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Tips in Setting Up A Work From Home Office

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Working from home sounds awesome until you quickly realize you have a lot you need to accomplish and no one hovering over your shoulder to make sure you meet a deadline. It requires a lot of discipline, a schedule and focus. Our world is changing before our eyes and many of us are now finding working from home is not only something we want, but something we have to do to stay safe as a community and country. This is why it’s important to set up the perfect work from home office to suit our needs.

Here are five ways to help you work from home successfully:

SET UP A HOME OFFICE

I know many of us don’t have the luxury of having a home office. This because plenty of us spend the majority of the time in the workplace with our colleagues. Regardless of whether you’re in a small urban studio apartment or in a multiple-bedroom home with your family, it’s important to dedicate a space to working. This can be your kitchen island, a seat at your dining table or perhaps set up a temporary desk and chair in the corner of a room. It’s important to designate a proper space as your work from home office. This not only helps get you into a mindset to be productive and work when you get there but separates your living space from your workspace. Having boundaries and separation will be key.

CREATE A SCHEDULE

It may seem intuitive to handle tasks as they come in or tackle obstacles as they come to you, but creating a schedule will keep you on track. I use Google Calendar in the weekly view and schedule literally every minute of my working date. I recommend color-coding tasks, such as using red for emails, purple for calls and whatever floats your boat. GCal also makes it easy to invite others and you can use Hangouts for calls.

Don’t be afraid of taking lunch, taking your dog on a walk or doing the dishes while you’re working from home. Just because you set up your work from home office doesn’t mean you have to stay there until your work hours are over. Trust me, breaks are not only okay but recommended. Take a stretch. Keep your eyes from being fatigued by looking at something 20 feet away every 20 minutes or so. Chances are you’ll come back refreshed and ready to keep working. Plus, you probably “waste” more time at work grabbing coffee, chatting with coworkers, etc.

DON’T TAKE FEEDBACK TOO PERSONALLY

Getting feedback via emails, slack or any other virtual way can be hard because tone isn’t easily communicated. If someone responds, “thanks” it doesn’t necessarily mean they are being rude. They might be busy, juggling a few other tasks or currently taking a call. The response in real life might be more along the lines of, “Thanks! This is awesome!” but it can be hard to tell, so don’t take anything too personally.

EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE

Just because you don’t see your colleagues in real life, doesn’t mean you can skip saying thank you. If you get great work from someone, or they go out of their way to handle a task for you, say thank you and make sure they know you appreciate them. Whether it’s an enthusiastic email where you CC all those involved so that person feels good about themselves or you send them a giftcard for a local restaurant to get takeout, try and do something nice.

GET READY & GET DRESSED

I’m a firm believer when you get up and get dressed, you get in a different mindset. Just like you would get ready for the workplace in an office setting, you should do the same even when you are just working from your work from home office. I won’t lie, there are definitely days I don’t put on makeup and don’t get dressed and am still productive. However, getting ready always makes me feel confident and ready. I’m not saying you have to put on a suit and blazer. But, ensure to change out of the clothes you slept in. If you are doing video conference calls, I highly recommend completely getting dressed and not just wearing a nice top with sweatpants. You never know when you might need to stand up and I wouldn’t want my colleagues to know I only cared enough to get halfway dressed.

SOURCE: Color & Chic

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Homeschooling Resources for Distance Learning

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The last few months have seen some extraordinary changes to our daily lives as a result of COVID-19, and one of the largest changes has been the closing of schools, and the unknowns as we look towards the new school year. Most families are not prepared to suddenly start homeschooling their school-aged children, and in the midst of all the other enormous changes during this situation, this poses a large challenge for parents and childcare providers. We wanted to collect some excellent homeschooling resources to mitigate some of this chaos and to offer a bit of direction for folks to jump right into homeschooling with confidence.

For those that have directives from their kids’ school districts as far as curriculum, of course, we recommend adhering to that and using this guide to supplement the existing education plan during this time period. For those who don’t have a specific curriculum to follow from their school districts, we hope that these homeschooling resources will help you to establish a daily learning routine for your kids that will be fun, dynamic, and age-appropriate. Keep reading to check out some wonderful resources for home-learning!

Scholastic Learn At Home

Scholastic has just released the first five days of what will soon be a 20-day curriculum plan with interactive options for children from grades kindergarten to 6+. The lessons are exciting and fun, with lots of great graphics and rich content. “The courses provide approximately three hours of learning per day, including writing and research projects, virtual field trips, and geography challenges. The website is accessible on any device that has the internet and no sign up is required. It will remain free and open indefinitely, Scholastic said.”

