May17

Busting the Return to Work Myths

Posted on by
Busting the Return to Work Myths

We have our orders – return to work orders, that is. Soon, almost everyone will be typing away at keyboards on their generic desks back in the corporate office. That’s how organizations envision it, at least. There has been pushback from employees though – mostly because the pandemic is far from over and not everyone has the same level of safety precautions practiced.

Here are 3 common arguments FOR returning to work and why they’re not always correct:

1. Returning to the office increases productivity and collaboration
You will hear this argument most of the time. In fact, it is the primary argument for the return to the office. Organization higher ups believe that their team struggles with loneliness, disengagement and low productivity if they are not in the same place as their co-workers. But remote workers have long known that this is a myth. In fact, remote workers have been shown to do the opposite – it increases productivity. Imagine having to do busy work just to fill the usual 9 to 5 when you were already done by 2pm.Thanks to the proliferation of various collaboration software like Asana, Trello, GSuite, MicroSoft Teams, and the amazing video conferencing technology that Zoom, GoToMeeetings, and Skype have made available to us have enabled geo diverse teams to communicate and work together on projects and tasks on a scale that has been unprecedented.

2. Managers can’t trust their team to get the job done
Ah, the micromanagers have their say. Nobody likes to have someone looking over their shoulder to ensure that the work is getting done correctly. Empowered teams are usually given the tools and resources to do their work whenever and however way they deem fit. The burden of establishing a trusting, fair, and accountable relationship falls on the shoulders of the employer. These values must be established. Most employees have proven that they can finish the work with less oversight. More trust, less “hovering’ is what teams need to be empowered and not feel like a cog in a wheel.

3. The corporate culture is suffering
The fact that there are more remote teams collaborating and working with each other is always a plus. Collaboration tools enable geo diverse teams to work around the hurdle of not being able to work in the same space. Inclusivity and diversity is always encouraged in remote teams. More diverse minds encourage creativity, idea generation, and problem solving. What company culture will suffer from more of that?

A hybrid approach, where some days, teams work in the office and some days they have the option to work remotely, is the way to the future of work. There are benefits to returning to the office too. For example, a return to the office encourages less Zoom Gloom and tech fatigue. Face to face interactions mean there will be less reliance on technology for team huddles and face to face meetings, thus freeing up time for asynchronous work without interruptions.

What are your thoughts on returning to the office? 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

May12

The Daily Drive To Happiness

Posted on by
The Daily Drive To Happiness

We tend to think of happiness as a goal and not the journey. However, happiness is something we should strive for daily. On the road to happiness, we must learn to appreciate the little things that we take for granted. These little snippets of joy can come in many ways and forms. The trick is to be mindful and take the time to notice.

Here are a few simple ways to drive happiness into your daily life:

1. Take care of your body

I know. Everyone keeps mentioning that exercise, diet and a healthy lifestyle is key to happiness. All the self-help books say so as well. They are all right and for good reason. It’s not just a platitude or an old adage. A healthy body is not just looking good and being able to run a marathon. It also has biological components that are true, tried, and tested. A proper diet and regular exercise helps your body release happiness hormones. Here’s what they are and how to hack them:

  • Dopamine – the reward chemical
    • Complete a task
    • Engage in self care activities (spa day, haircut, etc.)
    • Eat good food (not junk)
    • Celebrate your wins
  • Oxytocin – the love hormone
    • Play with a pet
    • Hold a loved one’s hand
    • Hug your family
    • Give a compliment
  • Serotonin – the mood stabilizer
    • Mediate
    • Exercise
    • Walk in nature
    • Get some sunlight
  • Endorphin – the pain killer
    • Laugh
    • Eat dark chocolate
    • Dance
    • Smell some essential oils

2. Boost your self-esteem

Develop a healthy self-esteem. Start by eliminating negative self talk. Give yourself a pep talk once in a while and avoid demeaning yourself with negative self talk. Think about this. Would you tell a good friend that she is worthless and stupid? You are your bestest friend in the world, so don’t be hard on yourself. Your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship of all. Cultivate a healthy self worth by identifying your strengths and playing to those.

3. Practice optimism

I know it’s hard to look on the bright side with everything going on in the world. But, reframe it as an opportunity to try harder or to be the change you want to see in the world. When you challenge a negative outlook and try to see the silver lining, you rewire your brain into being open to possibilities. And that expands it. Neuroplasticity, baby. Look it up.

4. Enjoy yourself

Here’s an exercise for you. Create a joy jar. A joy jar is a jar filled with ideas for happiness and joyful activities. Take a jar and write down one happy activity in a small piece of paper. When you think of something happy, write it in another piece of paper and put it in the jar. Pull one out everytime you feel a tinge of sadness.

