Tag Archives: Virtual Work

Oct18

Remote Work Is Not For Micromanagers

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Remote Work Is Not For Micromanagers

A lot of people are still working from home after the Covid-19 Delta variant has poured cold water over employers and employees “return to the office” plans. One positive thing about this exercise is that it proves that remote workers can be as efficient (or even more efficient) as on-site employees. It breaks down the notion that work from home employees are harder to manage than those who work in the office. It also demonstrates that not only is remote work possible, but should actually be part of a company’s business continuity plan as best practice.

We’re looking at a couple more years of remote working. Two at the very least. Or until almost everyone gets vaccinated. This does not bode well for managers who like to micromanage their employees and see what they’re working on at all times. Managers should accept the fact that they would have to relinquish some visibility over the tasks they have delegated to their work from home employees and trust that they will get it done. How can managers do this? The key is to establish a supportive company culture that prioritizes trust and psychological safety.

This might sound simple in theory but might be hard to implement if micromanagement is firmly embedded in the business. One of the best ways for managers to show that they trust their work from home employees is to give them the flexibility to choose how they get work done. Give them the means to be able to do their work like access to software, tools, information, a knowledge base, feedback, and guidance. Keep lines of communication open and have regular catch-ups to give instructions or feedback. Once you give them what they need to get their work done, the next step is to get out of their way.

Managers should also prioritize psychological safety. This means creating a space where every employee, working from home or otherwise, feels comfortable giving feedback, sharing ideas, skiing questions, and generally just being themselves. Also, allow room for growth. This means giving employees the space to make mistakes and allowing them to recover and grow. Managers can do this by publicly celebrating with their team – not just the wins and accomplishments but also the missteps and learning experiences. 

With the pandemic still raging on, now is not the time to look over the shoulder of your employee and check on every detail of the work they are doing. The best leaders show empathy and compassion as we go through these very challenging times. Give employees the skillset to accomplish their work and trust that they will deliver what they say they will deliver. Cultivate a results-based culture where you focus on what is achieved instead of how many hours were worked.

Do you have experience working with micromanagers? How did that turn out for you? 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

Mar15

Is It Wise To Vent In The Workplace?

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Is It Wise To Vent In The Workplace?

Maybe today is the day when you’re about to join a Zoom meeting and the neighbors decide to practice their drumskills. Maybe today is the day when your internet connection decides to get persnickety. Maybe today is the day that a project deadline has been moved up by a few days. In short, maybe today is not your day. 

Most of us take a moment to vent. The instant release of emotion, afterall, is an acceptable way of coping with this particularly frustrating scenario, right? You take all of 5 minutes to vent, and then return to work and go about your day. 

We can all agree that venting is a healthier option than keeping all your feelings inside. It’s different from complaining because complaining tends to be chronic, while venting is temporary and situational.

We all have good and bad days in the workplace – be it in the office or working from home. Sometimes, you just want to scream into an empty office or ping a colleague to talk about your frustrations. However, is there a way to vent responsibly that won’t land you a visit to the HR department? These are the dos and don’ts of venting in the workplace.

Don’ts

Don’t use group chats or office communication. Many workplace horror stories have been told about sending messages to the wrong recipient. Imagine how awkward it would be to complain about the behavior of a colleague and accidentally send it to that colleague. Also, be careful about email communications. Your IT department has access to internal communications, so don’t send something that could result in serious implications for your role or work relations. 

Don’t vent to just about anybody who is within earshot. Choose who you talk to. Ven to someone you trust and not the intern or the gossip girl from that other department.

Do’s

Document your emotions. Journaling is scientifically proven to reduce stress. Writing down your feelings on paper makes them a bit more tangible and less abstract. It also makes them more actionable. 

Vent with a non-work friend. Video call a friend and ask if they have the time and mental space for a quick chat to vent. Always ask if they have the bandwidth to help you through. Venting with a non-work friend removes the possibility of accidentally sending an incriminating message to the wrong party. 

Get up and walk away from your desk. It’s time to take a breather. Take a few minutes to breathe and gather yourself. When people are stressed, their breathing quickens. Being mindful of your breathing will help you relax and think more clearly. Stepping away from your desk also helps you relax and less inclined to throw your coffee mug at a wall out of frustration.

How about you? How do you handle frustrations in the workplace? What are your venting techniques? 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

Jul23

Five reasons The Help stays with Elance

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Five reasons The Help stays with Elance

In this entrepreneurial age where lifelong employment is part of ancient history, everyone thinks e-commerce in both personal and professional lives.

