Virtual Holiday Party

One of the things I hear when teams work from home is that they can’t have parties together and feel left out of the merriment, especially around the holidays. It’s hard to have everyone over to one house and share in the libations of the season and the comradery. Well sure, if you don’t have the budget to fly your team from around the country to one location then you won’t be physically together – but it doesn’t mean you can’t still have a good time!

Yesterday, I had the joy of hosting a virtual holiday party for our department. It was the first I’d conducted of this size and breadth, so honestly it was an experiment. I’ve been receiving great feedback from it, so I’ll deem it a success and share some of the activities here with you.

I’ll start by noting that this was a nondenominational, represent all areas as fairly as possible, yada yada yada event. Essentially – it was clear that it was not required, not discriminatory, and no reason to call HR. The event was 1.5 hrs, and everyone was invited to come if they could for as little or as much as their schedule permitted. Again, it’s optional, and don’t screw up your work priorities. So much red tape!

The most important aspect of ensuring success (besides people participating with jolly spirit) is utilizing a web collaboration tool with the right bells and whistles. In this case, we wanted audio and video, the ability to screen share, the ability to chat publicly and privately, and the ability to annotate/draw on presentations and whiteboards. Not asking for much, right?

To get everyone in the right mindset, we asked folks to dress in their favorite holiday garb, such as an “ugly sweater” or a reindeer ears, and be prepared to turn on their cameras (even if not dawning their flavorful apparel). I was wearing a silly shirt with a light-up holiday lights necklace and light-up bouncy Santa hat. We had others in Santa hats, a cute snowflake headband, reindeer headbands, and so on. And of course some that sported their everyday wear. Either way, it was great to see their faces. By using a collaboration tool that syncs audio and video, we were able to see whoever was talking as well as the others “in the room” and be together.

Our first activity was easy. I displayed a weather map for this coming Sunday and had folks use their annotation tools to share where they would be. This sparked conversation about who was traveling, and who was jealous of the Florida warmth versus the Wisconsin snow.

Our next activity was to decorate gingerbread houses. I shared an image of two houses, just their structure, and had folks use the various drawing tools to decorate at their will. So this may sound silly for adults. And you may be thinking about how you wouldn’t do it. All of these activities are only as fun as you elect to make them. This wasn’t fun because of the coloring. It was fun to tease people about the way it was done! We had a house with dots that someone said was chicken pox, and that opened a door for mockery. We had some good artists drawing trees and animals in the windows. We had a not-so-good artist attempting what was claimed to be a reindeer, but it really was just a Pandora’s box for entertainment.

Up next was “Name That Tune”. I asked folks to get a pen and piece of paper and write down their answers as I presented a lyric from a popular holidays song and they guessed the song title. The fun for me was trying to say the lyric in a non-sing-song way! The team was having fun talking about how little they knew or how embarrassing it was that they couldn’t recall. People were asking “Where’s the Led Zeppelin” and other comments sparking laughter while guessing. During the reveal, I actually sung the lyric (how embarrassing!) and most people immediately knew the answer. There was also plenty of debate over what could be deemed as an acceptable answer. The winner got bragging rights.

Activity Four was probably my favorite. We played “Pictionary”, or a rendition thereof. Using private IM, I would send a person the name of the popular holiday movie. On the collaboration whiteboard, they would then have to draw it and see if others could guess it. Let’s just say that some people should keep their day jobs! The guesses on some of the less artistic ones were truly hilarious and kept the conversions flowing.

The final activity was another pen and paper game. I showed images of the Top 10 Holiday Toys for 2016 (per CNN) and would see if people could guess them correctly. Of course, I started by showing some top toys from the 80’s and 90’s, which sparked nostalgic conversations. The reveal included the prices, so that became interesting fodder as well. We talked about each toy, and the team would explain it for those that weren’t familiar. Speak Out happened to be on the list, so then a team member demoed the game and we played a round or two. (If you haven’t seen it or played, check it out – it is a laugh!) That was probably the funniest moment of the entire event! I can’t even repeat the guesses!!

We had great participation and made every activity fun because we wanted it to be. The spirit and open-mind of each team member, along with the advanced preparations, were the keys to making this event so successful. I received feedback from the staff such as “I truly enjoyed yesterday’s party”, “Who knew {person A}, {person B}…et al were so much fun…!!”, and “Thanks for everyone that joined the Holiday party and made it so much fun. I now cannot stop singing Christmas songs!!! Feliz blah blah blah..." (inside joke from the event and my husband!)

