Vanya Wryter Consulting Services

Tag: remote work

  • 4 Reasons Remote Work Is What You Love or Hate

    4 Reasons Remote Work Is What You Love or Hate

    Mention “remote work” and people will react with love or hate. In the last couple of years, more workers have experienced remote work as offices closed. Most workers agree that remote work saves you the commute and helps you to avoid annoying coworkers. But there is also a darker side.

    People who suddenly switched to work from home (WFH) may have converted their dining room into an office, allowing work and home to blur together. Workers who enjoy collaboration may have struggled with a new feeling of isolation from their colleagues.

    However, remote work does come with great perks if you prepare yourself for the lifestyle. A big plus is having more flexibility in your schedule, and a casual dress code that allows comfortable clothes.

    Plenty of other pros and cons make remote work a love or hate situation. Here are four downsides to working from home, along with some top tips for working remotely:

    Social media is more distracting than your surroundings

    You may be working remotely, but you’re not entirely in isolation. Even if you live with family or roommates, and you’ve arranged for them to leave you alone during office hours, you’re not alone.

    In the Information Age, you’ve got plenty of distractions on your computer and phone. Facebook posts, IG reels, text messages, and group chats give you easy excuses not to work. If you’re stuck on what to write for your report, an easy press of a button will have five minutes rushing by as you watch an amusing TikTok video.

    The break is for inspiration, you say. You can tell yourself you needed that quick recharge; it’s no different than a quick chat with a coworker as you grab a coffee from the company kitchen.

    But similar to your set up at the office, you choose how you arrange your work area at home. You’ve found a place where you can work undisturbed. Next, set up boundaries for social media and communications with some quick changes.

    Turn off notifications and check messages only when it’s a designated break time.

    Update your availability status so coworkers or clients see that you don’t want to be disturbed. Another option is to quickly scan your work messages and emails to see if they must be answered right away. Otherwise, wait until you arrive at a natural stopping point in your work task or workday before replying to those messages.

    Your loved ones will be in your personal and professional life

    One of the best things about remote work is the shortened commute because you wake up in the same building where you work. It also means your loved ones will have easy access to your office.

    It can be challenging to draw a firm boundary between your work life and personal life. If you don’t set boundaries, both worlds will blur together.

    Some people are comfortable allowing family into their workspace. During virtual work meetings, their children drop by to ask permission to watch a TV show, or the family pet observes your discussions. Remote work has allowed coworkers to meet family members in a way that they wouldn’t have before, when you worked at the office. If you aren’t comfortable with this lack of boundaries, you have other options.

    Some remote workers rent an office co-working space or go to a coffee shop. Others set up office hours at home. For example, when the study room door is closed, it means you’re working, and you can’t be disturbed until your next break. If you’re working at a desk in the kitchen or living room corner, you can signal that you’re working whenever you have headphones on.

    Setting regular work hours can be more difficult when you’re working remotely. It’s easy to get distracted and put off working on a project now so you can work on it tonight. With flexible hours, you have the convenience of scheduling doctor’s appointments during the day. You can excuse yourself from work to pick up the kids from school.

    However, because your office is where you live, it’s also easier to be working all the time. You no longer have a long commute, so you could work a bit longer to finish that task instead of waiting until tomorrow. Coworkers could also expect you to be more reachable because you are at home, where you should see that email notification after hours.

    For these reasons, it’s vital to set boundaries for yourself. Log off at a set time each day. Avoid answering messages and emails once you’re officially “away” from the office. When people know you’re not reachable before and after certain times, they will not expect to get a reply from you.

    Setting boundaries is essential for your mental health. The most significant upside to remote work is you get to set those boundaries. If you’re a morning person, plan to complete projects in the early hours. If you’re a night person, complete your most challenging projects at night. Also, block off time for yourself and your loved ones.

    Working from home doesn’t mean work life and home life should coexist.

    Lack of productivity or lack of a routine

    Working remotely allows more freedom in your schedule. You can plan your work hours around family events and routines. It’s easier to schedule dental appointments, car servicing, and grocery shopping at more optimal times during the day. 

    Having a set work schedule is also helpful for getting yourself organized and keeping track of tasks. For example, check for meetings you need to prepare for as soon as you get started. Always log in your project hours as your final task for the day. Having a routine also mentally prepares your brain for the start and end of the workday. 