Shrinking incomes and company downsizing put freelancing on center stage for one very important reason.  Freelancing stems the onslaught of despair when someone in the family is unemployed.  It provides a temporary solution for those looking to augment income.   There are several online platforms for freelancers but most of them stay with Elance, The Help included; here are five reasons why:

  1. Elance visibility is key. Registered freelancers are subscribed according to expertise ensuring that employers have access to the A-players in the talent pool.
  2. Freelancers are assured payment via the escrow and milestones that are integral to the contract eliminating anxiety for both client and provider.
  3. Feedback from clients insures continued improvement of quality of service fostering trust and growth in business relationships.
  4. The Elance platform is user friendly, which means even older freelancers quickly learn usage of its tools.
  5. Elance recently made $800,000,000, which means its members are getting great money for excellent delivery.

The Help, associated with Elance since its inception, grew by leaps and bounds.  It’s now Number 2, nationwide, and Number 12 (as of Feb 2013,) worldwide in the Administrative Assistance category.

 

Written by Yoli P.- The Help
Jul8

The Help’s Guarantee

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The Help’s Guarantee

Think it doesn’t matter which service provider you choose? Think again!

Remember, it is your business.  It is your money.  It matters!

Read on and find out why more and more clients prefer The Help than other providers.

The Help’s Guarantees

Guarantee #1. Cloud-based virtual administrative assistant professionalism guarantee- We offer prompt, excellent and professional service to you and your clients. If you find that’s not the case and would like to terminate services, we can do so immediately—no questions asked.

Guarantee #2. Cost-effective- We will never charge a monthly retainer fee and will never bill you before the work is performed—only after. You only pay for the services you use. We use Elance tracker that takes screenshot of what we are doing during the shift. Payment is for actual work done at the rate agreed upon in advance. You don’t have to worry about payroll, sick leave, other employment compensation and benefits, providing work space or equipment.

Guarantee #3. Increased Efficiency – Our job as a VA is to minimize trouble and maximize productivity to the business owner. We can take care most of your daily transactions, therefore you will have more time to focus in important projects. Works in your absence- Since the office is there, irrespective of your presence, just like any other office, the calls, mails, post, fax …all are received on behalf of the clients with their consent. We can respond to customer phone calls, reply emails with your generic business greetings and many more.

Guarantee #4 Reduces hassles- You can have the option of transferring all your calls to us and receive only the ones you wish to. This saves you from the unwanted marketing calls.

Guarantee #5. Flexibility with time- We can work with your schedule. We can start working as early as five in the morning or as late as 12 midnight.

Guarantee #6. Flexibility with nature of work- Our range of knowledge is endless. We‘re experts in our field, because we’ve performed these task as employees previously and have Degrees, Certificates and training to accomplish the task. We use globally-competitive platforms and applications to do our job.

Guarantee #7. No Black Boxes Promise- Employees and contractors often create “black boxes” or job security by not sharing procedures, logins, etc. they use to do their job, making it impossible for someone else to do their job if they quit or leave, making them “indispensable” and impossible to fire. The Help will be able to help you set up your virtual office systems by writing down and documenting processes and tasks. We always keep track of the projects development, making it easy for anyone to take over the position at any given time.

Guarantee #8. Minimal Training- We do not need comprehensive training. We normally just need to know what the business is, the mission and we take it by heart. That way, we can handle the tasks, customers’ enquiry etc. the way you will be handling them. We are highly trainable and fast learners.

Guarantee #9. World-class service- Our ranking and feedbacks in Elance would show how good we are with what we do and how satisfied our clients are with our contribution in the success of their business or project. We are not offering just one skill but rather set of skills. We are not just customer service. We build relationships with our clients. We take care of their needs and their questions.

Guarantee #10. Data Integrity and Security- We are very big when it comes to data integrity and security. Any information related to our clients, our potential clients, or any type of business partner cannot be accessed by unauthorized person. This may include but not limited to financial documentation, contract language, patented/copyrighted materials, client documents, software code, business correspondence, business methodologies, business strategies, governance structure, client procedure, business capture techniques etc. Usernames and passwords are being kept on a safe place, soft copies are all encrypted. We can commit to a 100% accuracy of any data that we enter to your database. We use company-provided computer/access/software which is strictly for official business use only. Your data and your system are safe with us. We are happy to sign NDA if required.

Guarantee #11. We value entrepreneurship- We treat our client’s business as if it is our own. We do not want any time, money or effort put into waste. We collaborate with our client and are being proactive in determining issues that arise before it becomes a problem, brainstorm and recommend solutions.