Working from home sounds great! Until you’re suddenly making the transition on the fly. Feeling unprepared? We’ve got you covered!
Our team at mConnexions has been working remotely for three years! As a virtual agency, we understand the benefits and the pitfalls of not being in the same office as coworkers. In this live Expert Connexions series interview on Facebook, our mConnexions Principal Strategist, Julie Holton interviews Organizational Consultant, Stephanie Barnhill. In the video below, the two share candidly what has worked for us and what hasn’t.
Organizational Consulting & Tech Tips for Working From Home Video Transcript
Julie: I’m the principal strategist and founder of mConnexions Marketing Agency. We work with a variety of businesses and individuals all of whom are impacted right now as we all are by COVID-19 and so we have launched a special series of live interviews right here on Facebook to talk to experts, to connect with people virtually to address all of the challenges and changes that we’re going through related to coronavirus and COVID-19. Yesterday we talked with a professional biohazard cleaning expert PuroClean of mid-Michigan about what their team is doing right now to help, especially high-traffic businesses, schools and facilities like that. Then we talked to a health and wellness expert about our personal health, how we keep our immune systems healthy, how do we keep our mental and emotional state healthy, so you can check out both of those conversations right here on our own mConnexions page in our video section. Today we’re going to turn our attention to businesses that are now running remotely. Business operations that overnight are now work from home situations and joining me to talk about this is our own Stephanie Barnhill from mConnexions. Stephanie, thank you so much for joining us today.
Stephanie: Oh thank you. I’m so excited to be here and talk about this really important transition that we’re all experiencing a lot of transitions right now.
Julie: Stephanie is a business operations consultant at mConnexions and we recognize that normal operations are not is this kind of not business as normal like we’re trying to keep it business as normal, but with a lot of changes going on in a lot of transition so Stephanie I’m so glad that you’re here to talk through some of this today. I want to quickly point out that as you pop on give us a thumbs up so we know that you are hearing us ok and leave us a comment. Let us know if you are working remotely today, are you still in the office, what is your working situation and of course if you have questions we’re happy to answer them throughout. This is really intended to be a conversation so we’d love to hear from you. Add your insights, your questions and we will definitely keep an eye on those comments. As we talked this morning many of you I know are tuning in from home today, working from home, many of you with kids who are home out of school trying to find this balance of work in home school life what a balance I don’t know that there is a balance to that so we are here for you and we’ve been in your shoes for a while. Our agency has been a remote virtual agency for several years, so we’re here to share some insight into how to get things set up and going for you in your business today. So Stephanie let’s talk first about office space. What if someone doesn’t have a home office? I imagine there are a lot of people today that sit at the kitchen table. Maybe they’re working from the basement to have some staple and separation from their families, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on what if I don’t have an office space at home.
Stephanie: Yeah and it’s a great question. I’ve certainly been there myself many a times where whether you have a home office or not sometimes distractions pop up all around so but when it comes to really creating a space for yourself in your home if you have a home office first of all wonderful but also make sure that it feels like an office I can tell you from personal experience I used to have a home office in our in our previous house and it didn’t it didn’t feel like an office my husband and I never spent time up there I felt more like a spare bedroom that we converted so which is fine but make sure that you have a desk make sure that you have a comfortable chair you know make sure that that you know got the things around you a notebook that the materials and supplies that you would typically have in your office space in your office make sure that you try to put some of those in your office space it just kind of hones in on why you’re there and helps you focus and stay engaged in and have attention on what you need to have attention on but also if you don’t have an office space there are certain things you can do first of all just you know create a space out of the room that you do have maybe it is a spare bedroom maybe it’s a finished basement you know that’s not too chilly maybe you have a heater you can bring with you or just another place where you can have a little bit of Solitude where you don’t have as many distractions.
Julie: Well kiddoes are at home right
Stephanie: Absolutely
Julie: yes we know all too well having dogs
Stephanie: oh yes we do absolutely and so you know find that space also I just want to mention if you’re on a conference call or if you on a vid a video call where people can see your surrounding make sure that you’re in a place in your home where you have a background that makes sense like right here you see there’s just a white space but just got my wall back here right but so if you’re if you have a conference and there are lots of people in the conference maybe it’s a bit of a professional conference not so casual I’ll make sure that you put yourself in a space where you know there aren’t things running around behind you there’s on TV on just to have that quiet space and that good background.
Julie: Dirty laundry, no you know it really needs to see your dirty laundry so absolutely even like you said Stephanie even if it’s just a white wall or just a blank space behind you it’s so much better we really want the focus to be on you and not on what’s happening around you we all I think saw that CNN interview years ago where the child came running in in the background and the wife came in after the child yeah it’s been cropping it’s bound to happen it’s about if it happens right especially because right now we’re all in the same boat. We’re all practicing social distancing and we’re all isolated in our homes and so I know that those things can happen but try to maybe have some plans in place and I was talking with a friend who worked from home for a very long time and she said you know, mama had three rules if and I can’t remember exactly what they were but basically like no blood, no broken bone you know I think those things happen then come interrupt but otherwise you know while the doors closed you wait so.
