Remote Work Archives

4 Things You Can Do for A Virtual Christmas Party

What are some things you can do for a virtual Christmas party?

Secret Santa Gift Exchange
Virtual Karaoke
Holiday Team Building Games
Send Out Christmas Kits

Christmas parties are a significant event for employees. This is where the whole team comes together to spend a day without work — enjoying the company of their colleagues and reaping the benefits of their hard work throughout the year. But during this season, where health and safety are at stake, normal parties have to be put on hold. But, it doesn’t mean that you still can’t celebrate. Thanks to the internet, there are many things you can do for a virtual Christmas party! Continue reading to learn more.

Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Is hosting a Secret Santa a yearly holiday tradition in your workplace? Giving your gifts in person may not be an option this year, but you can still do it virtually.

You can randomly assign gift-givers and recipients through handy websites like Draw Names and Elfster. Plus, on these websites, participants are given the option to create their own wish list. It makes the gift-giving process so much easier.

You can even take it up a notch by opening your gifts together as a team.

Virtual Karaoke

Karaoke will always be a part of any special occasion in the Philippines. Did you know that you can take your karaoke party online now, too? And it isn’t so hard to do! There are a handful of free karaoke apps like Smule that you can utilize to sing alongside your friends virtually.

You can even do it over video conference platforms like Zoom. The host just needs to share his screen or queue the list of karaoke tracks on a Watch2Gether link, and your team will be ready to sing the night away.

Holiday Team Building Games

What’s a party without games? Christmas team building games aren’t just to get your office in the holiday spirit, it can also benefit your employees’ growth at the same time.

There are so many online team building games you can host for your virtual Christmas Party. Like a Holiday Scavenger Hunt where teams collect holiday-inspired items that can be found inside their homes. You can even utilize online game websites that host online Jeopardy, trivia, bingo, and even escape rooms!

Send Out Christmas Kits

Sending out a care package or a Christmas kit is another thing you can do. This idea also provides tangible reconnection for your employees who may feel disconnected.

Get creative! You can send out Happy Hour boxes, home office essentials, self-care packages, gourmet gift packets, or even game sets.

Key Takeaway

Don’t let the current circumstances stop you from having fun with your team during the holidays! These things you can do for a virtual Christmas party stated above are enjoyable, engaging, and best of all, safe.

7 Signs That You Need a Vacation

What are the signs that you need a vacation?

You start getting sick from work
You have trouble sleeping
You make more mistakes at work
You develop unhealthy coping mechanisms
Your interpersonal relationships are suffering
You lack motivation
You are extremely guilty of taking a vacation

In a world where feeling too stressed out has become a common thing, the typical daily routine of individuals goes like rushing to the office, hurrying to get mountains of paperwork done, and logging off to catch up on personal responsibilities. However, when you spot the clear signs that you need a vacation, it might be best to do so.

Ask yourself, “When was the last time I had some time off?”. It’s important to make sure you receive a much-needed rest to alleviate burnouts, which can cause serious physical and mental problems if ignored. Here are the telltale signs that you need to go on that vacation you’ve always daydreamed about. Read on!

You Start Getting Sick from Work

When you constantly feel overwhelmed while working, your brain responds by releasing stress hormones. In the long run, the chemical reaction has inevitable physical consequences such as increased blood pressure, stomach problems, chest pain, backaches, eye strain, headaches, dizziness, and even fainting.

Furthermore, the exhaustion you experience from the workload can compromise your immune system and make you more prone to the flu, colds, and other infections.

Keep in mind that getting sick might be your body’s way of telling you that you need a vacation. It’s better to take some time off than to prevent other chronic health conditions.

You Have Trouble Sleeping

The very same stress hormones from overworking may also make it difficult to fall and stay asleep. Stress can force your body into a hyper-alert state which disrupts the sleep cycle. Over time, this can result in chronic insomnia.

Sleep is important for a healthy body and mind. If you find yourself tossing and turning at night because of thinking of so many things, it is time to manage your stress levels and get a better sleeping schedule. This can be achieved by heading to a vacation spot with a tension-free environment.

You Make More Mistakes at Work

Do you keep making mistakes on tasks that have always been a routine? Are you missing deadlines? Or do the most basic tasks seem hard to accomplish?

According to a psychological expert, the body’s “fight or flight” tunnel vision can negatively impact the ability to concentrate. When you are stressed, your focus is directed on the threat. However, chronic stress makes it difficult to pay attention and impairs your memory. This is what makes it hard to solve tasks and have efficient decision-making skills.

If you want to prevent costly slip-ups with the company, it would be best to take a break. What most people fail to realize is that taking a vacation often leads to renewed focus. The improved energy and creativity levels you gain prove to be helpful for a fresh perspective when going back to work.

You Develop Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

Drinking too much, smoking, becoming too sedentary, overeating junk food, not eating enough, or not sleeping enough — these are some of the things people do to drag themselves to work. If you find yourself developing unhealthy coping mechanisms, you may be suffering from burnout. Consider taking a vacation to avoid the vicious cycle.

