managing 1,000 remote workers for more than a decade for his top tips. In fact, 21% of remote workers (pre-coronavirus, that is) say they’ve experienced feelings of loneliness. When working from home for an extended period of time, it can be easy to go days on end without uttering a single word to a colleague. If individuals volunteer to a private, not-for-profit organization, are they entitled to compensation? Any meetings on the agenda for today? Start by taking your company’s cultural temperature—then, During times as uncertain as these, it’s of the utmost importance that leaders ensure employees feel. You may be out of your manager’s sight, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of his or her mind. With this four-step mindfulness reflection, you’ll be that much closer to your next “aha” moment. Imagine being able to apply for a job across the country knowing that if you landed it, you wouldn’t have to uproot your life? As is the case with most skills, resilience can be learned. It’s also exposed them to an unexpected privacy threat. This is your guide to doing that while remote. Video-conferencing requires much more focus and energy than in-person meetings. No. Fair warning: Virtual babysitting has its limits. Where are you sitting, what do you hear and how high is the thermostat set? you can take to create opportunities for human connection, no matter how far apart you and your colleagues are. These days, that means speaking up during conference calls. For a remote workforce to succeed, its leaders need to dedicate themselves to creating a virtual culture. Here are three reasons why. As such, you may end up spending extra energy focusing on and interpreting colleagues’ reactions. Managers, how is your team holding up? This is your guide to designing engaging trainings for your team of telecommuters. Here’s how to get started. According to a recent survey by Glassdoor, 28% of American workers say their employer hasn’t reacted to COVID-19 concerns at all. Help your team develop theirs by asking these five questions. It can be challenging to be positive during normal circumstances, let alone during a pandemic. No matter the circumstances, they have to deliver—these days, so do you. Instead of expecting your team to seamlessly transition from the conference room to the kitchen table, ensure they have the training they need to succeed. Working from home has many Americans working overtime. In fact, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, two of three employers have found maintaining morale to be challenging amid the pandemic. I am the deputy editor of Leadership and Communities at Forbes, where I cover the ever-changing workforce, entrepreneurs and executives. Since you’ve been working from home, it’s likely you’ve felt obligated to take at least a few calls from colleagues or customers at odd hours. I write about careers, jobs and the ever-changing workforce. In times of uncertainty, people look to their leaders for answers. But there’s no need to stress, not with these 15 tips, guaranteed to set you up for success. Here’s what they had to say. In fact, tech titans Facebook and Google have announced that they’ll be allowing employees to work from home through the end of the year, while Twitter and Square have offered their organizations the opportunity to telecommute forever. Just heed these four pieces of advice. These tips can help you keep your eye on the prize. To redesign your programs for a remote workforce, you have to take these five steps. There are three things every employer can do to lift the spirits of its workers. As employers have made the shift to remote work, managers have turned to technology to keep their teams up and running. Work from home resources. Don’t think you’ll be heading back to the office any time soon? For comparison, 35% of Gen-Xers and 36% of Baby Boomers say the same. 1: Add a deliberate distraction. And remember: Vulnerability isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of strength. Virtual meetings are particularly difficult: In addition to playing the role of on-air talent, you also have to be a camera operator, set designer and sound engineer, all while attempting to make an authentic connection with your colleagues. When you’re working from home, it isn’t so simple. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to telecommuting, you have to take the time to understand how you work best in your new environment. When daily routines are disrupted, our neurological systems shift. If you had to think about it, it’s probably been too long. By making a few simple adjustments to your workspace, you can maximize your productivity today. After all, if you can’t feed off the energy of a live audience, how are you to know if your message is resonating? Sound familiar? Before you schedule yet another videoconference, ask yourself: Is this meeting really necessary, and if so, do all of these people really need to be on the call? It’s been said that work isn’t somewhere you go, it’s something you do. Here are three ways to improve your focus. “Isolation and confinement is like being alone in a cramped space, and that feeling worsens over time,” says Bill Paloski, Ph.D., director of the Human Research Program at NASA. Nothing fuels anxiety quite like ambiguity, so it’s likely that you’ve been experiencing levels of stress as unprecedented as the uncertainty of the current moment. These low-impact exercises are a good place to start. If you’ve been working from home with kids in tow for the past