Stephanie: It’s a good rule.
Julie: Good lesson for kids right now. I think right now yeah let’s talk about routine because I think I was actually talking with Alexis who’s on our team our own mConnexions team we were talking yesterday in a conference call and she mentioned you know that her heart goes out to all of these people who are now working remotely for the first time because in theory it’s like oh this is gonna be great like I can wear my PJs no one will know if I’m on a video conference maybe I you know look nice from you know the chest up or whatever when in reality it takes some adjustment time to really get your mind set in the right place to get your home office even if you as you are saying even if it’s your own designated space and you just kind of create these comforts around you to feel like it’s an office environment but I want to talk about routine because I know for some of us on our team it took some time to really develop that routine Alexis had said it took her a good six months to really to really fully develop a work from home routine so let’s face it we don’t have six months many people who are watching so what are your best tips for developing a routine?
Stephanie: yeah and people are probably thinking right now routine what is what is that I can’t even think about a routine my life is you know and we hear that we know what that’s we know that experience but I think what’s most important right now is routine can be whatever it is for you okay so nobody’s no one’s scheduled a routine is going to look exactly the same or could look the same I think building a routine what it does is it brings a level of organization and comfort and take some stress away so maybe that’s from 9 to 11 a.m. every morning or when the kids are down for a nap every day which is typically around 1 or 2 or you know whatever you kind of already fits into your daily routine maybe it’s that point where you start to think okay that’s gonna be my catching up on email time or this hour this block is gonna be my phone time so all the phone calls I need to make or at least some of the phone calls I need to make I can make during that time while I have some quiet or maybe it’s I’m an oh I’m an early morning person I’m up at 7 a.m. I’m ready to go maybe that 7 to 8 o’clock a.m. where if it’s an even if you’re a night person maybe that 4 or 5 o’clock or if you have the ability even later than that if it’s after hours to make that your time to reply to emails do the writing you need to do sign those contracts whatever that looks like so I think just taking what works best for you and that’s gonna take some time to figure out that’s not like a hey I got it done that might take some time to see how this transition goes how your company and your team is transitioning if you have kiddos at home you know what the kiddos schedule looks like now so you know open be open to flexibility be open to maneuvering and kind of bobbing and weaving here as you need but if you can create some of that that nice routine time or put some blocks on your calendar for it to get things done that can help take some anxiety away it can help you breathe it can help you make sure you’re getting things done and that feels really good.
Julie: Absolutely and you know you touched on something that I think is really important be ready to bob and weave be ready to be flexible because if we’re going to be real for a minute here nothing about this is routine right now we’re not this is not a situation we’re used to you there’s a lot of heightened anxiety whether that be for health for your family or whether it be financial we have you know a lot of businesses are really feeling this right now I think all of us on some level are feeling this even well I think and this is just my own opinion but I think even those who are on social media for instance and claiming not to feel anxiety from it you’re still talking about it and so it’s still top of mind it’s still present so our routines are not at all our normal routines right now for any of us mm-hmm so I think you know Stephanie you and I were talking earlier about giving yourself permission take a break yeah I know for me personally diving into work really helps me to like that is my therapy like I think I’ve been to other people you know we personally we have a lot of a lot of clients right now who are really feeling the impacts work you know we’re all feeling the impacts and so for me I can dive into work and distract myself with work huh but I have to know where to draw the line and when to close the laptop when to get up and take breaks I think for all of us as you develop that routine give yourself permission take time to play with the kids take it I am to take the dogs for a walk take time to just sit on the couch and relax if that’s what’s going to give you that mindset reset that that ability to stay tuned in and really focusing on your own mental health and well-being right now
Stephanie: Absolutely it’s so true and it’s so important to as we were talking earlier and if you have the energy and the attention then then great get to work you know but when you need that break when you need that downtime when you feel drained take that break to which it’s just as important if not actually more important for your own mental well-being.
Julie: Absolutely okay let’s talk about distractions so a major distraction going on which is the very reason why where you’ve been talking about working from home, but now let’s talk about the little interruptions the corruptions and distractions that happen throughout the day what it what are your tips for dealing with that?