    Plan out your tasks for the day. One way is to schedule your most challenging tasks first, so you’re working on them when you have the most energy. If you have a lot of repetitive tasks, you can complete some, then reward yourself with a break.

    Remember to break for lunch. When working from home, it’s easy to keep working if you’re engaged in what you’re doing. You don’t have the distraction of coworkers leaving their desks to remind you when it’s lunchtime.

    Communication skills become a lifeline

    Communication is important at the office, but it becomes your lifeline to your boss and colleagues when you’re working remotely. Silence can be detrimental, so over-communication is preferred when working from home.

    Your supervisor and coworkers don’t know what you’ve been doing unless you leave an electronic paper trail. Communicate clearly in group chats what you’re working on and what you’ve accomplished. Leave links to completed reports so people can find them.

    If you haven’t completed what you’d planned to by the end of the day, take the initiative to update team members on new delivery dates. Don’t wait for them to chase you for an update. Taking on responsibility also shows your accountability.

    If you weren’t clear about your task or role, send an email outlining what you believe you’re responsible for finishing by specific dates. This allows your boss the opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings before any errors occur.

    When you work from home, there are fewer opportunities to socialize. However, you can still take advantage of opportunities to see how a coworker is doing. The start of a virtual meeting is a chance for some small talk to see what people plan to do for an upcoming holiday or to check if a coworker’s arm has healed from an accident.

    Group chats are also an informal opportunity to chat with coworkers. For example, after asking if your coworker has completed the spreadsheet, ask how she is coping with the weather.

    Depending on your rapport with the team and the company culture, you can send a photo for some humour. For example, sending a photo of your cat’s latest humorous antics. Group chats are less formal than email and can offer opportunities for coffee break conversations.

    Communication is also about setting firm boundaries. Your boss may request an impromptu meeting at an inconvenient time (which could mean you aren’t camera-ready). In that case, you can suggest another meeting time or request to have the task by email instead of discussed at a meeting.  

    Key Takeaways

    Remote work has become a household term in the last couple of years. Some people were forced to work from home, while others prefer it. Regardless, remote work has its pros and cons. Applying some top tips to your remote work set up at home will increase the perks of working from home.

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  • Fashion Trends for Remote Work: What Are You Hiding?

    Fashion Trends for Remote Work: What Are You Hiding?

    When the pandemic disrupted commutes to work, it challenged us to rethink our wardrobes. Offices shut down and people with desk jobs found themselves working from home in pajamas, yoga wear, or “half-and-half” fashion styles.

    So what’s half-and-half? If you’ve attended a virtual meeting, you’ll know what I mean by half-and-half styles. You’re wearing a blazer, shirt, or office casual sweater on top, with leggings, jogging pants and bare feet, socks or slippers where the camera can’t see. Business casual on top, and casual on the bottom.

    A year later, after dressing down, people have started to dress back up again. People who still work from home (WFH) aren’t wearing heels and dress shoes yet, but they are raising the bar on work from home fashion. It’s one way to mentally separate your weekend self from your work self, especially if your office and home are the same place.

    Here are some fashion trends from the work from home world.

    Networking Meetings

    When people started to hold meetings at home last year, they were looking for a temporary solution. Those who were new to working from home attended virtual meetings from dining tables or their couches. Room lighting was sometimes dim and their background was the mess of everyday living.

    During the second year of work from home, fashion became business casual. People wore sweaters, shirts, scarves, and quality T-shirts. Many had well-positioned cameras and lighting, and virtual backgrounds of offices or a virtual wall with their company information on it.

    People had become accustomed to virtual meetings and their routines. Some business owners even had their contact information and company description pre-typed and ready to paste in the chat after they introduced themselves.

    If we return to in-person networking meetings, it will be an adjustment not to see company names projected behind people. It will also be jarring to see people from head to foot – and notice that they have a height.

    Coworker, Client, and Team Meetings

    The height difference is one factor that’s disappeared as a result of remote work. In this new world of entire companies working from home, you may never experience that moment of walking by as a coworker changes from flats to heels, or grabs a suit jacket as you both walk to the meeting room.

