Vanya Wryter Consulting Services

Tag: work from home

  • To Work or Not to Work Over the Holidays If You Have an Office Job

    To Work or Not to Work Over the Holidays If You Have an Office Job

    Do you plan to work during the holidays? If you have an office job, you’ve heard about coworkers taking time off to spend with family and relax. Big projects are winding down or postponed to next year. Clients aren’t booking meetings and have automatic email messages.

    How about you? Are you one of those who are taking time off for the holidays? Or will you be working throughout the last two weeks of December?

    Many don’t take time off for different reasons. Some decide not to take time off because of their workload. Taking time off will put them further behind in January. 

    If you work from home, it’s easier to keep working when many are on holiday. You’re not walking into a half-empty office and getting spooked when you hear noises when you know that you’re the only person in the immediate area. Working from home pre- and post-December is like any other work day.

    Working during the holidays is a great time to get caught up and get ahead. You’re not flooded with constant emails and DM notifications. Your calendar isn’t filled with meetings. Last-minute projects aren’t being piled on your desk. You can finish up the old ones without playing catch-up to start a new year.

    It’s also great for mental and physical health to avoid working during the holidays. You can get caught up on sleep and spend more time with friends and family. If you dislike your job or your workplace, the holidays are a great time to recharge and get away from a strict schedule of meetings, deadlines, and 9 to 5. A break from battling rush-hour traffic. 

    If you have an office job, what are your plans for the holidays? Do you plan to work or take time off?

  • The Cheapest Way to Upgrade Your Home Office

    The Cheapest Way to Upgrade Your Home Office

    At first, it seemed like he was attending the Zoom meeting from an exotic tropic location. The window to his office was wide open, the palm trees behind him swaying to the breeze and his curtains brushing against him where he sat at his desk.

    Technology has become so advanced that you don’t need fancy office furniture to work from home. You need a solid computer to work remotely and a reliable internet connection. Those are the bare minimum.

    These days, even if you can’t afford to work from anywhere in the world of remote work, you can at least look like you can afford to work from anywhere. And you can upgrade your office anytime using the latest features of virtual meetings.

    Back to the office worker working in the tropics. Virtual backgrounds have become so advanced now that the background has movement and sound. It’s harder now to separate you from the virtual background behind you. Curtains can sway forward so close they seem to touch your arm, appearing as if you truly are in the fake room.

    The key to the illusion, however, is to move as little as possible. Movement destroys the fantasy. When you move quickly, people can almost see the real background behind you because technology can’t compensate fast enough. (So sit still while others admire your fantastic office location.) 

    Virtual backgrounds are the new way to upgrade the furniture in your home office. Your computer and internet are necessary for remote work, but you can decide how much you want to “spend” on your office furniture and the building itself. Do you want to be located in an open office space in a building? Hold a meeting in your glass condo with a view? Sit in a coffee shop full of people? The choices are limitless.

    However, life gets interesting when you always have virtual meetings from the same polished, immaculate home office, and one day you’re too lazy to turn on your background. You reveal your actual home office backdrop: a messy kitchen with items strewn all over the counter and your fancy desk is the kitchen table. The contrast from your usual setup can be jarring and revealing. (Maybe too revealing.)

    Welcome to the modern world of remote work and virtual backgrounds. The magic of technology can save you money. You can really “dress to impress” by finding the perfect work location for yourself. 

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  • 5 Tips on Working for a Virtual StartUp

    5 Tips on Working for a Virtual StartUp

    Nowadays, it’s possible to go to an office address and find that the company you’re looking for doesn’t physically exist there. At all. Technology has enabled the employees of an entire company to work from home. 

    Some of these companies are startups that are 100 percent virtual. These companies are great if you hate commuting and love working in your own space. But, as startups, they also have their drawbacks.

    Keep these five tips in mind if you’re thinking of working for a 100% remote startup company. These tips can improve your success at working for such a company in the long term.

    1 Believe in the mission and vision

    Look into the company’s mission and vision before you go to your job interview. The company’s goals should completely line up with yours. Of course, you want to work for a company with a purpose you believe in. With a startup, it is even more crucial that you aren’t working for the paycheque. Here’s why.

    Startups are start-ups. The journey can be bumpy as the company experiences growing pains. Roles for each person may constantly change. Policies and procedures may frequently update as the company tries to determine what works and what doesn’t. Even the company’s products and services may change as it adjusts to become a better fit for its ideal customers. 

    If the company’s goals are goals you fully support, it makes the constant shifting and adjusting easier to bear.