Stephanie: Oh distractions! Distractions are great. Discrations can be welcome they can be a beautiful thing so I don’t what to say that all distractions from dogs and cats and children are problematic they are not absolutely not but we all know that there are times and we do need some quiet time some Zen time for an important call maybe it’s an important you know meeting that you’re taking now digitally so there are things that we can do to try to help mitigate and I think the biggest way to prepare for those is to have a plan Grenaa Dino you’re hearing that a lot right now have a plan for everything and it’s tough to do it but if you can plan in advance look at your counter the next day oh there’s this really important meeting at 1:00 o’clock there’s this really important brainstorm at 10 o’clock you know what are those and then look at through your current situation maybe you’ve got kiddos at home right now maybe you have dogs like me I’ve got three dogs that lose it every time the FedEx guy drives by and that’s unpredictable right so if it’s it let me just start with dogs because those are the those are the ones that I have at home so you know those infractions all too well in fact it is not an M connections meeting if we do not have someone’s dog somewhere causing a distraction I mean it’s part of the routine to have dogs that are having reactions right and so you know during those kind of crucial times something you can try that my dog trainer actually uh shared with us that really works is taking kong’s for a lot of you dog owners you know what this Kong’s are those big toys they’re really hard put some peanut butter in there throw some throw some almond butter in there or they have licking mats if you if you go on Amazon and Google lucky mats or type in licking mats there are these like mats that have little edges and stuff in them if you can put some peanut butter or almond butter there stick it in the freezer for a little bit so it’s nice and hard then put the pups in their own room or in the basement or what you know a good safe place for them to be turn on that TV or that music so there’s a little bit of noise distraction you know soft noise distraction and let them go to town on the those Lou keypads or comms because it’s gonna take them a while to lick up the frozen peanut butter almond butter so it gives you time for them to be quiet and disengaged or engaged in their toy well and if you’re in tough love mama like I am one dog right now sleeping in my bedroom perfect and one who’s outside enjoying the sunshine there you go I can create my own dialogue like enjoying the sunshine aka stretching at the back door a sight out of mind not distracting at least not distracting the people that I’m trying to communicate with right absolutely some nice a safe outdoor time and I know Julie you’ve got a beautiful fenced-in yard so having that is a great gift utilize it folks if it’s nice out let those puppies have some sunshine and you know put a bowl of water out there but if need be a while but otherwise they should they should be good to go for the most part anything with the kiddos right I mean except for the bowl of water now I didn’t enjoy some fresh air which will be good for everyone and you know every parent knows their kids favorite thing to watch on TV right the thing that they can’t turn their head away from and I know we have rules about screen time and only certain times but you know what desperate times call for desperate measures right so if it’s if it’s you know frozen you know frozen is the thing where your kid will just be glued in for two hours and you need that time you know turn that TV on give them the snack let them have some zone out time where they can kind of relax and kind of like ground themselves out and you have that really important time to be on that call or be in that meeting and so planning in advance planning a show or a movie or a book or a puzzle or something in advance that will keep them engaged especially if you don’t have childcare in your home if you don’t have a helper that’s the way to go.
Julie: Absolutely! Stephanie those are also great ok so Katie is commenting and I’m gonna pull this up here so Katie wants to know what was your biggest surprise about going remote as opposed to being in an this setting
Stephanie: Oh interesting maybe it’s a great question. Personally I went remote quite a while ago so it’s been a bit since I’ve been in office but I will say that for me it was making sure I was available, fully available. So I think a lot of times the misconception is that work from home and I’ll just you know watch TV while I work. Yeah there can be times for those things as needed but really if you’re working from home you got a nail down right you’ve got to focus on and everybody’s work is different everybody’s schedule routine is different but whatever that means for you or your industry make sure that you are available make sure you are by the phone by your computer if someone calls if someone needs something you know step out to let the dogs out or step out to give your kid a snack but make sure you’re back make sure you’re ready to go because there’s nothing worse than working with someone who’s remote and they’re never available it’s like what are you doing where you at make sure they are good and that you’re reliable to your company.
Julie: Absolutely and you know and keep in mind that we should all be giving each other some grace right now. We’re all most people are gonna be new at this most people do not have regular work from home jobs and so I think people are gonna be a little more lenient on that those of you who are being like definitely you know provide some grace but also we do need to do our part though to make sure that we’re as fully engaged as possible because we have businesses that are relying on our work right so this is a tough time for everyone but I know that there’s a lot of a lot of unstable feelings about you know kind of the financial future and what that looks like for each one of us at home for each one of us with our individual jobs for our businesses and so you know we kind of laugh because that’s what we do and we you know try to make the most of a situation so we laugh about the dogs and the kids but also recognizing that there is going to be a valence there so that we’re still able to get as much done for our employers or for you know for our community or whatever that might look like for you as much as we can to help out during this time.
Stephanie: And you know something on our team just briefly something that we utilize on our team is our calendars we have a we all have our calendars and so if you are going to step out if you need to go to a doctor’s appointment you know or if there’s something that’s gonna pull you away from the home you know throw that on your calendar and make sure your team knows about it hey I’m gonna be out from 1:00 to 2:00 you know and that way if they if they’re trying to get you and they can’t they can look to your counter and say oh okay she’s back she like it to us
Julie: yes okay we’ve got a couple more comments to get through Allison who’s on our team she says from a regular work at home-er get now that your PJs I’m much more productive to get dressed even if it’s in two comfy clothes I have to completely agree Allison there’s no reason I mean some of us some people might dress up and wear the suit at home you don’t necessarily need to do that but change on of your PJs get up and take a shower get ready for the day sit down ready to work and you’re gonna feel ready to work it’s there’s something like physically but also just that mindset shift of like okay like I’m here I’m ready to work would you agree Stephanie what do ya stay in your PJs all day or do you know?
