This year has brought changes to all our careers; the way we work, interact with others, and manage to stay connected. Challenges usually bring learning opportunities, and today we’re examining what COVID-19 has taught us in regard to our careers.
We have become more adaptable: Flexibility and the ability to adapt to ever-changing situations is the name of the game in 2020. As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” and it’s never been more true. Recognize your ability to create strategies to help yourself, your colleagues, and your family, and share those ideas freely.
There’s a new humanity: Remember the old joke that no absence was excusable, save for your own funeral (if you gave proper notice)? Things are different now, and the fact that families work and learn differently has given us the opportunity to see each other as people, not just well-dressed colleagues who occupy
It’s another Monday morning. For the home-based employee, it’s another week of working virtually. Another week of trying to juggle kids, our career, and perhaps a barking dog or curious cat while we’re maintaining a professional atmosphere in which to complete our work. Your home isn’t designed to be an office, but overall, you’re managing fairly well.
A PwC survey in June found that 44% of employers felt employees were more productive working at home during the pandemic, vs. 31% who believed they were less productive and 25% who felt work output was roughly the same. How would you categorize yourself?
There are many factors at play here to be your most productive. The key is in planning as much as you possibly can, and this means as a family. Women are particularly stressed and job statistics show they are increasingly leaving their jobs to provide childcare and assist with virtual learning. For single parents, the stress is even greater as there’s no partner to balance things out.
However, the world keeps churning. Bosses still expect top quality work and the same dedication they were accustomed to pre-COVID-19. Is this possible, you ask?
Yes, in fact, it is. It just takes a lot of creativity.
Consider:
According to a Gallop poll, 1 in 4 adults is working entirely from home. Statistics vary, but approximately 50 percent of students are participating solely in online learning, with the remainder in some sort of hybrid arrangement. That’s a lot of people home together all day trying to accomplish what was once done with the support of others in a designated environment. It’s no wonder there’s stress!
We invite you to grab a cup of your favorite coffee or tea and explore these tips and resources:
- Dual working couples can and should stagger their day. Finding a unique solution that is amenable to your family while meeting your supervisor’s expectations is crucial. Communicate this information to your supervisors and work together to create a realistic plan.
- Respect each other’s space, both for adults and children. Ensure everyone has the best working and learning environment possible. Take this very seriously to minimize frustration.
- Outsource what you can afford (grocery delivery, housekeeping, etc.) Consider child care or utilization of a “pod” schooling situation for those days or even a week when you must be in a conference or nonstop meetings. Allow yourself the ability to give proper attention to the task at hand, especially if you are a presenter or you are participating in continuing education.
- Curb unrealistic expectations and let go of perfection. If the laundry is a bit piled up or the grass needs mowing, don’t be so hard on yourself. It will get done. You need less stress, not more. Prioritize.
- Demonstrate compassion for others and practice understanding. We’re all in this together. Be creative in solutions to help each other during this challenging time.
- Practice your best self-care. We all know what we need—proper sleep, exercise, eating right. We also intuitively know what makes us feel our best on a very specific level. Whether it’s yoga, walks in nature, reading for an hour each day, taking particular supplements, or sticking to a certain nutrition, continue to make that activity a priority. As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Take care of yourself both emotionally and physically.
- Set boundaries. Turn that laptop off and put the phone up for a bit. Resist the urge to check emails during family time. If you’re fortunate enough to have a home office, shut the door when the workday is complete. Learn to say no, and stick to it. Prioritizing will bring clarity to the things that can be postponed or even eliminated from daily life right now. Saying no tends to make us feel guilty, but for our own mental and physical wellbeing, it’s a necessity. Make your decisions and stick to them.
- Have a plan for emergencies such as sick children or your own need for a sick or personal day off. Have a plan for when (not if) your internet has an issue or there are other technology issues. We all run into this from time to time. How can we adapt and pivot and still get our work done?
- Remember to advocate for yourself. This is something that a virus can’t diminish. Maybe you were in line for a promotion earlier in the year, or you were facing a particular challenge. Again, communication is key to allow your supervisor to see that you haven’t missed a beat and you’re ready to tackle anything from a promotion to advancing your skills to dealing with sensitive issues with coworkers.
- Recognize that this is temporary. Institute practices that will help you look back and remember how your family conquered this challenge successfully.