It just goes to show that distance is no excuse for not gathering together to celebrate each other’s company and have a good time.

Happy Holidays

Very thankful

“Thanksgiving after all, is a word of action.” -W.J. Cameron

There’s no better time to reflect on all that work-at-home has provided me and give thanks for the life it allows me to lead. Too often, we don’t step back and realize what a gift we’ve been given, and working from home is truly that. So looking back at some moments from this year…

I am thankful that I was home with Gidget in her final months. In between meetings, I was able to take her outside and clean up any accidents. And while on meetings, I was able to hold her in my arms and help her feel secure and loved. My husband and I are both convinced that she would have left us much earlier if she had not had mommy at home to help. It was no disruption to my work day, but made a huge impact on her quality of life.

I am thankful that I was home when my husband had his shoulder surgery. Again during breaks, I was able to get him his meds, change his ice, help him get around, and so on during those first weeks of recovery. Had I not been working from home, I likely would have had to take time off to be at home. This way, I was able to do all of my work and take care of him when he needed help.

I am thankful that the late nights, early mornings, working lunches, and weekends were conveniently in my home. I don’t enjoy when those happen, but it it’s part of the job sometimes. Instead of spending time commuting for extra work, I was able to just work. Instead of worrying about safety in a dark building in a dark parking lot all alone, I was home and secure. Instead of feeling isolated from my family and neglectful, I was still able to pet Lucy and talk with my husband. That takes a little of the sting out!

I am thankful that I can wear comfy clothes each day. It saves a ton on wardrobe money! But it also allows me to take Lucy for a walk during lunch or get work done around the house with ease. In doing so, emptying the dishwasher and doing laundry during my lunchbreak saved me time in the evening to spend with my family and friends.

I am thankful that I was at home while we had our deck project taking place. I was able to check in on the progress of the build and correct any issues in a timely manner, and see things in their “in between” state, catching issues that may have been covered up. This wasn’t a picnic, and drove me a little crazy, but I’m glad I was able to ensure things were done properly.

I am thankful that my lunchbreaks are “my” time. In addition to chores and taking walks, I am able to just chill in front of the TV if I need a break. During the summer, I was able to go tend to my yard and enjoy that new deck. And I was able to visit with my niece and nephew, whom I absolutely adore! They brighten any day!

I am thankful that on those rainy and snowy days, I don’t have to drive. I’m not fond of driving on slippery surfaces (dating back to a horrible wreck in college), and not having to deal with that keeps so much stress away. Not to mention, I get more time being productive at work rather than doubling my time in traffic. And, believe it or not, I’m thankful even for the “snow days”, where I still have to work when others don’t. I’ll gladly work on those quiet days and keep the wheels on the bus in trade for everything I get back.

I am thankful that when my grandmother fell at my parent’s house, I was able to get right over there. No driving, no fuss. I was out the door and able to help in 5 minutes. I’m sure my mom is thankful for that as well!

I am thankful for the opportunity to explore this new work-at-home passion. Because of this arrangement, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to write, present, and coach on this subject and open up a career path and affinity for helping others that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I’ve met many new people, and hopefully had a positive influence on most. Most of these folks I’ve never even met!

I am thankful for the extra time I have in the morning before work, because I am not driving, to spend working on my volunteer activities. I’ve donated over 300 hours of my time this year to charity, compared to last year’s 30 hours. Each extra minute I have not in traffic, not walking to a building, not putting on makeup can become a minute used to help others.

I am thankful for a year in my new role and the ability to continue to be a valued contributor. Distance has not kept me from making an impact. In many cases, I believe the quiet time, comfortable space, and ability to concentrate has made that impact far greater than if I had been in the office.

I am so very, very thankful that I get to work from home each day.

Collaboration is Intentional

Recently, a large Fortune Top 50 company pulled back its Work At Home program, citing collaboration as the reason. They stated that productivity by this segment was proven and wasn’t the concern. It was very specifically the collaboration. Naturally, that brought forth concern to many in similar organizations about the future of at-home programs where they work.

Think back to a time when you worked in a building with other people. Did you know all of them? Did you talk to all of them? Even if so, was the conversation really “collaboration”?

Let’s remind ourselves first on what collaboration really means. Collaboration is a verb, and is defined as working with another person or group in order to achieve or do something. The origin of the word, when broken down to its Latin roots means “to labor together”.