Stephanie: So first of all we absolutely agree but I will say I do tend to wear comfortable clothing at home though if you know me personally I always wear comfortable clothing. I totally agree I my routine is I get up first thing I do is take a shower you know I just I take a shower I brush my teeth I you know I put the look yeah I put my lotion ah I need for me it’s important to kind of have that morning we’re just talk about routine and return routine yeah well my routine and so I feel awake and ready to go and energized I might still might wear my yoga pants and I might still wear a comfortable top because I really like to be comfortable but as long as for me I feel like I’m engaged I’m ready you know I’m ready to go and I’ve had my shower my hair is clean and my face is clean then I’m usually in a pretty good place but I tell you I’ve heard a lot of people say that they have to take put on different clothes because it changes their mindset and I think whatever works for you is really important to adhere by.
Julie: Absolutely and same thing when we were talking so whether in other words our clothes or where we’re physically working in our home if you are finding that you are being really distracted by something or you’re just you can’t focus get up and move go someplace you’re working in the living room go to the kitchen or you know dining rooms sit at the dining room table you know. Change locations whatever you need to do to get yourself refocused and back into that mindset. Okay next question here what are your tips to keeping yourself focused and on task?
Stephaine: Focused and on task thing and that
Julie: So I just gave one yeah physically change location. I for me I find that sometimes I’m work sometimes I have to so I have a home office working in my home office immediately for me turns on that that working you know it’s like stepping into your actual physical office for me does the same thing but sometimes I really like to work from my living room or sometimes if I’m in my living room and I’m not getting anything done then I will make myself go to the office. I will make myself go up to that home office to refocus so but Stephanie what are some other tips other than kind of physical location to staying on task and not getting distracted by things like this Facebook live right which I’m glad you’re here yeah you know
Stephanie: I think that’s a great question and I certainly have some tips but also keep in mind that you know everything things different things work for different people right so I can tell you that one thing that really works for me is being organized so for four we for us we use asana which is a test management platform project management platform I have my to-do list every day and I know a lot of you out there are to-do list people I’m one of you so I’m your sister here but a lot of you can bring it through
Julie: To-do lists for mConnexions so and organization tips, Stephanie’s our gal.
Stephanie: I love them I am definitely a list taker and for us that’s where that’s a platform some people they prefer pen and paper but as long as you know whether you’re a list person or maybe you’re a more I mean I’m more of an ethereal person you like to have pictures or more visual you know whatever it is that that kind of keeps you on task whatever those to-do lists to do tasks are those projects that need to get done make sure that you’re staying on top of them that you’re feeling good about it that they’re somewhere where you can remind yourself what’s do and when and why and where so that’s really helpful also a lot of people find that music or background noise is helpful. I can tell you I like it quiet my husband has to have some kind of noise whether it’s headphones you know he’s got headphones in at work or he has to have a the TV on are usually it’s music playing because that helps him concentrate and stay engaged for as me I need quiet yeah that is for you to kind of help you stay focused and kind of keep those distractions at bay certainly and you may not know if you’re working from home for the first time you may not know what those things are yet so you’re about to you’re about to discover it for yourself so just pay attention pay attention to when you feel like you’re having energy pay attention to when you feel like you’re feeling behind, or disorganized or distracted, and pay attention when your energy gets low. Those signals can really help you figure out how to plan and prepare your day and how to stay on task too
Julie: Really good point I know yesterday when we were talking with our health and wellness coach Kathryn trusting she mentioned that she has cut caffeine out in the last week she’s normally a coffee drinker she’s not been drinking coffee for me I have to drink coffee because it keeps me focused but I do know that if I have too much coffee which is really easy for me to do when I’m at home because that coffee maker is right there and I’m just drinking it all day I’ve got I’ve got my oversize cup of coffee right here but know that coffee not only can it help you focus for those of you who are used to drinking it but it can also like get rid of your focus if you drink too much it’s gonna over stimulate you. If you’re already feeling anxious it can increase those feelings of anxiety. So things like that focus on what you’re drinking make sure you’re hydrating enough you might be used to that routine at the office where you’re going to you know to the water fountain to drink the water cooler you know every so often to refill your water make sure you’re doing that at home. Stay hydrated, make sure you’re getting enough sleep. These are all things that are really I think the biggest things the biggest components are going to help you keep your focus is really focusing on your own health making sure that you are stopping to take breaks eating at the right times, eating the right foods, nourishing your bodies, sometimes we want to turn to junk food comfort food at times like this but that’s gonna take you off track that’s a routine your body’s not used to and it’s not food that’s nourishing your body, so all of those things really impact how we’re able to focus.
Stephanie: Absolutely its very true and give yourself little rewards I mean I know that that’s you know might sound a little silly we do that with our kiddos and our pets but truly em if you know that you’ve got a rough day ahead or a rough couple hours at home and there’s gonna be a lot of distractions you’ve got a lot to get through, you know put something on your calendar or not if you’re not a calendar person but make sure that you know what three o’clock I’m gonna go and I’m gonna get I’m gonna make my coffee, I’m gonna make my like afternoon coffee at 3 o’clock, and you know or maybe it’s I’m gonna walk the dogs at 4, I’m gonna walk the dogs at 2 like that’s gonna be my little break from the day I share you know. So whatever that reward you know whatever feels good a little boost a little energy giving you know a task or trick make sure to implement those in your daily too especially in these kind of times of stress and anxiety.