The Learning Network via The New York Times

Students Can Respond to Daily Writing Prompts, Inspired by The New York Times, at home. Each week The Learning Network offers a dozen homeschooling resources for students to practice reading, writing, and thinking using Times journalism. The Learning Network offers a dozen new writing prompts each week, all based on Times articles, photographs, illustrations, videos, and graphs, about a wide array of issues, including internet memes, vegetarianism, the #MeToo movement, racism, slumber parties, and good habits. All of these activities are completely free for everyone.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy offers free online lessons and interactive exercises on just about every possible topic. These lessons can be a great resource for students and parents, whether you work through an entire subject, or just supplement with videos to get help with a tricky math challenge or other subjects. Students practice at their own pace, first filling in gaps in their understanding and then accelerating their learning. Created by experts, Khan Academy’s library of trusted, standards-aligned practice and lessons covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more. It’s all free for learners, parents, and teachers.

NASA For Students

The NASA website for students includes a great free catalog of articles, activities, videos, and games for students in grades K–12 on topics related to STEM, aeronautics, and space exploration.

TED-Ed

Browse hundreds of TED-Ed animations – short, award-winning videos that will spark the curiosity of your learners. You’ll also find thousands of other video-based lessons organized by the subjects you teach. Create customized lessons and add interactive questions, discussion topics and more to your favorite TED-Ed Animations, TED talks or any video on YouTube. Easily share lessons with your students and track the results.

Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital curriculum resources for K–12 classrooms worldwide. They are the home to award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, and the largest professional development community of its kind. Discovery Education supports K–12 teachers and students with award-winning curricular homeschooling resources and dynamic professional development.

ABCmouse Early Learning Academy

This comprehensive program covers a wide variety of subjects for students aged 2-8 (Pre-K through second grade). It offers more than 850 self-guided lessons across 10 levels. A companion program focuses on teaching English as a second language for this age group. ABCmouse for Teachers and ABCmouse for Schools are always free for all schools and teachers in the U.S. In another country? Contact them here to see what they offer if you’re closed due to COVID-19/coronavirus.

Adventure Academy

This MMO game gives kids something other online learning resources may lack: a sense of community. Students up to age 13 play games to learn across a range of topics (math, reading, social studies, science, and more), while also creating their own online persona and interacting with others in the game. In addition to their usual 30-day free trial, Age of Learning is offering Adventure Academy free to schools closed due to the outbreak. Contact them here for more information.

BrainPOP

BrainPop offers in-depth learning on topics across the curriculum for upper elementary and middle school students. Each topic includes videos, quizzes, related reading, and even coding activities. Teachers have access to planning and tracking resources too. They also offer BrainPop Jr., specially designed for younger kids. All schools get free access to their COVID-19/coronavirus homeschooling resources for talking to students about the topic. Any school closed due to the outbreak can receive free unlimited use of BrainPOP during their closure. Contact them here.

Breakout EDU

Breakout EDU uses online games to bring the fun of escape rooms to learning across the elementary curriculum. They’ve put together a list of free online games kids can play at home. Click here to see them.

EdHelper

EdHelper is an online service that provides printable worksheets to teachers and homeschooling parents. It is providing daily free workbook pages for grades K-6. Click to see the offering today!

Elementari

Turn writing assignments into something amazing with the illustrations, animations, and sound effects available. Kids can even write their own choose-your-own-adventure story! Schools affected by COVID-19/coronavirus can get free access until May 2020 or the school reopens. Contact them here.

Freckle

These online learning resources for younger students are easily differentiated for students of different ability levels. Adaptive math and ELA courses are always available for free for teachers and students. Sign up here.

iCompute

This program is designed to teach elementary-aged kids the computer skills they need. It’s specifically aligned with learning standards in the UK, but the skills apply to students everywhere. iCompute is offering free access to its programs for schools anywhere that are closed due to COVID-19/coronavirus. Contact them here.

Kids Discover Online

This library of science and social studies articles allows differentiation by reading level, so you can use these articles for various age and skill levels. Schools and districts closed due to the outbreak can request free unlimited access to Kids Discover Online here.

Legends of Learning

Legends of Learning offers 2,000 3rd through 8th-grade games and simulations correlated to state standards. Using their various assignment options, teachers can create custom playlists, or have a playlist built for them with a top-rated game. The basic Legends of Learning site is always free. They are offering free access to all premium features for schools closed due to the outbreak for the duration of their closure.