So, back to the earlier question – The conversations you had in the break room were likely not collaboration. They were conversations. They helped fulfill your sense of belonging and engagement, which are important, but there is no product as a result of that interaction. You didn’t walk away with a new gizmo or idea. You had the together part taken care of, but not the labor.

Now that we understand that casual chitchat is different, let’s focus on what actually would be considered collaboration. Clearly, you are employed because you bring something of value to the table. Same goes for those around you. And in theory, your collective minds will smoosh your ideas together and come up with new things and innovative solutions. So, you can read between the lines with this move that the company in question feels like they are not seeing as many ground-breaking steps forward as they would like.

But is that because people work at home? Collaboration doesn’t just happen. And it isn’t a product of proximity. Even in the office, you had to be intentional. You locked yourself away in a conference room drawing on the board and bouncing ideas around. You set up meetings and scheduled time to pull your colleagues together to explore a topic. Your partnership was planned and purposeful.

This doesn’t change because you work at home. You have all of the tools that you need. You have calendars to schedule meetings. You have IM to ping spontaneous ideas around. You have phones to talk to one another. You have webcams and video chat to see each other. You have annotation tools and whiteboards to scribble mutual ideas.

The ONLY plausible reason for collaboration failing when you work at home is – YOU. You stopped trying. You don’t put in the effort. You use your situation as an excuse. You became lazy.

If collaboration always takes effort, and the tools are ubiquitous, then that’s the only logical conclusion. Therefore, if you are worried about losing your at-home situation, you better take stock in what you are doing each day to collaborate. Are you really collaborating, or just communicating?

Good day sunshine

It’s fall, and the temperature finally feels like it. Fall is my favorite season, filled with hot chocolate, sweaters, cool breezes, leaves changing, hockey season… I could go on and on! But today, in this moment, I am acutely aware of the weather and the awesomeness of working at home on such a fine day.

Looking out my window, the sky is a beautiful robin’s egg blue without a cloud to be seen. My window is open with the cool breeze filling my office with a renewing, crisp sense of freshness. My backdoor is open, allowing the faint echo of the gong-style wind chime on my porch to provide delicate background music to my day. My dog Lucy is staring out the front door keeping watch while soaking in the sun, showing off her beautiful smile.

Isn’t that a poetic picture? Doesn’t that describe a place you would love to work? It’s only possible because I’m at home. In the office, I’d be in a cube somewhere with that sunlight teasing me, if visible at all, with none of the renewing accompaniments.

There’s more to this note than to brag. There is science behind the impact of sunlight, temperature, and fresh air towards your productivity. People that are exposed to natural daylight remain more alert than their sleepy counterparts exposed to artificial lighting. Your cortisol levels drop significantly under poor or artificial lighting, which increases your stress levels. Many of you will also recognize the relationship that low cortisol levels have towards weight gain. Similarly, lack of sunlight can also lower your levels of serotonin, which regulates sleep, appetite, mood, and memory. Some researchers believe that low serotonin is also connected with clinical depression.

Are you having trouble sleeping? It could be that your body is out of its circadian rhythm due to lack of sun exposure. Sunlight helps tell your body that nighttime is over and to stop producing melatonin. If you produce melatonin all day and that pattern remains the same, then you become used to it and it isn’t helping your body fall naturally to sleep. It’s like when people say caffeine doesn’t impact them because it’s so commonplace to them it’s like water. As a result, some folks (like my poor office-bound hubby) are taking melatonin supplements. Sunlight will stop the release of melatonin and allow you to reserve the natural stuff for bedtime.

To me, open windows seem to freshen everything up. It circulates the air, bringing in raw, new air to replace the stagnant air. The air is no longer being filtered through the AC/Furnace and is pure from the source, like drinking natural spring water. I don’t know about you, but it’s a great reminder that my filter probably needs to be changed (note to self). When you consider the office, all air is always run through machines, so you are dependent on their maintenance to manage what you breathe. Not to mention all the funk brought in by those around you – how quickly does that air turnover? This results in poor air quality in the office, which is directly attributed to poor performance and more sick days.

Lack of sunshine can ruin your sleep, mood, eating habits, memory, and much more. Lack of fresh air results in fatigue and illness. All of these things translate into your productivity and quality at work. If you are not your best self, you cannot put your best effort into your activities.

There are things an office worker can do to help. But, as work at home folks, we have a true advantage. We control our environments. We control our access to Mother Nature in our work day and our breaks. Therefore, we control our potential for greatness. 