Julie: Stephanie you gave me a great tip and several gosh I don’t knows maybe a year ago how long ago it was now that I’ve been using and it’s um don’t underestimate the power of fresh air and getting out movement because we can easily sit at our desk all day long even when we’re at home and we consider desk all day long get nothing done because we can’t focus we can train it attention so I took Stephanie’s advice and I and when I need to when I’m not able to focus I will tell myself ok I have the next two hours or whatever that time limit is I have the next two hours for example to get this project done I’m gonna work as hard as I can for the next two hours and then I’m gonna take a 20-minute break. I’m gonna go and walk the dogs, go get some fresh air it gets my myself moving it gets the dogs you know so that they’re not distracting me so much and it’s amazing what 10 minutes 20 minutes will do of getting outside and getting some fresh air.
Stephanie: Absolutely and Julie and you know being the creative that you are this is especially important for folks that are highly creative or they need to be highly creative for their work right so whatever brings you inspiration and creativity for me it’s fresh air it’s outdoors and I think that’s kind of good for everyone but also if there are things that inspire you creatively if there are things that help jog your memory or if there are things that help you know come up with great ideas if that’s important for your work then you know make sure that you are implementing those into your life so I think taking breaks outside is a big one and that’s really helpful also maybe it’s you know listening music maybe it’s reading you know kind of disengaging and reading something for fun reading a blog you know reading a or watching a video on YouTube you know one that makes you laugh. You know just something where you can kind of take that little mental break to kind of you know kind of jumpstart your brain and get a little bit of fuel for your creativity.
Julie: Absolutely and stepping away from social media stepping away from the news of what’s going on right now. There’s so much that we do need to know and we need to consume we need to be informed but we need to make sure we’re taking breaks away from that especially as we’re working from home. Don’t let that work from home routine turn into checking Facebook all day and refreshing because that’s not going to be good for anyone and love the reward idea having to look forward to get you through the next few hours. I agree really great idea. Okay we have one more question before we move on here and this is coming from Beth. Beth says many people are juggling taking care of their own kids with schools and daycare areas closed and having two parents working from home simultaneous. Any tips on that? Yeah full house right now. You’ve got everything we’re talking about you’ve got mom and dad working from home you’ve got kids who are trying to school from home a young kid who would be in daycare and not able to have a routine and a dog on top of it so full house for Beth. Stephanie what’s your what’s your advice for Beth?
Stephanie: Beth you are living the life that so many people so many families are living right now too. You know our hearts go out to you guys for having to juggle so many different responsibilities all together and all at once and when your spouse or when your partner or your friend you know your roommate works from home as well it can be very challenging I have other friends that have the same situation even before our current crisis so it can be a challenge. I know something that does tend to work are kind of swaps right so first sometimes one of the one of the people you know they’re more productive in the morning or they have more to do in the morning their work demands more in the morning so that’s maybe that person gets the home office or that during that time or that person can focus on work where the other parent can kind of be a little bit more flexible kind of okay well between 9 and 12 you’re just slammed you know that’s I can I can move my schedule a bit I can do more of my stuff in the afternoon so I’m gonna help more with the kids, I’m gonna help more with the dog, I’m gonna help more with some of these responsibilities as I can to give you that space and then come one o’clock or 12 o’clock or two o’clock we need to swap you know like you can still work but you’re gonna need to. If the kids need something if they need a snack if they you know if the dog needs to go outside or whatever that’s gonna be on you and I’ve got the afternoon to really you know drill down and do my work so it’s a lot it takes a ton of compromise and it’s really challenging because not only do you have the work stress but you’ve got the stress from the kiddos and also the stress of trying to do it all together and it’s challenging so a lot of self-care to make sure that if you can sleep in and maybe you know maybe your partner can’t or you know you know just making sure that one of you is always getting that time for yourself you know that first hour of the day is all you and he can take the kids or maybe you know you take that first hour and you know so it’s figuring out what works best for both of you individually but also as a cohesive team and also those kids there they also they need that engagement right and that’s tough because you want to engage with your kids but you also need to the time to drill down right so maybe work with the kids on finding time to do that. Hey kids listen mama’s got to work these next two hours straight no interruptions but as soon as three o’clock hits, we’re gonna have 30 minutes or 15 minutes of puzzle time or we’re gonna go out and play in the yard for 20 minutes or we’re gonna have a little ice cream break you know or whatever those things are. If they can be watching the clip they’re old enough which I know some of yours are to watch the clock and to make sure that I like that they know what’s coming and they know when and they know how much longer it keeps them from running back mom you know is it time yet? Can we go yet? You know so something’s in place can try to help ease some of that anxiety but there is no there is no simple solution it’s a tough and challenging situation to be in right now.