    In the summer this year, fashion was more casual for team meetings – T-shirts and tank tops, especially if the team is entirely female. When winter arrived, people attended team meetings in sweaters, polo shirts, and shirts. They dressed like they used to when people worked in offices. Or perhaps they did a wardrobe change… we won’t know.

    I prefer to dress more casually when working and do a quick clothing change for team meetings. Coworkers and clients I’ve never met in person will forever think that I dress more formally than I usually do. If they ever see me wearing what I really wear while typing away at a project, they may be surprised. Perhaps the surprise might even go both ways. I’m not 100% sure the CEO stays dressed up after a virtual meeting is over. Maybe she exchanges her lovely scarf and fancy sweater for a hoodie. We will never know.

    Surprise Meetings

    If introverts dislike one thing, it’s last-minute notice that you’ll be seeing people. Back in the days when people worked in offices, and the team suddenly called an impromptu meeting, your first thought wasn’t, “Uh uh. What should I wear?” You’re already at the office.

    Your reaction may be different when you work from home. Maybe you got up late so you’re rushing to get an assignment done. You haven’t combed your hair and you’re wearing the grubby old hoodie that never leaves the house. Then you get a DM to meet online RIGHT NOW.

    You panic about your appearance, and then you realize: you’ve got an excuse not to go on camera. Sorry, voice only today, you answer. I wasn’t prepared for a video call. Another alternative is to dim the lights so you look better than in real life. You can blame a bad internet connection. Or you say didn’t have time to set up your camera.

    I once experienced a surprise at an impromptu meeting. The organizer asked to meet in a half hour. She always had a virtual background of a home office, so when her background had changed to a large designer kitchen, I assumed it was her new virtual background. Then she destroyed the illusion by saying it really was her kitchen and sorry for the mess. She should have said it was virtual kitchen.

    Final Thoughts

    Some people were already working from home before WFH and remote work became household words. In the second year of the pandemic, it seems that people have turned their home office into their professional work area, and dressing like they’re working in a traditional office. The biggest difference is, they are still dressed for comfort, but the look is more classy.

    Perhaps the next step in WFH as technology advances is holographic images of ourselves whenever we attend virtual meetings. Our image could be dressed in a suit or sweater while our real self is wearing an old T-shirt. Why not?  Work from home is continuously being redefined.

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  • 4 Success Tips for Remote Work Companies

    4 Success Tips for Remote Work Companies

    How would you feel about never meeting your coworkers in person? As remote work increases in popularity, more and more companies hire staff living in different cities and opposites sides of the country. It’s possible to never see your coworkers except at virtual meetings.
    A new company culture must exist so employees and contractors feel connected and welcome, not isolated. Here are four tips for creating a positive company culture if you have a remote team.

    1 Onboarding process includes an informal meeting with the team

    One of the most important aspects of company culture is inclusivity: having team members feel like they are part of the team and not an extra.

    Before a contractor’s first project or as an employee’s first week of work, schedule an informal meeting with team or department members they will be working with. Ask each person to introduce themselves and share something about their personal lives, such as hobbies, favorite pets, or places to visit. This initial connection helps to build relationships and gives a sense of everyone’s personality.

    Often remote teams communicate by text or voice message, removing a person’s tone of voice. Even if they use voice messages, facial expressions and body language are missing. If someone types a short text message, their intention or mood is too open to interpretation. Was the message typed in a hurry, or was the team member angry?

    Having that initial meeting helps smooth out friction and doubt. If the person seemed easy-going on the virtual meeting, but you know she is very busy with projects, she probably typed the short text in a hurry and isn’t upset with something you said!

    2 Mentor or supervisor/contact person is responsive and supportive

    It’s possible to work on a project for weeks, and your only liaison with the company or department is your mentor or project supervisor during that time. They become your lifeline to “civilization” while you work, remotely and alone.

    When you have a question or problem to fix, a contact person who is responsive and warm is crucial. There is nothing worse than asking a question, seeing a read receipt on the text, and not getting a response for 24 hours. The remote worker can feel stranded on a deserted island.

    Having a mentor who is warm and positive is more important than a knowledgeable mentor. Even if he doesn’t have a solution for your question, you won’t feel anxious about “bothering” him with another question. Eventually, you’ll work out the problem together.