Saving is the new earning!

By now you have likely realized many of the common savings one gets by working from home: less gas, car maintenance, lunch money, dry cleaning, etc. And not to mention the TIME! But there are other things you can be doing to save money that maybe you hadn’t considered!

Review your auto insurance policy. Many policies are based on the number of miles you drive to work each day, as that impacts your risk of being in an accident. If you aren’t driving, your risk is practically nonexistent. Talk to your insurer about this change and see if they can bring your rates down.

Or, consider selling your car. If you live in a two-car household, go down to one. Even if it’s your only vehicle, consider what public transportation or ride sharing has to offer. This is a much bigger deal if you are still paying on the car. Why pay on something you aren’t using? Personal choice, of course, but worth deep consideration!

Buy a portable heater and/or air conditioner. Or maybe just a fan. When you are at home, you are going to want a comfortable environment. But there is no sense heating or cooling your entire home just because you are in one room! A portable heating or air unit will consume a little electricity, but not as much as your whole-home unit. It will also keep the wear-and-tear off your expensive whole-home unit. There are some really nice models that can provide you in-room comfort with little energy consumption, and actually very little noise or overhead to install and use. Also consider smart whole-home units and smart electrical conservation equipment that will allow you to utilize the equipment you already have for the house in a more effective manner.

Sell or donate your work clothes. If you are really at home all of the time, it’s highly doubtful that you are wearing your dress or suit to your home office. If you intend to stay working from home for a while, put the clothes to better use than collecting dust! Consider selling your clothes at a yard sale or consignment shop. Or, my personal preference, donate your clothes! You can deduct your donations on your taxes and help others in need. There are even charities, like Dress for Success, specifically looking for gently used professional clothes. Besides, if you do go back to the office, you don’t want to be wearing last season’s clothes, do you?

Shop in bulk. You know those big-box stores where you can buy a twelve pack of pianos for the cost of one? You may not belong to them because your family is small or you didn’t think there were items there of interest to you. But, you’ll soon find out that there are supplies you need more of when working at home. You don’t realize how much toilet paper you go through until you are only using your own restroom! There are other things too, like printer paper, pens, notebooks, tissues, etc. that you are now having to supply for yourself. Buying these stable items in bulk can save you a lot of money. Many of these stores also have great deals on other office supplies and equipment, from desks to electronics.

Look for internet/phone discounts. If you employer is not paying for these services, talk to them about a discount. Many employers are able to work directly with the cable and phone companies to offer discounts to their employees, passing on savings or better customer support. In many cases, they are offer access to business class services, where the quality of the product (such as Internet speed) is better and the response time and priority for issue resolution is higher.

Make sure your work location is correct, legally. States, cities, and even “sub-cities” all have different taxation rates. When you are in the office, your paycheck is being taxed on the location of the office. However, if you live in a different county, city, state, etc. your tax requirements may be different. By ensuring that your work location is associated with your home, you may be able to avoid higher taxes otherwise incurred at the office.

Keep those receipts! When you are at home full time, you can take tax deductions for your home office as well as purchases made to enable your work. If you needed a new desk, a new computer, copy paper, toner, a new chair, etc. – these can all be deducted if used for work purposes. You may be able to deduct mileage if you are required to go to the office and even parking! It’s always best to consult with an accountant regarding your taxes and questions related to your deductions, but if you don’t keep your receipts, you can’t even start the conversation. When in doubt, file it!

Make sure you are getting the most out of your work at home experience by capitalizing on the savings available, and ensuring that minimal additional costs goes out the door. It’s a rewarding job to have, in more ways than one!

Dedicated Space

To effectively work at home full time, a dedicated office is a must. You may think you can work effectively from you kitchen table or couch, but you’re just getting by. Effectiveness requires commitment.

There is a strong psychology around why you should have a dedicated space. You need to be able to mentally transition from your home to work persona and back. If you work where you eat, and eat where you work, how can you ever tell the difference? You eventually won’t, and one or both of your personas will suffer.

There are security reasons for having a dedicated space. Many jobs require you to be able to lock the door to an office to protect equipment and files. At a minimum, most will require lockable file storage and commitment to security around protected information. If you are like me, you may also tend to raise your voice or say things that others shouldn’t hear. Ok, maybe it’s just that you talk about client information and don’t curse out-loud about the email you just received. Either way, there are likely ears that shouldn’t be privy to such things. Data you speak should be just as secure as data you write or read. You also don’t want to be an annoyance to your family or teach any impressionable people those 4-letter words.