Julie: And I know Beth says love the swap idea by the way I do too. What a great idea I had my sister’s kiddos over this weekend. My sister’s a nurse and so I got just a tiny taste of what that’s like and at one point six-year-old Xander says and I’m so sorry my listening got off track. So you know keeping in mind that even these kiddos they don’t quite some of them depending on their ages completely understand what’s happening or to the best that they can I mean I don’t know that all adults even understand what’s happening right and the youngest of course have no idea but they’re looking to us for stability and comfort and that can be really hard when we’re stressed and we’re trying to work and we’re trying to figure all of this out. So give them some grace and give yourself some grace because you parents have a really big job, oh and Beth says Ruby’s listening has never been on track. Ruby is her own, she’s her own person for sure
Stephanie: Sweet Ruby.
Julie: I want to transition now into our next topic here and it’s communication and I think you know one thing that I’m going to mention before I throw it over to you Stephanie is as you know some of you have these concerns or all of you probably have these concerns about balancing with the kiddos or with a spouse or with you know all of these things that we’ve been talking about and figuring out routines and when to work and when to stop and you spend time on other things that need your attention especially if you are checking in on loved ones if you are helping out at the hospitals if you are doing things that are that are much needed right now and you’re looking to balance your time the first thing I would say as an agency owner is communicate with your workplace communicate with your supervisor and your boss what are what are you going through right now and you don’t have to be too personal you know you can be because I know you know HR still applies even when you’re working at home so to whatever extent I know that as a boss what I what I’m looking for is I want to also be able to provide for my team I want to be able to know if they need fewer you know where they are so I can meet them there and try this purse I know who’s available who’s not what situation are you in are you and where are you to the extent that you’re comfortable where are you kind of mentally as like are you capable of taking on more work or do you need a little less work
Stephanie: So sometimes our Wi-Fi goes down, sometimes the call drops, right you know sometimes the video gets shut down from our cat you know knocking the computer over which they didn’t tend to do. So you know life happens and when you’re at home it happens even more because life at home can be messy when you’re trying to get things done on a computer over a phone or a teleconference so you know roll with the punches like we’re doing today you know you know get back in those calls and refresh your browser and do the things you need to do to stay connected but know that these things happen and it’s okay so be patient with yourself be patient with others be patient with your team and if you’re a team leader if you’re a manager a team leader make sure that you’re communicating to your team how important it is to stay connected you know and it’s not gonna look pretty it’s not gonna look perfect all the time maybe there’s a lot of background noise you know do mute your phones if you’re on a conference call meet your phones when you’re not speaking but sometimes those things happen and it’s really important to you know keep the reminders going keep that communication going about expectations but also like Julie said earlier give each other a little grace right now it’s a stressful time for everyone.
Julie: So let’s talk about some of the technology that we use that we’ve promised so if you’ve tuned in today to hear all about the technology and platforms then this second live is the one just for you. Let’s talk about some of the technology that we use you mentioned video conferencing, there are several options. I’ve had clients reaching out and asking what we use so we tend to use what our clients use frankly but for our own internal meetings we use Google meet it’s part of our G suite or Google suite you know platform of programs that we have so Google Suite is free for us to use for those of you who don’t have G suite Google Hangouts is another alternative. The reason why I like Google meet I know some people mentioned that they’ve had you know hit or miss experiences with it we haven’t had any problems let’s knock on some wood because I want to start having problems now we haven’t had any problems with it and the reason why I like it is because users on the other end don’t have anything to download so they’re not we’re not waiting we’re not wasting the first 5-10 minutes of our conference call or meeting with clients or vendor by waiting for them to download you know software that they didn’t know they needed so Google meet it’s a great option for that. Other great options Zoom has a free version that I think allows up to a half hour or 45 minutes of meeting time if you want more than that then the paid version would be the way to go. Other platforms, GoToMeeting is a great platform that we have a number of clients use so if you’re scrambling to look there are definitely — I would say start with Google because it’s free and easy to use and will buy you some time as you look into other platforms if it’s not quite servicing your needs. They also all the platforms I mentioned also give you the opportunity to have group conferences so as you are looking like another note turn off the notifications on your computer which I did but I think my calendar notifications still come through anyway but yes so looking for ways to conference with your team, we mentioned earlier that we nine times out of ten we jump on a video call instead of it doesn’t matter what we look like even if we’re you know yesterday we were having some last-minute meetings and so I sent a note out to the team that was working on a particular client project and I said alright guys video call on this one because we had some things we really needed to clear up and video is so important because we actually see facial expressions you can see if something’s not quite clicking with someone or if someone’s upset, you know all of these things that we pick up on when we’re in face-to-face interactions that are really important and so it really helps your communication if you can see the other person. Again even if you’re not in your workplace best outfit it’s okay you don’t have to look at your best you don’t have to you know have your makeup on or your hair done or whatever to be able to communicate so video clowns are really good Stephanie you also mentioned slack which is a really popular way we find that we have a number of clients that also use slack so it’s a great way for us to communicate with people we use slack as our way to message each other so it’s like sending text messages which I’ve got my phone in my hand because we keep getting some questions and things so I’ve been using phone to help answer your questions on us live flack is a great way to keep that personal communication going we also Stephanie if you could talk about asana so we also recommend you might have a system in your office that allows you to keep track of workflow and systems and working remotely might change that system a little bit so Stephanie talked about asana how do we use our how do we use the asana.
