By now, hopefully most of us are already working remotely and respecting the “social distancing” guidelines set out by the WHO and Canadian Government www.canada.ca. as we deal with this unprecedented Covid-19 crisis.

For me personally, I have to say its been business as usual (remotely speaking)! You see, our business model is a hybrid one, we already allowed for a flexible and agile remote workplace (WFH). Sure, we have a beautiful co-working office space downtown (the physical location) but frankly we are used to meeting clients at their offices and/or Skyping/Zooming with our candidates (the remote location). I often joke around that Starbucks is my second office, I swear I’m not sponsored by Starbucks! But seriously though, our culture had already shifted to a more sustainable future vision of what we thought was the direction of a growing workplace movement. This used to be a perk or benefit for most employees but maybe now some employers won’t be so stiff about remote work after this pandemic is over. This was in fact a privilege and a right that I offered to our Recruiters in the past and now as we move forward, maybe there won’t be such a negative stigma associated with it anymore! Honestly, since we decided on the hybrid model, we’ve never been happier, we’re even more productive, impacting the environment and our quality of life in such a positive way!

I actually wanted to write this article as an optimistic communication and message to those struggling right now. I think, NO – I definitely know of some folks who are having a very difficult time adjusting to being at home right now. And, of course this is an unprecedented situation, unlike anything we could have imagined in our lifetime. What I can tell you is that you absolutely need to be accountable and serious about your work schedule. Sure, you can take breaks here and there but you should continue to get up at a regular time and follow a routine of sorts. Don’t wait to take a shower later in the day…that’s just not good for the soul. Wake-up, get up and actually kick-start your day with a purpose, as if you have somewhere to go or someone you are meeting. Most of the time we have virtual meetings set-up anyways, so be ready and presentable. Here are some other things you can do to absolutely impact your day:

 Set-up virtual video meetings;
 Check-in regularly with your teams and clients;
 Quick touch-point calls (could be less than 5 min.);
 Take a stretching/foam roller and/or Kombucha break (like I do!);
 Make sure you have a clean desk and work environment;
 Take a lunch break in a different location than your office space;
 On Fridays, treat yourself and order-in lunch – we used to go out for lunch on Fridays, so now you can try that new place just around the corner!
 I would highly recommend that when this pandemic crisis is over, that you also go out for lunch and meet people in your ecosystems;
 Set clear rules/expectations with other people in your home working remotely (especially now, everyone is at the home!);
 Know when to cut-off your workday and enjoy your personal/family time.

There you have it, some simple tips & tricks for adjusting to a remote work from home (WFH) situation!

To all, please be safe & stay home!

Nancy