    3 Clear procedures and best practices

    Documentation is key to running a remote company. Unlike working at an office, an employee can’t pop over to the next cubicle to ask a coworker for a procedure manual.

    Team members need to know how to use a CRM or communication software to communicate with the team. Do they use Slack to ask questions in a group chat? Do they go to Google Drive to find the correct procedures for opening an account with an overseas client?

    When remote team members know where to look for information or ask for information, the company runs smoothly, even if company members never physically cross paths throughout the entire work year.

    4 Support and appreciation for work accomplished

    Whenever a team member or contractor finishes a significant task or a project, it’s a great feeling when the supervisor or mentor thanks that person for their achievement. It’s even better when the mentor says that the company CEO or the entire department appreciates the accomplishment.

    For a contractor especially, it isn’t very reassuring when they finish a project, get a paycheck, but never hear any feedback about what happened to their work. Was the client okay with the project? More than okay? Emailing a contractor to “send an invoice for completing the project” can create a feeling of isolation.

    Getting feedback and hearing that the work was well-received gives team members and contractors the assurance that more work is on the horizon because of a job well done.

    Key Takeaways

    For companies that are 100 percent remote, scheduling time for employees and contractors to meet the team is an important step to effective communication. When everyone is clear on their role and they feel appreciated, it will feel like a team of people in separate rooms of the same house, and not a random bunch of people scattered across the globe!

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  • What You Need to Know About Remote Work

    What You Need to Know About Remote Work

    How would you feel about mixing work and home life? Many workers got a taste of remote work, or working from home, when the pandemic turned our lives upside down in 2020. Some people loved the change while others absolutely hated it.

    If you haven’t tried it yet, and you’re wondering what it’s like, here’s what you need to know about remote work. If you already have been a remote worker, would you agree with the following points about blurring work and home life?

    Isolation and lack of in-person interaction

    At first, you might think it’s a nice break from your coworkers if you’re working from home. The co-worker you dislike running into is finally gone from your life, and the co-worker who interrupts you to offer the latest company gossip is finally quiet. Then weeks go by, and you become a hate or love it remote worker.

    Here are some reasons why you hate it: you miss having lunch with the co-worker who is also your friend. You miss the conversations you had whenever you collaborated with a team. Sure, you have team meetings on Zoom, but everyone is mindful of the time and sticks to the point. When you worked in person, there was time for social conversation to lighten the mood while you worked.

    In contrast, if you’re an introvert, you might love remote work. Interaction with your co-workers is at a minimum. No more purposeless water cooler conversations. Now, you can work in peace and get what you need done on time. You don’t feel isolated at all. You also enjoy the short commute from your bedroom to your home office.

    Some people may be less extreme, preferring some face-to-face in-person work time and the flexibility to work from home without interruption.

    A makeshift office that doubles up as kitchen and family space

    Your office may be a temporary workspace, a desk by day and family dining table at night. It’s easy to be distracted by family members or the family pet as they pass from room to room. Virtual meetings with the office may be a challenge. For example, a friend said her co-workers are now familiar with her husband’s comic character T-shirts because he passed in the background quite often.

    This makeshift office may be less comfortable without a proper chair or room lighting. You might start to get annoyed at your spouse, sitting at the other end of the dining table, clicking away on the computer or talking during a meeting. It’s a change because you used to have your own private office with a window view and now you’re sharing your desk with someone you see from morning til night.

    Lunch has required some changes too. It’s nice you no longer have to spend time packing your lunch the night before. You can heat up or cook something from your kitchen. Or you can order take out. But you miss popping out of the office to grab something from a nearby restaurant for lunch. It was an excuse to get some fresh air.

    Different level of professionalism

    Is it necessary to dress up if your co-workers can’t see you? You’re accustomed to wearing comfy clothes when you’re at home, not stiff suits or heel-biting shoes. Perhaps you dressed up when you first started remote work because you enjoyed the psychological separation between work time and home time.

    As the months trudged on, however, your formality may have started to decline. For example, why dress up from head to toe if the camera only shows you from the waist up during a meeting? Why not look good from the waist up and let your lower half get comfy in jogging pants?