    2 Be flexible and open to change

    If you’re going to work for a startup, you absolutely must embrace change. As the company grows at a rapid pace, more people will join the team. Roles and responsibilities will shift. You may find yourself working with more team members or find yourself managing a team. You may have more tasks on your to-do list. Or you may have fewer, more specialized tasks as your role becomes more defined.

    Procedures may also improve and change over time as the company experiments with different types of software. Instead of tracking your hours on a simple spreadsheet or table, you now need to learn to use customer management software (CRM software) such as Salesforce. Instead of casually mentioning in a chat that you finished a task, you’ll need to write your update in a project management tool, such as Trello, Asana, or Click Up.

    3 Take initiative

    A startup company is still figuring out many things. Just picture a company that is settling into its office on moving day. Office equipment and office furniture are everywhere as people try to figure out where everyone will sit and what will go in each room.

    Some startups don’t have a human resources (HR) department or a clear line of authority. In these cases, you may need to be more assertive than you’re comfortable with. For example, if the person you report to is disrespectful to you, you’ll need to figure out who you could talk to about your boss. Similarly, without an HR, you won’t have someone to speak to about disrespectful treatment by a coworker. You will also have to take initiative about getting a raise because the company is still figuring out what the pay raises, bonuses, and benefits should be.

    4 Be prepared to put in extra hours and effort

    Working for a startup could mean working extra hours and putting in more effort. Depending on how established the startup is, the company may require you to work longer days to get procedures set up. They may be short staffed, so you’ll find yourself taking on the role of more than one person.

    At some companies, they will appreciate the extra effort and reward you with a promotion, such as a change in job title or responsibilities, or better pay. At other companies, particularly those that aren’t well organized, your extra effort will be required but will go unnoticed. They will expect you to work weekends and evenings in addition to regular office hours.  

    5 Invest in yourself

    If you’re working for a virtual startup, you may feel a bit disconnected, especially if you’re a social extrovert. You may only know the person who brought you into the company after the job interview. You’ll also know the people who you work with regularly. But everyone else will be just a name in a chat group. You don’t get to meet people casually in the hallway or during lunch break. 

    The people you work with may not remember to introduce you to key members of the team or remember to show you how to use the software you’ll need. 

    It’s up to you to reach out and remind them of your skills if you want a promotion or pay raise. Your supervisor may not remember these details, especially if the team has been growing and your supervisor has changed and there is no HR department. 

    Learning new skills is important, especially when it comes to technology. No one from the IT Department is going to knock on your door to help you set up your computer or connect to your internet. If you lose your internet connection or your computer breaks down, you lose your lifeline to your virtual job. 

    Key Takeaways

    Not all startups are the same. Leadership affects how the company treats its employees. If there is strong leadership, the startup will grow quickly while providing the support that each person needs. People will feel acknowledged and appreciated for their work. If you’re considering working for a virtual startup, be prepared to put in extra effort and be ready for rapid and constant change.

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  • Fashion Trends, Virtual Meetings, and 3D Digital Projections

    Fashion Trends, Virtual Meetings, and 3D Digital Projections

    Fitness and comfort have influenced the fashion style of work from home (WFH). As technology continues to make working from home more commonplace, it won’t be as necessary to pack a suitcase for a business trip. In the near future, we could be going to work in a digital outfit.

    Two years ago, when the world almost shut down because of the pandemic, WFH became a household word and began a trend that continues today. When that switch happened, many people became uncertain about what to wear for work.

    Home was where you walked around in PJs, fuzzy slippers, or gym clothes. Were you expected to dress up in slacks and a shirt while working in your home office? People continued to dress the way they did for the office because it was familiar. Later, the fashion became a hybrid of styles. At virtual meetings, people wore business casual tops for the camera, and shorts or yoga pants for under the desk.

    As the years continued, people accepted that the worlds of work and home could be blurred, and they showed up to virtual meetings wearing clothes that they could do housework in. Work-from-home fashion became more casual and influenced by sportswear.

    For example, the fashion has become cardigans, sweatshirts in material that’s too nice for gym clothes, comfy dresses with pockets, and pants with a jogger waistline. These pants have a flat front and elastic back to like very casual slacks. 

    Fashion continues to evolve. 

    In the near future, video calls will be replaced with 3D digital projection. The technology will reduce travel costs – an important consideration with the rising cost of EVERYTHING from inflation. Consider the time saved from traveling to and from airports and the money saved on hotels and airfare!

