New to Remote Work, Like Me?

Right as COVID-19 began pushing everyone to socially distance by working remotely, I started a new job. But this was just one of several "firsts" that would come with this transition. This was the first time in my life that I've genuinely worked remotely for a job (beyond a snow day here or there). My company was already working from home 100% when I started, so not only have I yet to work in the physical office space, but it will likely be months before I ever step foot in there as an actual employee for the first time.

Never having worked from home much in the past, I didn't have any space set up in my house for a legit home office. But I decided to take that space seriously and make sure I could be effective and comfortable there for a long time. The boss encouraged people to take desks, chairs, and monitors home - whatever they thought would help them be successful. I live in a very small house, but we managed to set up a little area in the corner of our living room that is out of the main flow of foot traffic, and has some natural light nearby. Here are a few tips from my experience if you are setting up your own workplace at home for the first time:

• Set up where there is good lighting, especially some natural lighting. It will lift your mood to see some sunlight, and will save your electric bill a bit too. But make sure you also have adequate lighting for cloudy days and evening work times too so that you're not straining your eyes to see.
• Consider ergonomics. If you're able to, invest in a comfortable chair - something with good padding and posture support. I knew I'd be using a mouse more than in the past, so I got one that was a better ergonomic fit to my hand, with a new mousepad that has wrist support. Make sure to set up monitors and screens at the appropriate level so that you're head can stay in a natural position most of the day. I also was fortunate enough to bring home a desk from work that transitions from sitting to standing - so I try to alternate back and forth a few times per day so I'm not sitting too long at one time. I also got a chair mat for under my rolling chair that has a portion at the front with anti-fatigue foam for when you are standing. Don't think about what you'd need to work from home comfortably for a few days - plan for what you'd need if it is for months.
• Noise-cancelling headphones are a huge help if you can get a pair. I have kids at home, and it really makes a difference in my ability to concentrate. And expect to be looking for new music to listen to in about a week or two after you quickly burn through all your favorite music playlists due to listening for more hours per day than you've been used to. Ask friends for recommendations, check out things Spotify recommends - keep an open mind and you might be surprised at some of the types of music that work well for listening while working.

One of my biggest concerns with starting a new job by working remotely was how quickly I'd be able to establish strong connections with my coworkers. There are so many little opportunities each day when you share the same space, same jokes, same shared experiences - but when you aren't in the same space, those are largely absent. Luckily I came into an environment where the leadership understands the importance of connection to healthy teams. We have all of our meetings via video calls through Slack, and we are all constantly chatting and communicating through Slack and email. We have a "Connect Call" three times a week, with the entire team - just to come together face-to-face, and talk. We have spent time processing how our lives are being affected by COVID-19, what challenges we are facing with remote work, what things we're doing to relieve stress, etc. The first connect call I was involved in, we all shared ideas for how to survive this long-term work-from-home time, and I want to share some of those here now, for others who are trying to figure this out:

• Over-communicate. Stay more in touch with your coworkers than you otherwise would if you were together in person. Follow-up more, connect more, chat more. Do more than you think you need to, to keep pushing to stay connected.
• Try to keep a regular schedule for yourself, even though you're home and your hours might be flexible. Routine helps us manage stress, and stay productive. So get up, do your morning routine, get dressed, and "go" to work. Stop at relatively the same time every evening so that the work day ends officially. Don't let yourself fall into the habit of either over-working, or putting off work and trying to make it up later.
• Engage in physical and mental self-care. Get outside, take regular walks, do some gardening, meditate, allow your mind time to clear and refresh on a daily basis. Exercise regularly - we probably need exercise more now than we did before. Exercising helps you de-stress and keep your body and mind vigorous and ready for the rigors of work.
• Regularly get away from your desk and workspace and give yourself a mental/visual break. Go outside, or just do something that allows you a mental break. Then you'll be ready to get back to it without getting overly worn down.
• Spend time as a company clarifying (or re-clarifying) your company's vision and mission. Make sure everyone keeps the WHY in sight. Even though there's a lot that has changed, your company's reason for doing what it does hasn't. Re-visiting this from time to time will help everyone stay on the same page while apart.
• Be creative! One of the fun things about our physical office space is that there is a never-ending supply of Bubly in every flavor imaginable for employees to drink. As we are away from the office, we aren't able to drink Bubly's. So our CEO offered to have deliveries of Bubly sent to our houses, like a care package. Think about other things to do that will be fun and keep everyone connected in unique ways - like every last Friday of the month, hold a themed costume video call. Virtual pizza party? Just don't forget to have fun together, even from afar.

One of the most important factors for success of any company is for the team to stay healthy and productive, and this happens largely through belonging cues. Are you as a team communicating to each other that you care about each other? Are you as a team continuing to keep standards high? And are you as a team continuing to make sure everyone knows that you believe in each other to hold those high standards? If you are prioritizing a sense of safety and belonging with your team, then you will be able to get through this difficult time successfully.

I hope these tips help you if you are in a situation similar to mine. We're all in this together!