Category Archives: Administrative Support

Apr25

3 Nifty Productivity Hacks To Keep In Your Back Pocket

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3 Nifty Productivity Hacks To Keep In Your Back Pocket

Has working from home increased or decreased your productivity. As a work from home veteran (14 years and counting), we at The Help have come across a sh*t ton of productivity hacks. Some of which are gold standard: stop multitasking, have a routine, take regular breaks, etc. Here are 5 Tips To Power Up Your WFH Productivity. And if you want to know what your productivity style is, find out here (What Is Your Productivity Style?).

I’m sure you already know some of these by heart and now you’re at max prod. However, we have some secret weapons that most of you may not know about. Here are 3 nifty productivity hacks to pull out of your back pocket for days when you have to drag yourself out of bed because you’re “just not feeling it.”

1. One Goal A Day (OGAD!)
On days that you feel not up to acing the work day head-on but need to get things done, this tip might just get you through. Set yourself a priority for the day. This means having one goal for one day. If you have a list of running apps (that’s what I call unfinished tasks that take time to plow through – e.g. e-book writing) set that aside and work on it when you’re in the right mind set. For slow days, identify the tasks that you can check off quite easily but still feel like you’ve accomplished something meaningful for the day. Let’s take e-book writing as an example. You might set yourself this goal for the day: research reference materials for chapter 3. This task is pretty easy to complete but has a great impact on your ultimate goal of writing the e-book. Don’t fall into the trap of doing “busy work.”

2. Short Bursts of Work
An activity can only hold an adult person’s attention for short bursts of time – approx 10- 20 mins. That means an hour is too long for anyone to stay attentive and focused. This is why short bursts of work make perfect sense. That logic has given birth to the Pomodoro Technique which advises working in 25 minute intervals with 5 min breaks in between. It’s one of the most popular productivity hacks out there. Others are the Get Things Done or GTD method and the quirkily named Eat That Frog method.

3. Decompress
One of the challenges of any digital worker is not being able to turn off work. We now have emails, SMS, instant messaging, project management systems, team trackers, etc. – million and one ways to keep track of work. It’s always there, always available to be checked on. The best way to increase your productivity is to rest and recover after a hard day’s work. And you can’t do that if you’re ON all the time. So unplug, relax, decompress, and get ready for another day.

What is your favorite productivity secret weapon? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Apr22

Why You Should Get More Sleep

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Why You Should Get More Sleep

I know. You don’t need a reason. You just know you should get more. But knowing exactly why can push you to make changes and accommodations in your existing sleep habits. The stressful global climate doesn’t help. I know a lot of you are struggling to get enough shut eye nowadays. 

Every person’s sleep needs vary. Some just need 7 to feel refreshed, some need 9 – 10 hours to feel ultimately well rested. However, not everyone gets the required number of hours in. In the U.S. a whopping 35% of the adult population don’t get enough sleep. Imagine ⅓ of the population of America being sleep deprived. You better hope your Uber driver or that truck driver you just passed got enough sleep because lack of sleep accounts for 1/25 road accidents. A 2018 study found that your risk of getting in a road  accident increases significantly with each hour of lost sleep. If you sleep fewer than 6 hours, your likelihood of falling asleep on the wheel increases. Being up for 18 hours straight is similar to having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05% that increases to 1% if you’re up for 24 hours – and 1% is OVER the legal driving limit. 

This is dangerous, as sleep deprivation can put your health and safety at risk. Here’s what sleep deprivation can do to your body:

