The developing government advice about social distancing and self isolation has driven most businesses to operate remotely. For families caring for children and supporting keyworkers, the challenge to continue their professional role, support their family and look after themselves has perhaps never been greater. Here are some tips to help you and your team remain focused and productive:
Try and meet with your team online every day.
Even if it’s just a quick check in and ‘hi’, virtual contact will help everyone remain united and focused on your associations goals. Platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom enable multiple video participants to help you create a ‘virtual office’.
Be flexible about working hours
Your team and your members may now have to adjust the hours that they devote to their workload. Embrace this by ensuring that your whole team are on hand to respond to member enquiries, phone calls and developments. Flexible working could enable your association to now be on hand to respond from the early hours of the morning until late at night. Make sure that everyone understands who is working when, and set up a WhatsApp group to enable people to quickly update everyone in the event plans change.
Mental wellbeing
Continuing to foster an open and inclusive work environment has never been more important. With the financial and social constraints in place, it is crucial to offer your team and your members access to resources to help them cope with the new working arrangement. We can help your association access some online assistance and resources that you can share with your team and your members.
Providing your members with access to help and even continuing efforts to boost morale will improve your membership offering and prop up your industry during difficult moments.
Creating a productive work environment
Whilst it may not be possible for all, setting up a home working ‘station’ or office area may help you to focus on your tasks without homely distractions such as the TV and washing machine. Whilst home-working presents the opportunity to continue with household tasks and watch your favourite show in the background, the more the lines are blurred between working and home, the more each aspect encroach upon the other, impacting on both your work productivity and your opportunity to relax outside of working hours.
Practice good sleep hygiene
It may be tempting to work right up until your eyelids shut, particularly if you are juggling home schooling and switching desks with a partner. However, looking at screens up until the moment you hit the sack could negatively impact on the quality of your sleep and in turn your overall condition as the weeks progress. Try and set aside 30 – 60 minutes of screen free, or limited screen time prior to going to sleep. Whether it’s listening to music or reading a book, some time to decompress and unwind before starting again is essential.
Upskilling
Whist face to face meetings are on hold, why not take the opportunity to upskill your team, ensuring that everyone is confident with remote working access, digital communications platforms and conference calling. We can offer support on choosing the right software and help you explore your options during quieter times to prepare for when your business function returns to ‘normal’. Take the opportunity to really assess your membership offering, speaking to members and collating responses to better understand their needs during this period of unrest.
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