Ten Resources to Navigate our COVID-19 World:
- The Cloud. If you don’t already utilize Google Drive, Dropbox, One Drive, or the like for your work projects, now is the perfect time. By sharing documents securely, you can work together efficiently and in real time. Google has an entire suite of products to help: https://www.google.com/docs/about/
- Productivity software. From Monday to Microsoft Teams to Trello and all the others in between, these help keep us on track for virtual or on-site tasks. Most of these platforms have free trials. Try: https://monday.com/product/
- Lost your job due to the pandemic? Spend time on not only the popular job boards such as Indeed, but do some searching on LinkedIn. There are wonderful opportunities to be had, and the search feature is excellent. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/
- Need help with health and human services in your state? Many resources are listed here: https://www.hhs.gov/programs/social-services/index.html
- Self-care apps have increased in popularity. Many suggestions are listed here: https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/copingresources/apps#a
- Looking for some different educational opportunities for your children? Try these:
- Virtual Field Trips: https://www.discoveryeducation.com/community/virtual-field-trips/?fbclid=IwAR3xAaEuF9L6zycO_xBL5Nd8lhk63Dnyqp6z30iMGkMS_E2ijMiEOmGH_WY
- Keep everyone learning with Kahn Academy: https://keeplearning.khanacademy.org/
- Stream stories for free: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
- Nature and animal webcams from around the world: https://explore.org/livecams
- Looking for some support, even for a few hours? Try https://www.care.com/
- Childcare specific resources by state: https://www.childcare.gov/covid-19
- COVID-19 Prevention in the Workplace: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/businesses-employers.html
- Coping with COVID-19 from the National Institutes of Health: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/education-awareness/shareable-resources-on-coping-with-covid-19.shtml
What are your favorite tips for juggling work and home life during COVID-19? Please share in the comments. We’d love to hear your insight!
Coaching can play a part in helping you identify, think through, and put sound practices into place. If you’d like more information on our services, please visit www.mbrownassociates.com and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarshallBrownAssociates. Interested in making an appointment? Call Marshall at 202.669.2065
COVID-19 has interrupted our lives for months now. We’ve had to pivot our careers a bit and employ some changes in how we carry out our daily work. However, one common denominator still exists—we need to network and continue to build professional connections.
Gone were the days of those in-person events; the socials, networking breakfasts, lunch and learn—all of it needed to be accomplished in a new way. The good news is, it’s still possible to network, and maybe even be more productive in doing so.
Korn Ferry reports this sobering stat: until COVID-19, event planners were putting together more than 5,200 meetings a day, each with more than 10 attendees. COVID-19 brought that to a grinding halt.
Where is the good news in all of this, you ask? Finding positive aspects to our seemingly defunct networking life allows us to realize there’s one big savings, and that is time. The time you used sitting in traffic, looking for a parking space, driving from one spot to another can be worked more effectively into our day, thanks to modern technology.
We are of course talking about all the internet platforms we’ve become so familiar with in the last months. Zoom, WebEx, GoToMeeting, and the like. We were familiar with them before, but now as we become seasoned users, we need to make them work for us the same as any other tool in our career—not for convenience sake, but to actually help expand our network and strengthen those valuable connections we’ve already built. Here are some ideas to utilize our home/remote office space and those in-person conferencing tools into a valuable resource for networking:
Use the video chat feature, not just the audio. Striving to make a great first impression still applies, even from our home office. Have a good background/divider or suitable green screen, dress in your normal business attire, and be ready to meet existing and potential new colleagues with a smile and air of professionalism, just as you would in person. Considering all the stress COVID-19 has brought about, we need to keep our meetings positive and make good connections that will serve us in the future—not connections fraught with despair because we’ve recently lost a job or are frustrated dealing with the pandemic upheaval. Keeping a spirit of true collaboration and offering to help others is essential.
Join in on career fairs and preorganized networking opportunities. Hosts of these events are getting creative, including having a “map” of booths or presenters that you can click on, which will take you to Zoom or a similar platform. Roll with the creative ideas and put them into practice. Some have found that partaking in a “virtual coffee break” is even beneficial. Gather together some colleagues who have commonalities and see if there’s a chance to forge more connections within your network.
Utilize the obvious built-in icebreaker—COVID-19. Taking genuine interest in how people are doing and pivoting their work life is both a chance for them to share their experience, and you may even learn some great tips, too. Most importantly, it affords us the opportunity to share human experience.
Focus on your connection. After brief introductions, pivot the conversation to your new contact and learn about them. They will remember this, and you never know when an opportunity may come along that they would consider you a good fit for.
Be patient and remember everyone’s life has been upended. A colleague may not return a call or email as quickly as they normally would. Maybe it’s difficult to find a good time to meet. Be mindful that they are enduring challenges themselves. Give them a reasonable time to respond before giving a gentle nudge.
Polish up your professional and personal online presence. It’s all about putting your best foot forward professionally. Think about it – what do we do when we want more information? We look a person or organization up online. Make your profiles ones you’d want others to be pleased to see.
The most important takeaway is that we keep an open mind and turn the challenges of COVID-19 into new possibilities. One constant that will always remain is the need to network and develop relationships—we just need to engage in new strategies to accomplish this.
For more information on connecting with Marshall Brown, please email info@mbrownassociates.com and visit our website at www.mbrownassociates.com