Your Interpersonal Relationships Are Suffering

Too much stress can result in three negative things for interpersonal relationships. First, you easily get into arguments with other people. Second, you withdraw when talking to people. Third, you miss out on important occasions because you can’t seem to take your mind off work. This might be the perfect time to put the brakes on yourself and set some time to relax and bond with your loved ones.

You Lack Motivation

Do you feel your work spirit flagging? Or maybe you can’t remember what it is that made you love your work? When you don’t feel as enthusiastic about what you do anymore, there is a big chance you are experiencing burnout. A good indicator of losing motivation is when you find yourself lonely when waking up in the morning for work. It might be time to get away.

You Are Extremely Guilty of Taking a Vacation

This sign might seem like an oxymoron, but if you find yourself extremely guilty of taking a vacation, it may be a sign to book a trip. Use your paid vacation leave. No matter how much you love your job, everyone needs to take a break once in a while. Remember that taking a vacation helps prevent burnout, which can make your work suffer even more.

Key Takeaway

These are some of the telltale signs that you need a vacation. When was the last time you had some time off? In order to avoid burnouts, serious health issues, and letting your work suffer, planning a trip is one of the best things you can do.

4 Effective Tips for Managing a Team During the Pandemic

How do you manage a team during COVID-19?

Determine What Roles That Can Be Done Remotely
Prepare Employees for Frontline or Remote Work
Frequently Check On Your Team
Stay Connected

If you are a team leader, the pandemic will test your skills in managing a team. Several establishments have sent their employees home for remote work to prioritize health. But some establishments cannot operate without employees reporting for work in the office or establishment. As a team leader, it is important to know how to manage a team during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read on to learn more!

Determine What Roles That Can Be Done Remotely

Not all kinds of work can be done from home. Some examples of this are frontline work in the hospital, pharmacy, food establishment, transportation, and security. As a team leader, you have to determine what roles can be done at home, and what roles are not. Prioritize health and safety as much as possible and send workers home.

Prepare Employees for Frontline or Remote Work

Now that you have determined which stays at the business establishment and who goes home, you have to prepare your team for some changes. Make sure to lessen or remove the risk of exposure of your front liners by following health and safety guidelines mandated by the government. Provide personal protective equipment and disinfecting products to your team. Sanitize your business establishment regularly and install protective shields such as transparent acrylic glasses.

For remote workers, ensure that they have all the technological equipment ready for remote work. Teach your team about the required applications and tools because not all people are technically-savvy in the latest hardware and software.

Frequently Check On Your Team

These uncertain times will be hard for everyone including you. Understand that everyone will need time to adjust to these changes. Frequently check on your team not just to supervise their work but also to learn how they are doing mentally. With remote work, some people will have to juggle responsibilities in the home. On the other hand, frontline work is also difficult because of health risks. Always monitor their health regularly.

Remind your team about their tasks and also the importance of their contributions. Be compassionate and always appreciate your team members on their effort in these tough times.

Stay Connected

Communication is vital in these times because everyone is scattered in different places. Always have a communication channel that is consistently open during work hours. This way your team will be able to voice out their concern easily.

Schedule video meetings regularly so you can align your team members about important matters. Chat and messages are useful but being able to see your team’s faces and reactions can help you stay connected.

Confirm in written communication all the important things that should be said clearly. This is to avoid verbal miscommunication and misunderstandings.

Key Takeaway

Now you know how to manage a team during COVID-19. As a leader, you are the one that they look up to as the decision-maker. Know what roles can be done at home so you can remove the risk of exposure to your team. Prepare them and give them time to adjust to the changes. Your team is your responsibility so it is important to check up on them frequently. Always keep the communication line open to keep everyone connected. It may be hard to supervise and manage a team in these tough times but the key here is to trust your team.

The Best Tips for Remote Team Communication

What are the best tips for remote team communication?

Use Appropriate Messaging Channels
Schedule Regular Video Calls
Set Clear Guidelines and Instructions
Conduct Regular Team-Building Events

The work from the home culture we currently experience in this pandemic brings a lot of positive and negative effects. It allowed us to spend more time with our loved ones while still completing our tasks at work. One downside from working from home is the lack of face-to-face communication that can make you feel alone and depressed. We all miss an energetic high-five and a gentle pat on the back for doing a good job. Today, we will be learning how to make the best of remote team communication. These tips will make work from home so much easier!

Use Appropriate Messaging Channels

Emails are a part of a workday even back when there was no pandemic. It is useful in sending important documents and formal messages. But it is not a good channel for asking questions that need to be answered immediately.

Find a messaging application that has “rooms” that can represent your office departments. Having chat rooms that are always open can help your team collaborate right away at any given moment.

Some companies have a more informal chat room for non-work related chats. It is a virtual water cooler where employees can hang out and just chat. This can help build camaraderie in employees and reduce work stress. Even back then in the office, casual chats would help lighten the workload!

Schedule Regular Video Calls

It is important to check-in on each other once in a while. The lockdown and pandemic have caused people to feel anxious and depressed. The lack of social interaction and excessive working has made people feel burnout. Some people are not even tech-savvy, to begin with. So it is important to show some care and empathy with each other.

Not everything can be done by chatting or emailing. These two channels of communication, while useful, lack the non-verbal elements like facial expression, voice pitch, and hand gestures. Video calls can have all of those elements, except physical touch.

Weekly video meetings can connect all employees and align them with the announcements, goals, and achievements of the team. This can provide an opportunity to voice concerns and opinions about a project. But always remember to only schedule meetings with a purpose as to not waste your teammates’ time.

Set Clear Guidelines and Instructions

Supervising remote workers is harder than supervising in a physical office. You cannot see what your team member is doing at office hours. This can bring about an issue of trust unless you do something.

Set clear guidelines for expectations for everyone in your team. Set deadlines, daily tasks, and communicate instructions about timekeeping and taking breaks. When you set guidelines, it removes the guesswork on what a team member must abide by. Everyone will have a routine to follow.

One example is communicating the guidelines for breaks. Avoid settling for verbal communication and put your instructions into writing to avoid miscommunication. Be very specific. For example, you can either set a specific hour for lunch from 12 noon to 1 pm. Or you can assign a 1-hour break every day that your members can take any time.

Conduct Regular Team-Building Events

Not all kinds of office work will provide constant human interaction. Some occupations, like software programming, is more focused on constant computer work. Even more so, when in remote work setup. This doesn’t mean that we have to stop all fun activities that used to happen back at the office. There are a lot of fun ideas that could be implemented in a virtual setting.

Having fun can affect personal connections and even work itself. A study showed that happier employees tend to be more productive. A closer relationship with one another will also allow a team member to open up and communicate ideas and concerns better.

Key Takeaway

Good communication is key to making remote work more pleasant and fun. Physical distancing doesn’t mean that you have to distance yourself emotionally from your team as well.

There are different communication channels that you can use to maintain a good workflow and camaraderie within your team. Just remember to communicate clearly what you need from your teammates. Schedule regular video calls to check-in on your team and their concerns. All these virtual channels can be used not just for work, but also for fun because a happy team is a productive team. Follow all these remote team communication tips to create the best remote work experience for everyone.

A Beginner’s Guide to Working Remotely

What are some good tips for remote working?

Find A Perfect Location
Over-Communicate
Be Equipped with the Right Tools
Find A Routine That Works For You

Remote working has been more prevalent during the past few years, more so now, that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it a great option for employees to stay safe and secure. If you’re new to remote working, it can impose a few challenges. It is completely different from the way you work on your 9-5. But, don’t worry, we’ve got some of the best practices for you. We’ve curated a complete guide on how to work remotely for beginners! This will make your transition as seamless and comfortable as possible. You’re bound to nail the remote working life before you know it.

Find A Perfect Location

Now that you are not working in an office setting, you have all the freedom to choose where you’re going to work. Location matters more than you think. It is one of the essential keys to succeeding in working remotely. So, make sure to choose it wisely.

If you opt to work from home, there are some adjustments you need to make. It can be challenging to make yourself actively and productively work as there are so many distractions around and it is so easy to be comfortable. Make sure that you allocate a separate area for exclusively doing work. If you don’t have a separate room to use as an office, choose a corner or a space that is quiet, not distracting, and well-lit.

Or, it’s best to just choose a co-working space instead. By doing this, you are solidifying a place to be in “work mode” which can increase your productivity.

Over-Communicate

We all know that communication is essential in the professional environment. While in a typical office situation, your co-workers are just a tap away, on a remote work setup, you no longer have this luxury. Because of this, it is even more important to communicate to ensure that everyone is on the same page and there are no misunderstandings. If you have any questions, make sure to clarify and double-check, and never hesitate to ask for help when you need it.

Be Equipped with the Right Tools

As a remote worker, your job will depend on your tools, specifically, technology. Ensure that you are equipped with everything you need. Make sure you have all the platforms and software downloaded for your job. Apart from this, make sure you have a reliable device and Wi-Fi connection. Other great investments to have while working remotely are noise-canceling headphones, a place to co-work in, a mouse, or maybe even a second screen. Trust us, these will all be integral to productivity and proficiency.

Find A Routine That Works for You

One of the top things employees love about working remotely is flexibility. You are given more time and freedom. However, for people who are so used to a routine, it can be fairly challenging. But it’s all about maximizing and using the time wisely.

Key Takeaway

Remote working has definitely been beneficial for everyone, especially during these times. However, if you’re new to the setup, it can take some time to get used to. But it doesn’t have to be as challenging. This guide on how to work remotely for beginners has all the best practices you need to nail your remote working life. Looking for a place to remote work? Click here to see how Workplays can help you!