    It may also be more practical to dress casual at home because of the added flexibility. A friend said that during coffee breaks, he would do some housework before returning to work. It seemed more productive than what he used to do at the office, which was complete crossword puzzles during coffee breaks.

    Overnight technological savvy and IT nerdiness

    When you used to work at an office, you had someone to call on whenever you had an IT issue. While working from home, you may have found an overnight need to become technologically savvy with your own computer.

    With remote work, you had to set up your home office for virtual meetings, learn how to install communication and project management apps on your computer and/or phone by yourself. If you needed the “IT guy”, he would need to access your computer remotely or advise you over the phone or by chat messaging.

    On the upside, you may have figured out a way to let the office know that you’re online during regular office hours, even if you aren’t.

    Summary

    Is working from home something you would want for the rest of your career? Remote work has changed the habits of many office workers. Some prefer remote work while others can’t wait to return to old habits. What do you think? Would you prefer to work from home?

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  • How to Dress for Remote Work – Fashion Trends for Pandemic Life Part 2

    How to Dress for Remote Work – Fashion Trends for Pandemic Life Part 2

    After a year of remote work, are you ready to set aside your hoodies and sweatpants and dust off your business suits? I miss how dressing up for client meetings made me feel. Let’s capture that feeling again! If you’re still working from home, start off the new year by looking powerfully stylish. Here are some fashion trends for pandemic life to release the negativity of the past year and dress you up for remote work.

    Masks and Fresh Faces

    Like Superman and Clark Kent, or Supergirl and Kara Danvers, the pandemic has given me a new fashion trend and a new identity. Bear with me for a few paragraphs while I explain. I miss wearing full makeup when I go out. Wearing lipstick and then smearing it on my mask seemed counterproductive. Instead, my mask became the fashion accessory for the lower half of my face.

    A disposable mask says, “you’re practical.” A homemade mask with patterns or solid colors became an extension of my wardrobe. Mixing and matching clothes and masks is now the “in” thing. I learned to smile with my eyes as a new way to connect with people, instead of smiling with my mouth. Walking into a bank with a mask on was finally acceptable.

    A half-hidden face was like a Supergirl identity. I revealed the real me when I got home. I could wear makeup and try a new hairstyle for my next virtual meeting. The camera was my fashion runway. My secret identity, my entire face, was exposed to the world only in the virtual world. When I next go out, I’ll be disguised again, at least, until this pandemic is over.

    Recycle It or Do It Yourself (DIY) Fashion

    A fashion trend I’m seeing on Instagram and TikTok is making old clothes new again. Most of us have a shirt or a cardigan. Now if you tuck in that shirt or cardigan just above the waist, you’re accenting your waist and wearing old clothes a new way.

    Updating old looks is easy if all we have to do is find what we have and wear it differently than before. These days, with restrictions on our social lives and where we can go, it’s handy to be able to shop at our own homes and be trendy. For those of us hit hard financially during the pandemic, being able to refresh old items is especially good news. Recycling is also good for the environment.

    Do it yourself fashion is also a trend. Creating new looks seems as simple as watching a video and following a few steps. I’m a bit hesitant to cut away at old items or colour old items to create something new that I’ll wear in public. But if you’re handy with your hands, DIY is an option to look into.

    After dressing down for almost a year, it’s time for a change. Some people are dressing up with brand name yoga wear. It’s still casual, but trendier. I’m ready to update old clothes – wearing my skirt, shirt, and cardigan 2021 style. Dressing up to work at home can put me into a professional and productive mindset.

    Online Vs Brick and Mortar Trend

    Another fashion trend for pandemic life is online shopping. For those who have a sense of what clothes fit them just by eyeballing photos, online clothes shopping is both convenient and safe.

    You can avoid the malls and lineups. If you have health issues, online shopping keeps you safe. Most conveniently, you can shop during your coffee break while you work from home.

    As an entrepreneur myself, I would encourage people to shop brick and mortar small businesses, such as clothing boutiques.

    Summary

    It’s time to refresh your look for the new year. If you’ve been working remotely for a year, you can liven up your pandemic life by trying out some new fashion trends. Dressing up can make you look and feel good. Most importantly, we can recapture how wonderful it felt to look fantastic while at work.

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