Stephanie: Yeah so, asana for us is a great tool to stay on target and stay on task with our client work and projects so you know some other there are lots of platforms for this I’m sure there are other platforms that are equally great in a lot of ways for us asana is the best and it’s very easy to use and so we utilize it you know we essentially you build projects in there you can assign tasks in there so then that way you can every one of the team is involved and engaged on the projects that they need to be. They know what to do they know what to do next there are deadlines you know there’s a list that they can check every day on what they’re working on and or what someone else is working on that’s gonna get kicked to them next so it’s a really nice way to kind of help that workflow stay organized and on an on target to meet those deadlines and it’s also a nice way for there to be their notes and things about a project if there are certain questions that get asked they can go right in the ticket it’s kind of a ticketing system a to-do list system where you can put those notes and questions right in the tasks so that way the next person knows that you know what those answers and questions are as well. So it just is a nice way to stay communicating about each project as it comes along and also make sure that the deadlines are getting met.
Julie: Absolutely and you know hopefully a lot of businesses at this point are already set up with technology that allows you to access your work computer remotely. So hopefully for many of you either you have a server that is in the cloud and you’re able to access it from home or there are there are technology platforms that would allow you to securely log into your work computer from home so that would be another option as well we use Google Drive there like I said there are a number of ways number of platforms that are than the cloud so that you can access your documents and shared files remotely so that’s something else to think about when it comes to the apps and programs that you’re using. Stephanie before we go I want to also talk about and by the way if you have any questions about technology programs or any insight any other programs that you use feel free to jump in the comments and let us know. Happy to share those with our viewers this morning. Stephanie before we go I want to talk about something that’s a little less technical and a little more emotional but talking about workplace morale and culture here. How we really take that normal culture that we have in the office and extend that out now so businesses can keep in touch with their workers and workers can keep in touch with each other without losing sight of that especially given everything that’s happening in this season right now. What are some of your best tips for keeping spirits up and keeping morale high during a situation like this?
Stephanie: Yeah and I’m so glad we’re talking about this Julie because this is so vital and not just for some industries or some companies but for every industry and every company. Now more than ever I mean it’s already you know corporate culture is already very important to focus on it’s incredibly important but during times like this times of fear and anxiety and panic and concern for our health and well-being or for that of our family it’s really important now to make sure we’re getting that support that we need and part of that is through our jobs. It’s through our work and so I would say that first of all if in if you already have a great culture and things are rocking and rolling and you have certain things that you do that communicates that positivity and gratitude within the company, keep those up. At least on some level and in some way, keep those up. Keep those moving forward but if you don’t or if you’re needing some ideas or some you know a fresh start with this transition a few things can be first of all not only communicating but communicating your gratitude and communicating that if you need help there is a place to go. So by that I mean you know reaching out making sure your because if you’re walking through at the watercooler at the office you might see somebody say hey Bill great shot good job on that project and you know hey Susie you know wonderful work on that presentation but if you’re not seeing each other you don’t really get those opportunities and you’re not checking in with people, hey how’s your son doing, hey how’d your daughter’s a you know softball game go you know you’re not getting a lot of that time you know when you’re remote now so make sure that you’re still checking in make sure that you’re still sending a message or sending a text or calling or whatever just to not necessarily say hey how’s your kids softball game although I think that’s important but also just hey how are you doing how are things right now is there anything I can get for you? Do you need any help? You know so colleague to colleague make sure that within you know within your boundaries that you’re reaching out in a way that you’re showing that you’re available that you are wanting to lend your support and that you are wanting to communicate that you know you’re still on a team even if you’re not working in the same place anymore but also look at some other things so as leadership is concerned. Leadership really right now should be a source of where you feel safe and you feel secure and you feel seen and you feel heard. So leadership I’m talking to you right now you know that the c-suites, the company owners, managers make sure that your team knows that you are on top of this. So, first of all, be on top of everything that you can make sure you have all the facts and everything that’s going on right now make sure that it’s delivered to your team in a way that is supportive that is informative and helpful and that is positive. As positive as you can be because people are suffering and they’re worried and they’re scared. So if you can make sure that you as the company are like hey here’s our protocol, here’s what we’re doing, we are here for you let us know if you need some additional flexibility. Here’s our new policy that we’re bringing up because of the current situation. Make sure that you’re communicating this make sure you’re telling people thank you for bearing with us. Thank you for hanging in there with us. Thank you for all the great wonderful work that you do and then make sure that you’re telling them to stay to stay connected with you know maybe they have some challenges that they’re facing at home and it’s gonna affect their work-life right now make sure that they’re communicating they need to, first of all, to make sure that you know the work in projects get done but make sure that they feel that there’s someone at your company and maybe that’s HR, maybe that’s their direct supervisor where they can say hey I’m struggling or hey I have some extra time I can help you know as needed with some other people that may you know have it a little bit more challenging than I do right now. So as long as you’re keeping that kind of cohesive team feeling and that camaraderie things are going to go a lot smoother than if you don’t have those in place.