  • Effects on cognitive function – being well-rested can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance memory. However, poor sleep can impair brain function and decision making skills.
    • Poor memory
    • Poor concentration
    • Poor decision making skills
    • Difficulty in learning and problem solving
  • Effects on the immune system – rest helps regenerate antibodies and repair organ tissues.
    • Slower healing
    • Slower recovery from illness
    • Increased likelihood of getting sick
  • Effects on skin – no explanation needed – you know you’re sleep deprived right away when you see eyebags.
    • Accelerated aging
    • Sallow skin
    • Eyebags
  • Effects on mood – sleep deprivation has an adverse effect on mental health. If your mood changes due to prolonged and chronic lack of sleep, see a professional.
    • Increased irritability
    • Anxiety
    • Depression
  • Effects on heart health – you might feel rested after just 5 hours of sleep but one study found that people who slept fewer than 5 hours per night had a 61% higher risk of developing high blood pressure than those who had 7 to 9 hrs of sleep.
    • Higher risk of high-blood pressure and stroke
  • Effects on appetite and metabolism – sleep deprivation increases levels of ghrelin and decreases levels of leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that makes us feel hungry while leptin makes us feel full. This may cause us to feel hungrier and overeat.
    • Increased appetite, slower metabolism
    • Increased risk of overeating leading to obesity and diabetes

So you see, not getting enough sleep can cause a host of problems. If you need to revisit your sleep hygiene and learn how to improve your sleep quality, The Help has eight tips to help you sleep better at night.

What works for you? Got any sleep improvement tips for us? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Apr21

The 3 Organizational Complementaries And How To Engage Them for Maximum Productivity

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The 3 Organizational Complementaries And How To Engage Them for Maximum Productivity

Organizations are always on the lookout for productivity drivers but have to be extremely careful so that teams do not burnout from overwork and overwhelm. A good leader must know how to identify these drivers and maximize each one efficiently in order to avoid attrition. Different organizations have different and unique needs. What is similar though is that all organizations have 3 complementaries of interconnectedness. What do we mean by “complementaries of interconnectedness?” These are relationships that revolve around employee relationships and their influence on how people get their work done. These 3 complementaries of interconnectedness are:

1. Vertical complementaries:
Vertical complementaries are the relationships that involve hierarchy. Productivity is often driven by the staff’s need to finish tasks and responsibilities. It also depends heavily on the involvement of leaders and their interaction with their staff. Examples of these relationships are: manager – crew/staff, supervisor-employee, team leader – team member, boss-employee, etc.

How to engage: Inspire greater productivity in direct reports by using good leadership, effective authority, and positive influence. Be transparent in expectations and offer continuous learning and upskilling. Recognition is also an important factor in maximizing productivity. Give credit where credit is due.

2. Horizontal complementaries:
Horizontal complementaries are the relationships between peers. Productivity is often driven by the team’s need to give valuable support and help each other through tasks and projects. It is also driven by the need to reduce role or task duplication and lessen bottlenecks. Examples of these relationships are: teammates, co-workers, crewmembers, staff members, colleagues from different departments, etc.

How to engage: Inspire maximum productivity in teams by refining and strengthening teamwork. First, identify specialties and strengths. Employees can always strengthen existing skills or learn new ones, so career development and continuous learning must always be on the table. Team members are not expected to excel in everything but a well-run team can play off each other’s strengths (for example, one employee can write well researched content and another can make eye-catching designs).

3. Radial complementaries:
Radial complementaries are the relationships that are not necessarily work related but are brought about by belonging to something larger than themselves. Their participation usually involves a sense of purpose and achievement, thus, a better sense of well-being. Examples of these relationships are: community involvement, volunteerism, club/organization/group membership, etc.

How to engage: Offer options for employees to participate in clubs or organizations such as cycling clubs, mom-centric groups, book clubs, etc. That will generate a sense of mastery and kinship which makes for happier and more productive people. If at all possible, employers could offer a paid leave for day/s taken off doing volunteer work – validation or proof of participation may or may not be required depending on policy.

Does your company offer all three complementaries? Which one is the most effective driver of productivity for you? Share your experience with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Mar28

Managing Up: How To Help Your Manager Help You

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Managing Up: How To Help Your Manager Help You

If you want to show the company that you are a team player and an outstanding employee, you have to learn to “manage up’. Now what does the term “managing up” mean? It means to help your manager meet their expectations and needs. It entails making your manager’s life easier. 