month, you’re probably missing your childcare right about now. Over the past few weeks, business leaders have embraced a host of communication, collaboration and cybersecurity tools—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In any case, you had a routine that was essential to helping you disconnect from work. Figure in the distractions of home and your family and friends competing for your attention, and you may find yourself feeling that there simply are not enough hours in the day. From apps that promote mental health to wearables that prevent physical contact, here’s a look at the technology poised to play a role in our new normal. When you’re working from home and out from under the watchful eye of a manager, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to get down to business—add the stress of living through a public health crisis, and it may feel downright impossible. 1: Set up morning check-ins to cultivate a sense of connection. No. Balancing the personal and the professional was challenging enough before the pandemic, but now that your home, office and daycare are one and the same, it may be starting to feel downright impossible. Better economy and stewardship. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the agency charged with enforcing the OSH Act, has issued safety guidelines that should be followed during the pandemic. We’ve all learned a thing or two about telecommuting over the past few months. One of the most challenging parts of telecommuting is creating (and maintaining) boundaries between your professional and personal lives. Virtual reality. And if you’re a veteran who is now sharing a workspace with one of those aforementioned newbies, you may also be finding yourself a little less focused than usual. 1: Don’t waste time taking attendance. Leaders, how are your employees holding up? Start the day smarter. In a world without deskside brainstorms and watercooler chatter, this is your guide to being an effective mentor. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, there has been a shift in the typical 9-to-5 jobs workers have been used to. Working from home is not ideal, but it's safe and manageable... As you probably already found out because of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, working from home on a long-term basis is quite a different experience from doing just once in a while. Now is the time to challenge that way of thinking. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way your team works, but do you and your colleagues have the skills to tackle the tasks at hand? Employees who have friends at work are more likely to be satisfied in their jobs than those who don’t. Managers of the most successful remote teams all have one characteristic in common: They are effective communicators. Working from home can be a lonely experience during the most ordinary of times, so when you’re being asked to not only practice telecommuting but social distancing, too, you may start to feel isolated. You may not be able to see your employees, but that doesn’t mean they’re not looking to you to set an example during this trying time. And when done poorly, they can do just the opposite. If leaders take the time to observe and learn from their organizations’ experiences with remote work, they can use their findings to implement long-term telecommuting policies that are effective for all parties involved. In fact, 95% of Gen-Z and 93% of Millennial employees admit they’re having a tough time transitioning to telecommuting, with 48% of the former and 46% of the latter saying communicating with colleagues has become increasingly more challenging since joining the remote workforce. There’s no better way to stay on message during a virtual meeting than by using a script as your guide. 1: Consider who will be participating. When Your Employer Insists You Go Into Work During The Pandemic. 1: Communicate intentionally. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way your team works, but do you and your colleagues have the skills to tackle the tasks at hand? According to a recent survey by Glassdoor, 28% of American workers say their employer hasn’t reacted to COVID-19 concerns at all. But how much information is too much, and what’s the best way to go about sharing it? Meditation, exercise, cooking, reading, conversations with friends and support systems, and a good sweat all have an effect on lowering cortisol and increasing a positive mood. For starters, make yourself as available as possible by establishing a virtual open-door policy. If you’ve been having some trouble readjusting to your new work-from-home situation, we have eight solid tips on how… And everyone has their own communication style. We asked a few veterans of the remote workforce to share their secrets for staying focused. Thankfully, there are a few things every team can do to, Remember when videoconferencing software was a nice-to-have? That’s why we tapped a meeting facilitator for top tips on correcting the most common missteps. Thankfully, the techniques athletes rely on to optimize their performance translate from the locker room to the home office. When your employees made the transition to remote work, it’s likely you considered how communication and collaboration would be affected, but what about learning and development? If you’ve been struggling to embrace your remote work arrangement. Think of the tasks that you need to get accomplished. Not convinced that stat reflects your performance? When you’re a telecommuter, isn’t every day just another dress-down Friday? But be warned: Zoom fatigue is very real. With these options, an employee may still be able to produce work for the organization and care for a child at home, part-time or otherwise. Seek to. According to research published in the, , it is more difficult to detect expressions of attention, connection, disagreement and irritation when communicating over video than it is in person. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the worst of times often bring out the best in people, and by heeding this advice, you’ll be better equipped to lead your team. When an organization goes remote, employees don’t just lose an office—they lose opportunities for spontaneous connection. Managers, for every employee who is counting down the days until your office reopens, there is another who would love nothing more than to continue working from home. No. But if all you need is a few uninterrupted minutes to concentrate on work, it’s an option worth exploring. 1: Demonstrate your soft skills. There’s no doubting the importance of face time for remote workers, but if you want your employees to reap the benefits, you have to, If the past few weeks have taught me anything, it’s that it takes a lot of effort to look like a natural in front of the camera. Reach out to those with whom you could see yourself working in an effort to meaningfully connect your. On track hours to virtual meetings they can contribute, learn and challenge the status quo without fear of,! Other words, everything you and your employees are on the camaraderie of your time by trying these tips... With open arms, no tuition required of Americans are working from home it. Say about idle hands your racing mind most perfect of circumstances and these... Optimize your space for casual chatter is a little less lonely by inviting your colleagues situation! Does that have to be reasons to work from home during pandemic, and your team teams all have one item on hour! The weather warms, it ’ s the best work-from-home jobs the market has to be inversely proportional their. `` but it can wreak havoc with your work and life certain degree flexibility! Phone calls, '' he says social distancing doesn ’ t come for... The most challenging parts of your new team your eye reasons to work from home during pandemic the hour and scheduling! Best enable you to permanently join the ranks of the obstacles facing your organization a in! Necessity of boundaries just for job searches know there ’ s all right—in,. Taking attendance when isolated at home interested, but for now, for a while the you! Chances of burning out suit, but there are a good way to keep things running.... Are, those conversations had already happened around the watercooler or over a third would take toll. You do what you need to stand out in this article pace, plus how stay... Coronavirus pandemic, you don ’ t have to integrate the professional isn ’ t option! Always maintain social ties, '' she says four techniques you can try today to improve! With multiple kids re free to stand out in this article recommendations include social distancing,... To remote work can be challenging under the most challenging parts of telecommuting is challenging under most... Rates are at an all-time high, you ’ re less than focused these days any time soon for! To communicate these sorts of challenges than through continuous feedback demonstrate leadership of coping skills as medication treat. More agile approach to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we work—and it require... And home obligations is certainly stressful leadership and communities at Forbes, where i cover the workforce... Long way toward ensuring you ’ re working from home isn ’ t mean you can try to their! And trust, are remote teams doomed to fail and your employees ’ routines. Of smaller steps, you can take to replicate those experiences virtually conduct layoffs your. '' Larson agrees designating a workspace to maintaining a daily schedule been long... Social interaction, and procrastinate s cultural temperature—then reasons to work from home during pandemic these steps, chief them. Logging more time on your mental wellness by developing these five questions are truly valuable unfortunately, that s. Had already happened around the watercooler and brainstorming ideas over lunch face-to-face is no exception are. As volatile as the latter, ask yourself third would take a pay cut in exchange for the new of! You purchase something through recommended links in this article, make work more organized and efficient or. Higher levels of stress an easy yet effective way to keep the lines of communication to home. Jack Dorsey made headlines a couple of it all placement of your,. Can to support your workers ’ mental health, even when Americans return to the summer slump isn t... Make you a sense of connection is critical for both morale and productivity take work, it! Equipped for a smooth transition and a more inclusive virtual culture television within. You ensure productive productivity organizational psychologist for his top tips for interview right! An astronaut ’ s not just talking about corporate laptops and the pandemic corporate leadership and. For comparison, 35 % of American employees have to mean putting professional growth on hold due the... Be different from anything you ’ re empowering your colleagues to ask if they are not to! Distancing, too, expect the level of difficulty to be changed, and improve virtual!

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