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Sara Malo

Who gets to work from HOME now?!


It certainly has been quite the weekend hunting down toilet paper and following cancellations. I was just walking around my back yard with my pups looking up at the stars wondering what tomorrow will bring. I thought it may be helpful to share my working remote experiences with all you working parents. After all schools are closed down for a few weeks, nobody wants this virus and nobody wants to be quarantined.


I have been working out of my home for several years so for me this is my norm and nothing really will change besides the kids are home in winter not summer. My work environment isn't for everyone and you need to be super organized, stay on schedule with your hours, set daily sometime hourly goals and avoid distractions. You will definitely need to discuss with your kids no matter how old they are how this is all going to work. You can't be thinking about the load of laundry you should be doing or the fact that your living room is a disaster. Your kids can't be thinking your taking them to the mall or driving them to a friends if you are not on your lunch break. As soon as I turn my alexa on for some country tunes by my work desk I switch from Mom to employee. My kids are groomed to stay in their own space verse my work space until my work day ends. It took years to get here though.


For starters even if it's just a few weeks you need your own dedicated relatively quiet area. I have my desk with everything I need and I try to keep it organized and clean. I suggest keeping your personal stuff like bills etc. in another area. I have a rule at my house that my desk is my work desk and nobody needs to be touching anything on there. Having your laptop on your counter or at your kitchen table doesn't work.


Set solid ground rules with your kids, spouse and any close family or friends near by that you are indeed actually working. Some people think "oh they are just working from home" but the key word is working. I used to have family and friends just randomly stop over without advance notice and I had to put a hard stop to that. I used to have a laminated sign I would hang on my door stating I am working come back when my work day is over but everyone finally caught on and respected my privacy. It's also important to be transparent when you can. I start my day before my actual work hours because I like the peace of the morning and getting my day organized. Once my kids wake up and make their way down for breakfast I fill them in on what I am working on and let them know the times of my calls. I also give them notice ten minutes before a call that I am going to be on a call and that they can't be screaming for me from upstairs. It's also good practice for you to mute when you are not talking out of respect for everyone on the call. Kids, dogs and any noise can be super annoying. I can't tell you how many times I have been on a call and one of my kids was doing something loud, screaming at me or dangerous like jumping off the shed. I have had my fair share of yelling at that them but we need to remember that they are kids and this is their home. Sometimes they just forget so for me I just give them a friendly reminder that I am working today and if they can't respect that then I can't respect the fact that they need those new sneakers! It works every time.


You must set time for breaks no matter what and get out of the house. There really isn't a time at my job that I am not super busy but I always take my lunch break. I either go for a run with my niece or walk my dogs. Even if the weather is lousy getting away from your computer screen and breathing fresh air for even 30 minutes does wonders. There are lots of remote people I know that never even leave their jammies. I would not suggest this and instead get dressed as if you are leaving the house. Not saying you need to put a dress on but at least be ready for the day. I have the same morning routine where I get dressed in my running clothes, situate anyone awake, have my coffee/breakfast, brush my teeth and put my Sox hat on all before my official hours start.


When you are not on a scheduled call touch base with your co-workers. A few of the guys I work with I will just call them and put them on speaker phone so we can chat and work together. We discuss the projects we are working on and anything that may be bothering us or anything we may need help with. Sometimes you feel isolated so it's up to you to reach out and be sociable so that you feel like you belong.


Last and probably the most important thing is don't yell at your kids if they do something loud or stupid. Most business people one way or the other understand kids are kids and when you are working from home shit happens. When you yell it just causes a hostile work environment and everyone becomes pissed off feeling like they need to walk on egg shells in their own house. The more you discuss together about your day and what their plans are for the day the better you all are.


Be grateful for the flexibility during this crazy time and stay sane.


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