March 7, 2019
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence (BI) 2018: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly…
With the impact that COVID-19 has had throughout the world, working remotely has become the new normal not just for our team, but for teams everywhere. As we’re soon approaching our fifth week of working in our home offices, we wanted to share a few tips on how to adjust to this new way of life and what we’re doing to maintain our tight-knit family bond, virtually.
Maximize Your “Commute” Time
Did you know that the average American spends up to 4.35 hours a week commuting to their workplace? Now that offices around the world have temporarily closed up shop, you have a few extra hours to spend. Use them with meaning. Are you usually in a rush to get out the door to beat the morning traffic? Do you find yourself settling on eating a sugary breakfast because that’s all that you have time for? Take this time to truly savor the morning. Make yourself breakfast, go for a walk outside, meditate and take in what a new day has to offer.
Change Out of Your Pajamas
Similar to how everyone’s fashion choices are unique to themselves, so are our working styles. But one thing that we all share, is that we all need to be comfortable while we’re working. Although it’s tempting to stay in our matching plaid pajama sets while we dial into our meetings all day, it takes a toll on your productivity (major credit to those who can be productive in their pajamas). Working from your home is comfortable as it is. For many people, the way you dress influences the way you carry yourself. You don’t have to dress up in a suit or wear those jeans that only get to see the office on “Casual Fridays.” If you see your productivity hurting from being a little too comfortable in what you’re wearing while you’re working from home, try trading your plaid pants for loungewear that is both comfortable and mood-boosting.
Take a Break
Working remotely may be easy for some, but for others it takes time to adjust. We’ve grown accustomed to our eight hour (plus) days, socializing with our teammates and looking away from our screens every now and then. Our advice to you: still take your breaks. Take a 15 minute walk, make yourself a quick snack, or use this time to catch up with family and friends.
Host a Virtual Lunch Hour
What many of us are missing the most is the social aspect of our work lives. Our team members become our family. One month ago, many of us were going out to lunch with our team, sharing conversation over a good meal. Don’t let this become a part of your past. Host a virtual lunch hour with your team. Share recipes and continue those same conversations.
Here’s what the AtScale team is doing to stay connected.
Daily Stand-Ups
Although the ways that we go about our days may have some tweaks to them, what we accomplish remains the same. Communication is what drives our success. While we’re used to being able to walk over to our colleagues’ desk to ask a question or catch up on past weekend happenings, we still like to maintain our face-to-face conversations by using our online conferencing tools. During our daily stand-up meetings, we strategize plans, review our goals and catch up with each other. It’s crazy to think that we are soon approaching one month of remote working and I know that our teams all miss seeing each other in person. For your conference calls, we recommend turning on the video option to maintain the same connections that you made in the office.
Weekly Virtual Workouts
With parks and gyms being temporarily closed, the AtScale team is utilizing at-home workout programs together. Every week, we host an hour of exercise to align not only our business goals, but our fitness goals as well. This is a great way for our team to get on their feet and take a break from our computers and phones.
Team Movie Nights
When we look back in history, films were not only created as an artistic form of entertainment, but also a source of escapism. While we’re witnessing history repeating itself in unusual ways, films have always been a great way for our team to connect and enjoy spending time together.
While we’re still unsure of what the future holds and when we’ll return back to our offices, one thing is certain; our commitment to our customers and our team is our top priority. We hope that you found these tips useful and that you and your families are staying safe and healthy during this time. What is your team doing to maintain its culture and boost productivity? We’d love to hear from you!
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