MobyMax

This popular differentiated learning site provides instruction across a wide array of elementary subjects. Teachers and districts can receive online training on effectively using the site. All K-8 schools closed due to COVID-19/coronavirus can receive free access to a comprehensive curriculum through MobyMax. Learn more here.

Mystery Science

Mystery Science offers digital video mini-lessons for science subjects K-5. It is always free, but they’ve put together a special list of lessons grade-by-grade that are perfect for tackling remotely. Find it here.

Newsela

Authentic news content turned into learning materials that are classroom-ready. Newsela has put together homeschooling resources for teachers to prepare for distance learning.

PebbleGo

PebbleGo offers safe, interactive online research resources on topics selected by their teachers for students K-3. Schools can get free access to PebbleGo during closures. Learn more here.

Prodigy

Get game-based learning in math for kids from first to eighth grade. The site offers lots of how-to articles to make your distance learning effective and fun. The basic Prodigy site is always free. Sign up here.

Purple Mash

This British company’s site hosts games and creative learning opportunities for elementary level math, spelling, and writing. Teachers can set daily tasks for students, create a blog, and find other ways to communicate. Purple Mash is offering free access for schools closed due to the outbreak for the duration of their closure. Find out more about using Purple Mash When School is Closed.

ReadingIQ

ReadingIQ is a comprehensive digital library offering books, magazines, comics, and more for kids from ages 2-12. It’s a smart replacement for library time right now and makes it possible for teachers to monitor what and how much their students are reading. Age of Learning is offering ReadingIQ free to schools closed due to the outbreak. Contact them here for more information.

Tynker

Tynker offers a complete online computer coding curriculum for students K-8. Teachers can get free lessons, projects, and more on the site. Schools impacted by COVID-19/coronavirus can get free access to Tynker’s complete curriculum, including online professional development courses for teachers. Learn more here.

Virtual Field Trips

They specialize in K-8 social studies, life science, geography, and ancient civilization curriculum content. Their website has online learning videos and quizzes along with a list of the national and state Standards that the videos align with. Teachers can send an email through the Contact Us form on the website (or email info@virtualfieldtrips.net) to request access. They are currently offering 60-day memberships and will extend if necessary.

Vooks

Missing storytime already? Vooks is a kid-safe online streaming library of read-aloud animated storybooks. Vooks is offering a free one-year membership to all teachers. Find out more here.

Xtra Math

A nonprofit organization dedicated to math achievement for all with activities for achieving math fact proficiency. Membership is always free for their homeschooling resources!

We hope this list of resources proves useful during this difficult time. Likewise, we look forward to getting through this together.

SOURCE: Adventure Nannies

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Wage Considerations for Remote Workers

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It’s important to keep in mind that when having a nonexempt employee work remotely, your obligations under California’s wage and hour laws remain the same. As such, you need to ensure you have measures in place to maintain accurate records of the employees’ hours worked. Now that more employees becoming remote workers due to the pandemic, it is necessary to discuss their wage considerations.

It is necessary to accurately track all hours worked by your nonexempt remote employees. In addition, employees should take required meal and rest breaks, get paid for any overtime hours and do not engage in “off-the-clock” work (there is no such thing in California).

Establishing a remote work/telecommuting policy is a great way to communicate your expectations to your remote employees. This is particularly true when it comes to keeping an accurate record of their hours worked. These include overtime, as well as taking their appropriate meal and rest breaks.

In addition to having a telecommuting policy, you may choose to have your remote employees sign a telecommuting agreement. Here, they can acknowledge their work schedule and other parameters within the telecommuting policy itself, such as whether they need approval to work overtime.

Accurate Timekeeping

Many employers already use some type of software that allows them to accurately record hours worked by an employee.

Make sure your remote employees have access to your software or timekeeping system on their remote devices. With this, you can accurately track and monitor your remote employees’ daily and weekly hours worked.

Meal and Rest Breaks

In California, nonexempt employees’ uninterrupted meal break of at least 30 minutes must begin no later than 4 hours and 59 minutes into their shift. Additionally, a nonexempt employee whose total daily work time is at least 3.5 hours should take a rest break of at least 10 “net” minutes for every four hours worked, or “major fraction thereof.”

There are challenges to monitoring breaks, since remote employees aren’t supervised in the same way that an on-site employee is. In addition to having your standard meal and rest break policy to combat the challenges, employees must take their uninterrupted, off-duty meal and rest breaks.