Security isn’t always about data and equipment, it’s also about your personal security in the form of safety. When you are working, you are on the corporate dime and therefore typically covered by your employer’s Workman’s Compensation program. Your employer likely has some materials for you to sign related to the manner in which you will keep your home space organized and free from hazards that may result in personal injury or other harm. If you do not have a dedicated space, you open yourself up to more risk of injury or damage, like stepping on the kids Lego’s and dropping your laptop. You also open yourself up to that issue not being covered. Employee injury or illness is compensable under workers’ compensation if it arises out of and in the course of employment, regardless of the location the injury occurs. Employees typically have the burden of proving that the injury is work-related. “Arising out of” refers to what the employee was doing at the time of the injury, and “in the course of” refers to when the injury happened. It’s a lot harder fight this when you tell your Lego story, compared to a secured space.

Having a dedicated office provides you some financial assistance as well. You have some deductions you can take advantage of, but the reserved space really is a must. Common deductions include a percentage of your property-related payments (like mortgage interest, rent, insurance, and property taxes, office furniture and equipment, physical home repairs and improvements, business phone line, etc. The catch is, it MUST be for work! (Or you have to only deduct the portion that is.) If you deduct that new hardwood you just installed, you better not be watching Sunday Night Football in the same space.

In an upcoming post, I’ll talk about how to situate that home office to be your most productive self. In the meantime, start looking for that space you can carve out as your own. 

The Hardest Part

What’s been the hardest part, for me, about working from home?

You might think I’d say something like missing my friends, feeling lonely, feeling less engaged in meetings, feeling distant from my company, etc., etc., etc. And while those may be valid obstacles (which I like to think I’ve overcome), they haven’t been the hardest. For me, the hardest part has been taking a stand.

When I started working from home, I went all in. I wanted to do it right. Partially because I wanted it to work for myself. And partially because I had staff accumulating across the country that were counting on it to work. This caused me to place extra burden on myself to really represent. Some people’s jobs were depending on it!

This forced me into some awkward positions that can still be hard to deal with to this day. I’ve talked before about how I’m not coming in for your meeting… But sometimes that stance is really unpopular – especially with executive leadership. I even had one executive state said if you had any meetings with X-level leaders or above, you HAD to come in.

This really bothered me. What if my staff in other states had been asked to participate in these meetings? What if they were trying to move up the ladder? Would they be held back because of geography? Would it reflect negatively on them that they couldn’t attend in person because of distance? I certainly didn’t want that to happen to my people, let alone me. I felt like I needed to be overly diligent about fighting for at-home rights to protect us all.

In the short term, that was extremely hard. There’s nothing like purposefully disobeying your leadership to make a name for yourself. A not so good name. And that’s why this was the hardest part. For every meeting, I had to judge how much it would hurt me in the short term and what “trouble” I would be in for my mutiny.

I mostly stood firm, and stayed at home. I’d get called out in meetings about it. I’d get lectured. I’d get a black-eye or black-balled. Yet, I still did it. Some leaders would stop putting remote options on meetings all together trying to force the in-person transaction to take place. And for some of those, I’d ask someone else that I knew at the meeting to call me from the meeting. Yeah… that pissed some people off. And on the few occasions where I felt I had to go in or might be on the receiving end of a pink slip, it was rarely ever worth it. Nothing was so special about meeting in-person that it couldn’t have been done remotely.

I probably still have a bad reputation with some folks that have yet to get on the at-home boat. I know I ruffled their feathers. But that was a risk I was willing to take for something I believed in. Now, four years later, I believe all of those fights paid off. I believe I helped provoke a movement.

No one wants to be the black sheep. And that is why knowingly putting myself in that position was the hardest part about working from home. I risked my job for an ideal I was passionate about. Thankfully, it worked in my favor. I learned a lot about myself through that engagement:

• I am a strong person. Knocking me down doesn’t knock me out.
• I have conviction. If I truly believe in something, I will fight for it.
• I am an advocate. Advocates don’t always do what is popular. They do what is right.
• I have a lot of courage. It would have been easier to fold, but with great risk can come great reward.
• I am a leader. I work for my team, and in the trenches with them. I don’t just “manage people”.

Most of my battle scars have healed. And the result is a cult-like following of people that want to learn more about how to work at home successfully and the proliferation of the at-home program. The pain and fear resulted in ever-reaching positive outcomes. I’d say it was a good gamble.