Julie: Absolutely and Stephanie so to toot your horn a little bit. Some of the things that Stephanie has done for mConnexions as far as her leadership and this is just because we’re a virtual agency so we’re always wringing out but Stephanie has she has taken the leadership ability role of doing regular meetings regular check-in meetings so we have a set meeting once a week where as a part of that meeting we’re talking about strengths and wins you know whether their workplace wins or personal lands and a way for you know kind of that water-cooler conversation that we would be having in the office then now we’re having virtually and celebrating those wins. So you know you might want to look at having a virtual meeting you know a video meeting every morning for the first 15 minutes to start the day. You might have a midday check-in, you might have an end of the day round-up. Whatever that looks like for you. Taking into account what your what your employees what your co-workers what their schedules look like as well but I would consider making some of these meetings mandatory right now. Just like it would you know going into the office would be mandatory, making some of these check-ins mandatory. Even if they’re just five minutes to check in and see how everyone’s doing what they need are there any communication gaps that need to be cleared up. Are there any questions or concerns um we also take a look at our calendars together you know what’s especially right now with people dealing with children at home and so much uncertainty or checking on relatives or whatever you might be dealing with. Checking in on calendars to see okay here I’m on here’s how I’m coordinating my workday with my spouse who’s at home as well trying to work or with my children who are trying to get some you know semblance of schooling done. So checking in and keeping others in the loop on that I think goes a long way
Stephanie: Absolutely, it’s so true I mean really celebrating each other but also telling each other that we’re here for them I mean personally and professionally is really important right now.
Julie: Absolutely. Stephanie is there anything that we have left out today I know we had a little bit of a technical glitch when we repost this video will cut and splice and put it all in one video so you don’t have to watch then to sleep um aside from that so anything that we’ve left out or any thoughts that you want to add before we wrap up here?
Stephanie: You know I just want to say that you know right now is a challenging time it’s challenging for everybody so as we’ve said before you know in this you know make sure that you’re doing what you can to take care of yourself and that’s personally that’s professionally it’s mentally emotionally physically do what you know that do what you know works for you when it comes to keeping yourself as calm of a place as you can be while still feeling like purposeful and energized to do the things that you know you need to do and to do the things that you want to do so take breaks you know be flexible stay open-minded work as a team and be there for your friends and family to the best of your ability.
Julie: Absolutely, Stephanie I’m also gonna call attention to our blog we posted a blog on Friday about tips and tricks and technology for working from home so if you’re looking for some more information on some of the items we mentioned today check out our blog we also will be posting later today all of these experts conversations that we’re having these expert connections so that will all be posted on our blog as well just ongoing resources as part of our commitment to especially to our clients our community small businesses that really need this boost right now so if there’s anything that you would like to see us talk about or write about blog about video blog about let us know just reach out to us connect at mConnexions calm now Sep we will be talking more about mindset later this week we were talking about more banal workplace culture but also personal mindset and how we all deal and respond naturally to whether we want to or not how we how we physically respond to kind of a crisis situation and how all of this is impacting us personally so I’m really looking forward later to this week to having Joyce Marter talking with us she will be live on Thursday.
Stephanie: I’m really looking forward to hearing from Joyce as a psychotherapist she has plenty to share about taking care of yourself during this very stressful time. Also be sure to follow Joyce Marter on Facebook and Instagram. She posts wonderfully wonderful helpful tools and insight and all kinds of great stuff every day so definitely check that out and follow her if you’re not already.
Julie: Especially for those of us who need, I know for me by probably about seven o’clock I hit a wall you know I get about 12 hours into this kind of the crisis communications and what we’re dealing with behind the scenes for our clients and this mode by about 7 o’clock I hit a wall and I know I have to close my laptop I have to turn on I have to kind of separate myself from what’s happening to give myself some downtime you know give my mental my brain a break I kind of just and so knowing our mental capacity and I’m really looking forward to talking to Joyce about that because she has such great information and insights and we shared um she shared last Friday some graphics if you’re looking for some go-to affirmations and reminders kind of bringing you back to that center place of Zen look for that Joyce Marter on Facebook and on Instagram we’ll also Stephanie be talking this week to Shari – who is another client of ours she’s a business development consultant and she’s offering a free webinar next week so we’re gonna get a preview this week this free webinar is going to be all about making networking connections continuing to make those important networking connections without being in person so as we practice social distancing and looking at what that means for a number of businesses and organizations like chambers of commerce or membership based associations so I’m really looking forward to having that conversation with Sheree – as well so thank you everyone so much for joining us joining this all week as we highlight services to help you as you make adjustments we will offer these special Q&A series of every single day this week coming up tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Jerry Norris founder of the fledge in Lansing the fledge is a community incubator and accelerator for sort of all kinds he will be joining us to talk about how COVID 19 is impacting businesses and how each of us can support our community while still learning and adjusting to everything that’s going on so looking forward to having Jerry join me tomorrow that’s tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. full line of experts all week long we’d love for you to join the conversation right here on Facebook that is all for this episode thank you so much for joining us for tuning in and we will see you back here tomorrow.