Overtime

Aside from ensuring that remote employees take their meal and breaks, you also need to track for overtime hours worked.

As a reminder, California law requires all overtime hours to be paid (1.5 times the employee’s regular rate of pay for all hours worked beyond 8 hours in a workday or 40 hours in a work week), even if that time was not approved.

You must have a clearly written telecommuting policy and agreement in place to manage the work schedule of your remote workers and expectations regarding overtime wage considerations.

Business Expenses Reimbursements

Employers must reimburse employees for all “necessary expenditures or losses incurred” in the performance of their job. (Labor Code Section 2802). This could include an employee’s personal cell phone, computer equipment, or supplies required for a remote employee to work.

A clearly written telecommuting policy can help establish guidelines surrounding which expenses are reimbursable. It is also necessary to provide a method for employees to submit for reimbursement. Another approach might be to provide all necessary equipment for a remote worker, such as computers/laptops, printers and a phone. These could eliminate or reduce an employee’s need to use personal devices.

SOURCE: HR Watchdog by California Chamber of Commerce

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A Comprehensive Guide To Tipping Your Housekeeper

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Hiring a professional maid service can be a great way to keep your home looking its best. At the same time, it can save yourself the time and hassle of cleaning on your own. As with many services, however, one of the most common questions people have is in regards to tipping. Should you tip a house cleaner? If so, how much? While there are no cut-and-dry answers to these questions, there are some general etiquette tips and considerations that can be kept in mind when deciding on tipping your housekeeper.

Should You Tip Your Housekeeper?

It’s rare to see a house cleaning service that requires tips, though some may build tipping into their standard rates. If this is the case, this should be clearly outlined to you in your service contract so that you don’t feel the need to tip any additional money. These days, cleaning services have begun to pay their cleaners a higher wage to forego the pressure in tipping. Again, this is where knowing the policies of your cleaning company can be informative.

Another thing to keep in mind when making decisions in tipping your housekeeper is when they are the company owner. Generally, company owners do not expect tips because they’re able to more-or-less set their own rates and wages. An employee of a cleaning company, on the other hand, may rely on tips to make a living wage.

If in doubt, it’s never a bad idea to tip your house cleaner—especially if he or she has gone above and beyond your expectations to provide exceptional service. Some cleaning companies don’t allow their cleaners to accept tips—but if this is the case, your cleaner will politely decline.

Cash Tip or Something Else?

Cash is king! However, If you want to show your house cleaner some appreciation but don’t feel comfortable tipping in cash, keep in mind that there are other options as well. Instead of tipping cash, you might consider gifting your house cleaner with a gift card to a local coffee shop or restaurant that you know he or she frequents. You can also consider gifts like a nice bottle of wine or even something handmade to show your appreciation.

Tipping Your Housekeeper: When To Tip and How Much

Some other common questions people tend to have about tipping housekeepers is how frequently they should tip and how much. This will really depend on your specific circumstances and the frequency of services provided. If you hire a professional cleaner for a one-time service, for example, you can either forego tipping altogether or offer a one-time tip.

Things can get a little more complicated, however, when you have a recurring cleaning service. Your cleaner probably won’t expect to receive a tip every single week that he or she comes to clean your place. Instead of tipping a small amount at each cleaning, you might consider tipping your housekeeper with a slightly larger tip once every month or even once every few months.

The exception here would be if you have a different cleaner with each service. You wouldn’t want one cleaner to reap the entire tip for a month’s worth of weekly cleaning services if there were other professional cleaners who came in throughout the month. In this case, it may actually be better to offer a small tip with each weekly cleaning instead of tipping a larger amount once a month.

So, how much of a tip should you leave? Generally, it’s good to follow the same tipping etiquette here as you would with a hair stylist, taxi driver, or similar service. A tip of 15-20% is considered industry standard, so if your house cleaning services are $100, then a $10-$15 tip would be greatly appreciated. If you have more than one cleaner coming to your home, it is completely acceptable to split the tip between both cleaners; you are by no means expected to tip them each $10-$15, though if you received truly exceptional service, you might consider doing so.

Other Housekeeping Service Tipping Considerations

Another consideration to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to tip is the state of your home when your house cleaner comes in. If you know that your home hasn’t been cleaned in a while and that you have an especially difficult project, such as a dirty bathroom or filthy kitchen, then you may want to consider tipping your housekeeper even if you wouldn’t other normal circumstances.