    In these futuristic meetings, your image is beamed from your location to the meeting location. Your image will be able to look around and interact with the people in the meeting room – you’ll be much more lifelike than in current 2D calls!

    For the 3D projection to work, you will stand in a portal surrounded by cameras and microphones. However, you will need to dress up for the presentation (unlike a virtual meeting in which you only need to be presentable from the waist up).

    We wouldn’t be able to shake hands or hug people during a virtual call yet, but we’re getting closer to that technology.

    Perhaps the next advancement in virtual meetings and networking would be alternate projections. Just like our current capability to create virtual backgrounds, you will be able to roll out of bed with your PJs and project a pre-programmed image of yourself to your meeting.

    There won’t be a need to dress up or check your appearance. Your pre-selected meeting outfit is ready to be projected with the press of a button. As technology advances, the possibilities are limitless.

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  • 3 Tips for a More Productive Work Day

    3 Tips for a More Productive Work Day

    Working on the weekends can be tough. Your family and friends have invited you to join their plans but you must spend a few hours at the computer to meet an urgent deadline. Work can be fun if you enjoy it; a real pain if you don’t. 

    If you’re working from home and trying to ignore distractions, try these tips to stay productive, regardless of the day of the week.

    1 Set Goals

    Before you begin your workday, set your goals. Ask yourself, what MUST be done today, and what COULD be done today if you have the time. 

    Work backward, calculating how many hours you plan to work and estimate how many hours you need for the critical tasks. If you still have time left, add the tasks that would be nice to complete. 

    For example, if you are required to work X hours, estimate how long it will take you to complete the mandatory tasks. Then decide what tasks you could work on if you still have some time left.

    After prioritizing these tasks, complete the most urgent or difficult one first. Make a checklist of your tasks for the day, and cross off each task as you complete it. It’s a great feeling to see your list shrink as your workday progresses.

    If you’re a freelancer or business owner, your goal for Saturday or Sunday might be to catch up on less important tasks. It’s a peaceful time to clear out some paperwork or catch up on the accounting you didn’t have time for during the week.

    2 Time Blocking

    Okay, you’ve decided on a list of what you want to complete by the end of your work day. Next, you want to block time for working productively.

    Estimate how much time it tasks to complete a task. Then focus on working in short spurts. You might want to set a timer to mark when 15 to 30 minutes have passed. Or, you might want to work in long time blocks of one hour, although shorter periods are better for focused concentration.

    After a short block of time has passed, take a brief break. Stretch, walk around or sip on your favorite work beverage. If you work in long time blocks, take a longer break.

    Set boundaries for communication and socialization, especially if you live with others. Have a way to signal to family or roommates when it’s your office hours. For example, close your home office door. When it’s break time, open the door so they know that’s their time to speak with you or spend time with you.

    If you have coworkers who also work, even on the weekends, you can also time block. If answering messages and emails distracts you from your task, wait until your task is complete before answering messages. If you don’t have time to complete a work request, tell your coworker when you will be completing the task.

    Most importantly, when it is time to work, use that block of time productively. Focus on your work and turn off all distractions. Listen to music if it helps to keep you focused. Tell your furry coworker friend they can work next to you as long as they don’t sit on the keyboard (which cats sometimes do).   

    3 Prioritize Health

    Time blocking can greatly increase your productivity. Just as important to your productivity is including habits to improve your mental and physical health.

    Working on the weekend can already be challenging if everyone you know has time off on the weekend. This type of work schedule can affect your mental health if you want to break free and join whatever your family is doing.

    But since you’re committed to the work day, commit yourself to setting boundaries. Decide on blocks of time when you can have a quick chat with your family during a work break. Make plans for later in the day so you’ll have something to look forward to.

    If you live alone, chat with your friends during your work breaks. Take advantage of support systems that you find on social media. 

    People who freelance or run a business reach out to online communities so they can share their challenges and struggles. This network is especially important if your friends aren’t business owners and constantly ask why you’re working on the weekend.

    In addition to social support, look after your body. When you work from home, it’s easy to hunch over a computer and stare at a screen for hours. It’s not healthy for your back or eyes. 

    During a break, stretch, get a cup of tea or coffee, and walk around. Take in your surroundings. Chat with your plant, cat, bird, or dog about what you’re working on. Sometimes you’ll have a breakthrough while you brainstorm, and you’ll work out what was stumping you about your work task.

    Key Takeaways

    If you’re working from home this weekend, you can improve your focus and productivity with careful planning. First, set your goals, then use time blocking to ensure that you achieve them. Third, remember to take breaks and rest to keep your body and mind healthy.

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