Virtual Work - where work meets home...

Although we've been advised not to gather in groups, we can still have our annual Christmas party virtually. It's a time to get creative and decorate your home office space for the holidays. Team members can then vote for the best decorated space, or there can even be a best dressed competition. Food can also be delivered to each member of the team to enjoy together. For entertainment, team members can pool funds to hire a band, musician or comedian to perform. A less expensive idea would be to engage in team building games online. Another option may be karaoke of some popular festive songs. If your type of job permits, pack up your workspace for the occasion until your work schedule resumes.  Season's Greetings, Happy Holidays and as you celebrate, be sure to remember the reason for the season. How will you be preparing for the season while you work from home?

Weekends are great for recharging from the past work week, in preparation for the upcoming week. It's important to maximize this time in the best way possible to maintain work-life balance. While some of these should also be done during the work week, below are some tips to help in separating your weekends from the work week. Switch off and pack away your work devices for the weekend. If you have a designated office at home, stay out of the room if possible. At times, you may even feel the need to detach from social media. During the week, make plans for how you'd like to spend the weekend. Enjoy the moment, without dwelling on the work tasks that are outstanding or to be accomplished in the upcoming week. Spend time outdoors to benefit from sunlight and fresh air. Set aside time to chat and catch up with friends and family. Engage in a hobby or some activity that brings you joy. Wear clothing that differs from your work-from-home wear. Any tips you can share? I'd love to k...

Being productive at home may be a challenge for some due to living with others, or as the temptations to do other activities or procrastinate arise. Below are two methods that can assist with increasing productivity. 1. The Pomodoro Technique This requires setting a timer for 25 minutes to work on a specific task, then taking a 5 minute break when the timer rings. This indicates the end of a Pomodoro. This process is then repeated, with a longer break (such as 15 minutes) at the end of four Pomodoros. Pomodoros can be continued until the task is accomplished. 2. The Ivy Lee method This requires making a prioritized list of the 6 most important tasks you'd like to accomplish the next day. The list is usually created the previous night so the tasks can be started right away the next day. The order of importance outlined indicates the order in which tasks should be focused on until accomplished. At the end of the work day, you can check off the completed tasks, and roll-over the incom...

Some of you may be required to work in a hybrid method - a combination of home and office. This can be quite tiring and challenging if done alternately. Below are some tips to help with managing this work structure. 1. Take advantage of the work structure Make use of the days you are working from home to organize your work-wear and prepare and pack meals for the day you'll be spending at the office. This can be both a time and money saver. You can even make use of the days at the office to run errands in the area, on your lunch break or after work. 2. Communication Whether you're at the office or at home, be sure to keep in contact with your team-mates, especially those you may not be able to see at the office due to your schedules. This can assist with maintaining your work relationships. 3. Prepare a checklist To assist with preparation for the work day, if working at home you can keep a list of the items you will need to take to the office the next day, and vice-versa. This ...

My co-workers and I have an understanding where we celebrate birthdays of those who attend work on their birthday, by pooling funds to purchase cake and ice-cream for the team, sing the birthday song and sometimes purchase lunch for the special person.  If you're unable to take vacation for your birthday, celebrating virtually with your co-workers is possible. Thanks to technology, a virtual party can be held on your lunch break; after work; or a special time of the work-day with your manager's permission.  Team members can celebrate the birthday person on a video call by singing the birthday song and present greetings to toast the birthday person. Arrangements can also be made for the delivery of a birthday cake and gifts to the special person during the virtual party, while team members celebrate with desserts at their location as well. Have you celebrated a birthday while working from home during this pandemic?

Training seminars don't have to be boring. As workplaces are now required to host training seminars virtually, it can be quite challenging for the presenters to keep the audience's attention. The key to this is to keep the presentation interactive. I recently attended a training which was able to attract the audience's attention even though our cameras were turned off. The presenters made the session engaging as their cameras were turned on and through the use of a visual presentation, with animation and succinct text which allowed us to easily follow. The session was also made interactive through activities and the audience's ability to ask questions, as well as unmute our mics and make use of the chat window to comment on the presenter's material.  Another incentive used to keep the audience attentive was the offer of prizes to 1st - 3rd place rankings for a quiz held at the end of the seminar, based on the content presented. I placed 2nd 🥈 Have you attended virt...

Most of my team members are currently working from home. Usually, we'd be involved in some form of social activity every quarter, such as a department dinner or a relaxing day at a nature resort. For the past quarter however, we were forced to do things a bit differently.  To keep the engagement going, members of my department participated in a photo competition for one month. It required us to snap an original photo with caption that best suited the clues given biweekly. The entire department was then able to vote on the submissions. Examples of clues included " strangers (random people)"  and "the impossible" . Participants were challenged to get the creative juices flowing and able to break the monotony of the work day, while keeping the banter going through our group chat. Some photos even stirred some suspicion as the submissions were anonymous, while some became the joke of the day. One such photo was a submission for the clue "feet" , where all ...

Your work space sets the tone for your productivity level. You may not be able to create the same layout as your regular office, but you can try to create a space that works for you. Most days, I use my dining room table, simply because its most comfortable for me.  I suggest using a quiet room in your home if possible, to eliminate distractions. Consider the storage space you need, such as a desk and drawer. Think of the equipment required such as a telephone, laptop, printer and stationery. The requirements will be dependent on your type of job. I also recommend investing in an office chair for back support. Choosing a well-lit room is important when setting your space. If your webcam is used for meetings, be mindful of your background. Luckily, if your background isn't quite suitable for meetings, most video-conferencing software enable you to set a virtual background, so this is nothing major to worry about. In most cases, this feature works best with a physical green screen, b...

Meditation is a good way to bring some calmness and peace to help you mentally, emotionally and with your overall health as you balance your work day. I recently viewed a series on "Living the Let Go Life" by Minister Joseph Prince, which discussed Bible Meditation. He compared a cow's chewing of its cud to the way we should meditate on God's Word, by taking time daily to chew on the verses, muttering them to ourselves repeatedly. It can be as little as one verse a day. We can break the scripture into portions and meditate on each portion throughout the day. This can be done at any time of the day, such as on our coffee break, lunch hour, snack break. Find scriptures that can be made your theme, based on your situation, and turn them over and over in your minds to drown out the negative thoughts. Below are some examples of scriptures for situations. Strength :-  Psalm 28:7 (KJV) The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore...

Although you're working from home, taking vacation is still important. If you're entitled to some days off, be sure to make use of them. Your first response may be "why? there's nothing to do, nowhere to go". Trust me, these were my initial thoughts too, but you should consider it. It can help with the reduction of stress levels. It's a perfect way to take a mental break and acts as a cure for burnout.  Yes the borders are still closed for travel, but, there's still the option of enjoying our local beaches.  There's also the opportunity to enjoy the scenery on a long drive, take a walk on a nature trail,  or visit a National Park. However you choose to spend it, be creative, make the best of it and don't forget your mask! Forbes shares some ways to maximize your time-off benefits