If you’ve hired a professional cleaner through an agency, it’s never a bad idea to contact the agency directly and ask for guidance on tipping. Some larger companies may rely on tipping customers to provide their cleaners with living wage, whereas others pay their cleaners a living wage that doesn’t count on tips. This can vary greatly from one city or region to the next, so reaching out can help you get a better idea of what other clients have done and how much they have tipped.

The Bottom Line On Housekeeper Tipping

Generally, tipping is not expected or required when it comes to house cleaning services. It is always nice to show your appreciation, however, if you have a house cleaner who does a great job or if you know your house cleaner’s living wage relies on gratuity. Tipping your house cleaner with each service is perfectly acceptable, though some people who have a regular house cleaner may prefer to issue a monthly tip or even a large year-end “bonus” of sorts, which can come in handy around the holiday season.

If you choose to tip, 15-20% of your total service is generally a good amount to go with—but you may consider more or less depending on your specific circumstances.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to tip your house cleaner is entirely yours. Your house cleaner isn’t likely to do a poor job of cleaning your home if you don’t tip every time. Likewise, many cleaners won’t even expect a tip. But like many other positions in the service industry, it is nice to be recognized for a great job with a cash tip or other form of gratuity, such as a gift card or other token of appreciation.

SOURCE: Maid Sailors

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Ensuring Success for Your Newly-Hired Nanny

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You did it! You took the plunge and hired your first nanny. And while I am sure this feels like a huge accomplishment (which, by the way, it is), you are also probably feeling ALL the feels of having a newly-hired nanny. 

Feeling all sorts of emotions when adding a new caregiver to your team is totally natural. Take a deep breath, you’ve got this. Just as you are feeling all sorts of emotions… your new nanny is feeling them, too. Learning the rhythm of your unique family and home, getting to know your (and your partner’s) personality and how to best support you, bonding with your kiddos, learning the lay of your home, your route to school, local grocery store, kids’ activities locations, and more. It’s a lot.

Now, I know all the mamas out there will know exactly what I mean when I say “nanny nesting.” Remember parents, your home is your nanny’s office. Getting to know their new workspace and getting into a rhythm that is both efficient and comfortable are so important to your newly-hired nanny in being the best nanny they can be. 

Here are the top five things can help your newly-hired nanny feel set up to win when starting at a new job (after signing a contract and squaring away taxes). Perhaps they will be of some inspiration for you!

Here goes:

Choose a great calendar / planner / app

In a healthy nanny/employer relationship,communication is vital! Having a calendar in place where you can write out the children’s appointments, playdates, days off school, etc. will help your nanny plan out their schedule with the children more efficiently. It is also a great place to keep emergency contacts and disaster plans, log hours, and write notes back and forth to each other in the mornings and evenings. I have had mom-and-dad-bosses who prefer pen and paper and others who enjoy getting updates throughout the day via an app. Either are great with me as long as a form of communication/schedule organization is set in place.

Give them a designated cupboard or space

A nanny loves to be creative with her charges. Whether that means finding age-appropriate sensory play activities for baby or putting together a holiday craft calendar for a school-aged child, incorporating creativity and color into my charge’s day is very important. Of course, as most of us know, these things take up room. This is why I always ask for my own cupboard or space when starting as a newly-hired nanny. A place in the home that I can fill up with popsicle sticks, cotton balls, finger paints, pipe cleaners, and all other the other magical things I may need while on the clock. 

Let them create a nanny Amazon wishlist

When I start with a new nanny-family, I like to take inventory of the child-related things and craft supplies they already have. Also, please note, just because your nanny creates a wishlist doesn’t mean you are obligated to buy everything (or anything) on it. It simply gives you some insight into things that would be useful to her while caring for your children while you are at work. You also may learn about new products that you weren’t aware of yet or have some fun inspiration for family time! Win win.

Let them pick some snacks / meals to have in the house

Since nannies typically work long hours, it can actually be really difficult for them to always be able to meal plan—and with sleeping babies and such, going out is not always an option. It is such an awesome gesture to let them pick out some snacks and meals they enjoy having around so they feel at home. 

Set up a petty cash system

Leaving petty cash or a form of payment for your nanny so they are not paying out-of-pocket for nanny- or child-related expenses is so important. Have your nanny leave all receipts and change in the envelope and balance the petty cash for her each week (or biweekly/monthly… whatever you agree on). You can also have prepaid Visa gift cards or company credit cards if your nanny runs regular errands for you or is helping in a household manager role. All of these are great options depending on what your family needs are. Please refrain from asking your nanny to make purchases for your family with her personal money. You never know how their financial situation is, and if this just so happens to be the week that paying for your groceries upfront could break them. 

I hope that some of these things were helpful to you as you are preparing for your new nanny, or simply trying to show your appreciation to your current nanny. When a nanny is appreciated, trusted, and respected—I swear they channel real life nanny magic and perform at a much higher capacity. When you set your nanny up to win, you are setting everyone up to win. Your children and home will reap the rewards!

SOURCE: The Nannyhood

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How To Keep Your Employees Productive While Working From Home

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With companies all over the U.S. and the world mandating or encouraging remote work, here are ways on how to keep your employees productive, and getting the critical work done.

There’s no doubt coronavirus (COVID-19) has drastically changed the business landscape in 2020, with more businesses than ever encouraging or requiring employees to work from home. However, many workers and managers are still trying to adjust to this paradigm shift.

Working from home means more distractions, and fewer ways to interact naturally with fellow employees. To overcome these challenges, employers should explore new ways to manage and collaborate with employees. And at the same time, enable more ways for employees to connect with each other.

Here are six ways on how to keep your employees productive while they are working from home or in the field.

Equip your team with tech and productivity tools

First and foremost, one of the most important ways to help teams succeed while working remotely is to get them tools to help them stay connected and productive. These include project management tracking apps such as Asana and Airtable, chat/messaging apps such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, and video conferencing apps such as Zoom and Google Hangouts.

Equipping teams with these new technologies allows managers and employees all stay on the same page no matter where they are working from. Whether it’s from home or waiting in a long line at the grocery store. These new apps might also help keep your team more productive and connected after COVID-19 fears lessen and people go back to work.

Establish daily check-ins

With managers no longer getting daily face time with employees and employees not being able to chat around the proverbial water cooler, creating a daily check-in routine is an important way to set priorities and foster connections. A morning check-in via video chat, phone call or instant message can create a sense of normalcy. These check-ins can be one-on-one or held among small groups.

The tech and productivity tools mentioned above can be vital for revamping regular check-ins. If you previously held a daily all-hands meeting in-person, you may want to use a video conferencing app now instead. Revamped meetings that adapt specifically to remote workers can help you maintain productivity.

Encourage dedicated workspaces

Many regular office workers have never needed dedicated workspace in their homes. But if they are now working from home, managers should encourage the creation of home offices separate from communal space. In some cases, companies have even offered large stipends to help workers create appropriate, productive spaces for remote work.

Dedicated workspaces can help free employees from the normal distractions from home life. With many parents needing to be at home with their children due to school closures, an office away from family can allow you to maintain focus and stay on task. Even if this office is a temporary makeshift space — such as a guest room, basement, attic or walk-in closet — this can help you mentally separate work from home.

Provide emotional and steady support

As working from home can contribute to loneliness and negative emotions, employers should do what they can to provide emotional support to employees. Leaders should set the tone for their virtual offices with a calm and upbeat presence. This will help create a level-headed workplace where people can still get things done.

In a fully remote work setup, managers should also be more available than usual for check-ins. Same is true for other questions that may come up given the unfamiliar circumstances. Set virtual office hours and be present on instant messaging apps throughout the day to help employees be productive.

Leaders should additionally encourage self-care among their employees. Everyone is mentally trying to adapt to remote work, the stress of new environments and the stress of daily updates around COVID-19. Managers should advocate for remote employees to exerciseg. They should also get quality sleep, take showers, and continue on with lives as normally as they can.

Dress for success

While it may not sound important to be dressed for business while working from home, psychologically it does help many workers to not be wearing sweatpants and pajamas while trying to be productive. Dressing up for yourself can also mentally help you feel better. This will make it easier to focus on checking important tasks off your list. Dressing appropriately also allows employees to feel comfortable hopping on an impromptu video call with clients or coworkers. Likewise, it is a good way on keeping your employees productive.

Don’t forget about non-work interactions and team building

Finally, one thing that may not be obvious to managers is the importance of facilitating non-work interactions among remote workers. Creating time and space to talk about news, hobbies, and other topics helps them relieve stress and feel better connected. One way is to leave a few minutes before and after video conferences for people to catch up. Another is to host a weekly virtual happy hour (drinking not required) or a virtual team-building exercise.

SOURCE: CO by U.S. Chamber of Commerce

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