As companies continue to protect their employees against Covid-19 by instituting social distancing and work from home (WFH) policies, the reality is that it’s not easy to keep that distance and loneliness and depression can creep in. Companies have instituted video conferences via Zoom, Google Groups and other video sources. This is great to keep morale up and keep the communication going but in order to keep your happiness ratio steady, you must stay disciplined and have a positive outlook through this period. Below are some ways that will help you stay positive and deal with the WFH schedule that most of us are under.
1) Specific Office Space It’s important to set aside a specific room that you can still feel is your particular work area during work hours. If you don’t have an extra room, then set aside a specific table or small corner. Design it to make it look like a workstation and set rules that when you are there, you are not to be interrupted. 2) Set a Regular Work Schedule One of the advantages of WFH is that you have a more flexible schedule. However, this does not mean that you should deviate too much from your regular work hours. It’s still important to set work hours so you know that at such and such time, you should be at your desk, dressed and ready for work. Try to dress in a way that you still feel good about being seen in person, especially since you will be on video with your team quite a bit of the time. It is best to stay away from working in pajamas and keep your regular make-up routine so you feel like you are going to work. 3) Eat and Take Breaks Continue your meals on a regular schedule and try not to over-snack. You might be tempted to take frequent breaks for snacks, instead consider taking a break to stretch or take a short walk outside or, if you have stairs in your house, do some stair-stepping. You want to move every 30 minutes and since you can’t go to the gym during this time, consider exercise videos once your work hours end. You can also enjoy a hike in the outdoors where and when allowed. 4) Stay in touch with Friends, Family and Colleagues. Don’t isolate yourself during this time. Your Spirit needs some uplifting and friends, family and colleagues can provide that. Try to keep your conversations positive. You already get too much Covid-19 information from the news. You need some uplifting. Have virtual lunch time with colleagues, share a virtual happy hour with friends and family. 5) Take up a New Hobby During WFH you have a more flexible schedule and are not losing time to travelling to and from work, you can now make time for that hobby you’ve been wanting to take up or to learn something new that you haven’t had the time for. Whenever we learn something new, it creates a sense of joy. Share your new hobby with others. 6) Play Music in the Background Many studies have shown that music can calm the nerves and create joy as well as the opposite depending on the type of music you play. Different music styles affect people differently so choose wisely. Which type of music calms you? Which type creates a sense of joy? Which type makes you more productive during work hours? Music that calms you and makes you more productive are ideal while you work. Have that music playing in the background. We are all working thru an unprecedented situation but we can make the best of this social distancing and working from home by putting a few of these tips to practice. Social distancing does not have to isolate you from the world and you can take advantage of the time by growing your skills and hobbies. At DCAProSearch, we have written many blogs with practical advice that you can start putting to practice while you have the time. As always, we invite you to give us a call to learn more about our Executive Search or Career Coaching Services. As we enter our 25th year of business, we have been here for you during good times and during trying times. History has shown that our nation will come back on top.
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The stark reality is that right now the Covid-19 has affected all our lives in more ways than we could have imagined. Although it may seem like the world around us has stopped turning, our businesses haven’t. Companies and agencies are still expected to turn profit, or at the very least prevent financial loss during this time of economic uncertainty. If we learned anything in the financial crisis of 2008 it’s that the best way to weather an uncertain market is to build a team that can be resourceful and proactive while withstanding any challenge the market may bring.
Ninety percent of business challenges stem from not having the right talent on your team. While we are still at the early stages of this pandemic, make preparations in the structures of your team to make sure you are ready to weather whatever conditions the market may bring. 1) Identify Current Gaps By Taking Inventory of Skills You know your business better than anyone else. Use your expertise of the business to create a list of all the projects, challenges, and assignments your team has worked on over the last 5 years and the actions you had to take to create a solution. Next, expand that list to include all the skills needed to fulfill those actions. This will give you a shopping list of skills that you can anticipate will be needed over the next few years. Cross reference this list of needed skills with a list of skills your employees currently possess and assign who on your team can fulfill each skill. Any skill that remains un-assigned is a skill gap on your team, and that can create financial stress during a recession if that skill remains vacant. Congregate this list of un-met skills into one or two specially designed roles that will allow your team to fulfill any need regardless of market conditions. 2) Expand Verified Vendors List to Include Potential Contractors, Freelancers, and Agencies Even during times of economic growth, gaining approval to add new agencies, business partners, and contractors to existing “verified vendors” lists can be like pulling teeth. This process is even harder, if not impossible, during times of economic uncertainty. If you know there is even the remote possibility of wanting to work with an outside agency, freelancer, or contractor that is not on your approved vendor list, start the process of adding them now before your company puts restrictions on vendors. 3) Clearly Establish Everyone’s Roles and Responsibilities There is nothing worse than being on a project that is stalled because one essential step is missing, but no one did it because no one knows whose role the responsibility falls under. Take steps early on to establish each team-member’s roles and responsibilities to make tasks flow much more efficiently. Do this by taking a day and running various scenarios of common projects your team works on and list each and every step that was involved in that project. Then define whose role that task lies under. If you took an inventory of your team’s skills, this will also help in this exercise to avoid any confusion. 4) Secure Talent Earlier Rather than Later When budgets get tighter during financial uncertainty the first thing to be enacted is typically a hiring freeze. Once a hiring freeze happens your team is pretty much set. There are no more chances to fill any skill gaps that you identified too late. Reach out to a DCAProSearch recruiter now to secure your talent and fill any skill gaps you may have on your team, whether for full time or contractors/freelancers. Wondering which skills are essential to a team during a recession? We have identified the essential skills and people that you should have on your team to handle the vast majority of projects or challenges you may face. From all of us at DCAProSearch we wish you the best health during this pandemic and remind you to help flatten the curve by washing your hands, social distancing, and staying home from work if you are feeling sick |
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April 2020
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