What are your “pursuit of happiness” tips? Do you have a favorite one? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

May2

How Do You Support Your Team To Improve Work – Life Balance?

Posted on by
How Do You Support Your Team To Improve Work – Life Balance?

The workplace has been decentralized. We know this because a lot of us have experience working from home, first hand. Professional and personal lives have blurred into one on top of the kitchen table (or a home office, if you’re one of the more prepared or lucky ones). The option to switch off after a work day has become a struggle. And if you’re nearing a busy cycle in your office operations, you might get an email or instant message well after dinner regarding some work matters.

We all know that we must ignore it. We all know better than to check our inboxes at dinner or check the project board before bed. But, the current economic climate is a long way off from getting back to normal and job security is still an increasing concern. So, we check. We check our mail, we check our messages, we check our phones – well outside work hours.

As a result, it feels that since the beginning of the pandemic, it has just been one very long Monday. How do we support our teams then so that they don’t burn out – or simultaneously combust? Here are 4 tried and tested strategies to help support teams to find a work-life balance.

1. Boundaries
In all relationships, boundaries are important. Establishing boundaries means honoring a teammate’s time, acknowledging that they have a life outside work, and being respectful of their space. Encourage your team to leave work at the office or, in cases of work from home teams, distributed teams, or hybrid teams, leaving work within the confines of designated work hours. It could be tempting to have one last look at your messages before bed, or one check of the project group chat – but don’t – and tell your team that they are not required to as well.

2. Flexibility
I mentioned hybrid work earlier. Hybrid work is a flexible model of working where teams work partly in the office – or a physical workplace, and partly remotely – at home or from an offsite workspace. Giving this option to your team can help them find the balance they need to be more productive. OR, you can also give them the option to set their working hours on some days, as long as the required amount of time is clear and policies are in place and enforced.

3. Technology
Encourage the use of collaborative tools and automate processes that are repetitive to eliminate redundancy and streamline your operations. This frees up teams from doing low value work and enables them to focus on work that matters to them.

4. Communication
Set on-on-one meetings more often. It doesn’t have to be career coaching or team planning sessions. It could be a quick catch up to do a temperature check on their mental state and motivation. Being available is also very helpful to maintain the high morale of the team, so don’t close your doors to communication.

What are your tips to encourage a healthy work-life balance? We’d love to hear them. 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

Apr27

Got COVID Fatigue? Here’s How You Can Help Your Team

Posted on by
Got COVID Fatigue? Here’s How You Can Help Your Team

By now, everyone’s got COVID fatigue. Most of us have turned into mask wearing, hand sanitizing, disinfectant spraying neat freaks. The global pandemic has immersed us into choppy waters, but you can do a few things to help each other ease the significant stress brought about by trying not to get sick with the virus.

First, how do you spot Covid burnout in a teammate? The truth is, Covid burnout looks different for everyone. But these are the most common signs:

  • Lack of motivation
  • Emotional exhaustion
  • Anxiety
  • Brain fog
  • Reduced productivity on certain days
  • Other signs in this excellent infographic from Employment Hero

When you spot these signs, ask your teammate if there’s anything you can do to help. Here are some other ways that managers and teammates can help their team manage Covid burnout.

1. By making an employee assistance program (EAP) program available
An employee assistance program is a service that allows employees to access health care professionals via confidential counseling services when they need it most. Stress that the service is absolutely confidential to encourage your team to seek help and counseling.

2. By having the option to take a mental health day
If your organization allows it, remind your team that they have an extra day of paid leave to take a mental health break so that they can switch off from work and enjoy a de-stressing day with loved ones.

3. By providing some tips – tips like:

  • Stop doom scrolling
  • Mix up your schedule to shake things up
  • Remind your team that they can take their annual leave and that they are not expected to do any work while on that leave
  • Recommend mind calming apps (Calm, Headspace, Balance, Fabulous are just some apps that can help with mental clarity and structure). Personally, the fabulous app has done wonders for me in terms of providing structure to my days and setting goals – a very important factor in mitigating burnout since it gives you something to look forward to everyday. Balance also has some great meditation tips to help calm you down, especially for those who have trouble switching off and going into relaxation mode at the end of the day. Calm and Headspace have similar meditation walk throughs/coaching modules available for when you want to be mindful or just switch off from overdrive.

4. By having the option to work flexibly
If your organization allows hybrid work, then remind your team of that option. The ability to choose where and when a teammate can do work and how best to do it does wonders for their mental well-being as well as increases employee retention. When teams know that they have the ability to prioritize their tasks according to what is important to them (as opposed to mandating business and income generating business tasks) they will feel that they are valued as significant contributors and not just cogs in the wheel.

Do you have tips to help others through Covid burnout? 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

Apr25

3 Nifty Productivity Hacks To Keep In Your Back Pocket

Posted on by
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