Now, you might be thinking: “I’ve already got a pretty heavy workload, why would I want to do that?” In basketball, every assist is crucial and appreciated in order for the whole team to score and win. If your career objective is to move up, you could do so by providing that much needed assistance and proving that you are, in fact, a true team player. Aside from showing the team that you can work well with others, it also shows that:

  • You are intuitive and can anticipate gaps in awareness

The ability to spot and cover/address blind spots is a unique and rare quality that employers always appreciate. While most employees would rather wait and see if management can identify holes and critical issues in the business because “that’s their job,” they would certainly appreciate someone who can tell them where to look.

  • You have foresight

This shows that you are prepared for any changes – a characteristic that comes in handy for disruptions that could upend business processes like, for example, a global pandemic. No business can be complete disaster or risk-proof, but it pays to have someone on the team who, to some extent, has the future of the business in mind.

  • You are reliable

If you bring problems to your manager’s attention (again, instead of waiting for them to catch it), they will know that you’re dependable and will most likely remember you for future projects.

Managing up helps you move forward in your career by providing a win-win situation for you, your boss, and the business. It also keeps you front and center for the biggest projects and gives you visibility over the best ones. Furthermore, it shows management that you have the leadership potential, and that gives you access to most learning and development opportunities down the line.

Managing up is not about sucking up to the boss. It is all about good relationship building – an important foundation of any harmonious environment. So, how do you build a good relationship with your boss? The key is to understand your boss’ goals, advocacies, challenges, and objectives. You do this by getting to know them and showing interest in their work. This might take some proactive work on your part as opportunities to get to know your boss’ human side might not always present themselves in the daily work setting. However, if you make the conscious decision to keep an eye out for relationship-building opportunities, you’ll easily find them. Watch out for: coaching sessions, opportunities to give and get feedback, catch-up calls, social events, team building activities, team lunches, etc.

We all are interested in tips for career development. What other relationship-building opportunities should we look out for? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Mar21

Make Employee Retention A Priority

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Make Employee Retention A Priority

Disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic have up-ended most of what we take for granted as ‘normal’ giving birth to the term ‘new-normal’. This general atmosphere of uncertainty has caused us to look inward and focus on our personal health and safety and that of our families. People now give prime importance to family more than work, and want to be there to take care of their loved ones during tough times. In the employment sector, one effect of this new focus is a surge in resignations and a massive depletion in the workforce.

It is an employee’s prerogative to leave their company for whatever reason. Employee’s who wish to retain their stellar staff can always counter with an offer. However, studies suggest that its effects are short term. So, how can you stop the resignation surge and retain your star employees?

There is one answer: create an environment where employees want to stay. It sounds simple, but it is wrought with pain points. It’s hard to create an optimal work environment because the idea is subjective. What an employer sees as optimal, might not be so for an employee. There are many ways to create a better work environment, start by addressing these three concepts:

1. People over profit
Yes, businesses are built to make money. That is the essential idea and that is a given. What is being asked here is for employers to look at their staff as living, breathing individuals with unique capabilities and valuable contributions instead of profit generating machines. Businesses must find the sweet spot between achieving business goals and meeting work-life balance.

2. A mentally healthy environment
Let’s face it, the paranoia that we might be living out the end of days, while an extreme idea, is a huge factor in the surge of resignations. People will opt to be with family if they believe that their personal and family health and safety are at stake. Employers should create a program that assures their staff that health and safety is top priority. For some businesses, this could mean stricter adherence to health protocols or getting creative with their office layout. Businesses could also adopt flexible work arrangements or a hybrid staffing schedule. This could also mean hard stops and very limited overtime work to show respect for their employee’s time. And finally, the business can also create programs for employee health and wellness, such as paid wellness breaks or even something as simple as an employee portal where they can connect and share banter, tips, and stories.

3. Fair compensation
One reason for job burnout is working long hours for low pay. When employees feel that they are not justly compensated for the value they add to the company, they will burnout. A business must make sure that their employees are fairly compensated, otherwise, their top talent will pack up and leave.

These are just some of the ways businesses can improve their employee retention. What are your top employee retention strategies? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp