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

  I don't have children of my own yet, but nevertheless, I can relate to the working from home with children dilemmas. Sometimes, I'd see peers venting on social media about the struggle, the frustration of being the super parent, doing it all. I've experienced the lighter moments at a meeting when a child's voice is randomly heard, as well as the awkward silence when a parent is heard disciplining their child, while forgetting to mute their mic. The video below may look familiar if your weekday is filled with simultaneously wearing the employee and parent hats. I recently attended a working-from-home with children seminar held by my employers in collaboration with a well-known Psychologist and Educator. Some advice that stood out to me, that you can apply if faced in a situation similar to above, is to firstly ensure your children have a dedicated device for their learning, rather than shared with you or their siblings. Each child should also have a dedicated, personal...

 Regardless of gender, it's good practice to pamper yourself ever so often, especially after a stressful work day. Like me, some of you may be a bit cautious of your whereabouts, as you should be during this time. In that case, visiting the spa may be out of the question for you, but that doesn't mean you should be deprived of these relaxing moments. It can be as simple as having a longer bath than usual, with your favourite/ aromatherapy scented candles or taking a nap with a cooling mask. If your job entails sitting behind the computer, no need to wait until the end of the work day to destress. You can start with a foot soak with ingredients you may already have around your home. However, to enjoy the full benefits, I suggest waiting until the work day is over. Check out this link  for recommended ingredients to be used depending on your needs - whether you desire better circulation, exfoliation, moisture, detox and more. Also, be sure to check here  for other...

  A variety of courses are available for you to enrol in online for your professional and self development. This can help you in improving your current skills; exploring another career; gaining accreditation and even boosting self-confidence from the comfort of your home. There's no better time than the present.  The best part is, these courses can be done at your convenience and pace - whether you choose to learn on your lunch break, before or after working hours. You're in control of the schedule. Think of the long-term benefits of the course. Maybe t he material learnt can make you qualify for a promotion, make you more marketable or possibly be used to start or develop your own business. Depending on the class layout, you'll also be able to network with your classmates. Your interest may lie in learning about technology, a new language, math, science, health, marketing, or business to name a few. The possibilities are endless. It's never too late, and you're not...

Some other activities that may help you break the monotony at home can include: 1. Baking/ Cooking      For those who love being in the kitchen, this may be an easy task. Even if you're not top-chef material, you can still be open to it. It's always fun to try tasting something new, and you can feel accomplished when you've made it yourself. The popular Naparima Girls' High School Cookbook can be handy for our local cuisine, plus the ingredients mentioned are easy to find at the supermarket. There's also the  Trini Cooking with Natasha  YouTube channel if videos are easier for you to follow, as well as the  Natasha's Cooking  videos if you'd like to try international cuisine. 2.  Gardening     While it's fine to indulge in dessert ever so often, let's not neglect our healthy eating, especially as we may be a bit less active at home. If your yard space allows, consider creating your home-garden. This way you can be certain of the chemical...

Working from home doesn't mean we must literally sit behind the computer all day. Although often times, this can be the case, when we get so consumed with our tasks. Instead, we should try to engage in other activities during our lunch or coffee break, or even after our work day to maintain our sanity. 1. Painting/ Colouring     While it may sound like a child's activity, yes, adults can paint and colour too. It's a good way to pass time and can help in relieving stress. I even have a friend who took the opportunity of doing some early Christmas painting around the home. If you're interested, here's a site I found that offers free printable pages for colouring/painting. It also offers drawing and painting lessons too, to help guide those creative juices.  https://www.art-is-fun.com/free-adult-coloring-pages 2. D ance classes     Maybe art isn't your thing, well why not try a dance class? Here's one of the dance schools I recommend right here in T&T who r...

In this post, I'll share some other videos of easy-to-do stretches you can engage in.  They can each be accomplished in under 5 mins, so don't worry, you don't need to dedicate a lot of time to get them done. In this video, Physiotherapist Wesley Henrisson demonstrates lumbar rotation, lumbar extension and hip/piriformis stretch. Physical Therapist Bryan Bartz shares 3 stretches to loosen Work-From-Home body stiffness. Lastly, this video by Physical Therapists Brendan and Jessica Ryder demonstrate how to keep your body moving with spine stretches: Head turn and rotation, Seated pelvic tilt, Sit to Stand, Forward lunge and stretch.

Hopefully my  previous post  encouraged you to want to get those joints moving. Here are some stretches we can do in under 5 minutes, while we take our breaks during the work day. These are particularly beneficial for those who spend hours behind a computer screen. Physiotherapist Andy Khuu demonstrates the upper back twist, upper back arch and neck and shoulder stretch in the video below.

 In my  last post I shared 3 tips for coping with working from home (WFH) during the pandemic. I'll wrap up this topic by leaving you with 2 additional tips. 1. Eating healthy     Although fast-food is the quickest solution to satisfy hunger, we should take advantage of the opportunity to prepare a healthy home-cooked meal. We should maintain our lunch break to ensure we eat on time, rather than at the end of the work day. Some benefits of eating healthy include a better sleep, more energy, improved concentration.  More info on healthy eating from FoodInCare 2. Exercise     This puppy may be relatable to most, especially if you were disciplined with your exercise regime pre-covid. By engaging in exercise, we increase benefits to our body and brain such as making us feel happier, maintaining strong muscles and bones, as well as boosting memory and improving relaxation and sleep quality. In subsequent posts, I'll share some exercise videos to get you st...

The beginning of the lockdown period for the Covid-19 pandemic met me one month into my MBA program. I was happy for the opportunity to work from home as I no longer had to endure the work-commute. This allowed me to sleep in later after working on assignments the night before. I became so occupied with my job and school assignments that I was unable to relate to my peers' feelings of boredom and frustration with the lockdown. Then came my school vacation some months later, which enabled me to relate to my peers, as my schedule became less hectic, and the impact of the pandemic began to sink in. Based on my experience thus far, below are three tips that can assist with coping as you work from home: 1. Maintain your pre-Covid routine for getting ready for work.      This includes waking at least 30 minutes before work, having a shower, breakfast and getting dressed. If you're required to use video for work meetings then of course looking professional and presentable is man...

Welcome! Like many of you, I'm also working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. While I'm grateful to be employed, I know you share my sentiments that it is a bit more challenging than what we've grown accustomed to. Join me on this blog as I discuss topics each of us can relate to, as we ride these waves together. 🌊🌊 Use the side-navigation menu at the top-left of the home page to view the topics discussed.