Emails and chat messages are quick and easy communication options. Yet, we’re in a remote and socially isolated work scenario going on for far too long now. Let’s not overlook the impact of hearing your colleague’s voice on the other end of a phone call! Do it for your productivity and to create stronger bonds with your team.
While working from home can be convenient and productive, it’s not without its distractions. According to a survey of 1,000 workers by Glassdoor, the top distraction that employees face during the workday is TV. Furthermore, only half of employees feel confident that they can maintain their productivity levels when working remotely as opposed to commuting to the office. Yet it is possible to manage your schedule as a remote worker in a way that maximizes productivity and removes distractions.
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed millions of people to work from home in the past year and a half. Besides the danger of catching the virus, we are also facing several other perils to our health. Beyond the usual domestic accidents, working from home usually means isolation and a sedentary lifestyle. In time, these are taking a toll on everyone’s physical and mental health. So how can you stay healthy in such challenging times?
If you look on social networks, it may seem like video, chat and email have replaced telephony for good. There’s an entire war going on about who does communication better. Hashtags after hashtags, studies and researches, everybody has an opinion. But when it comes to productivity, the traditional voice calls may be just what you need.
For the past 14 years, each summer we have been running an internship program for students and fresh graduates who are looking to improve their skills and gain real-life experience. And every year, we know the autumn has arrived when our Cool Summer Internship is wrapping up. So we asked a couple of interns from this year’s program to share some thoughts with us.
After a well-deserved vacation or relaxing staycation, it can be difficult to return to work. Your emails have piled up in your inbox, each one demanding your immediate attention. Your colleagues needed answers two days ago. What’s more, your boss already has a long list of tasks waiting for you. And all this happens while your brain struggles to transfer out of vacation mode. Don’t worry, the post holiday blues can be cured!
Seasonal mood changes are often associated with the bleak, cold months of winter. But what happens when you start feeling more anxious than usual at the end of the summer? Many people experience irritability, agitation, loss of appetite, insomnia, general stress and other anxious behaviors. In some cases, this anxiety can even be intense enough to meet the criteria for seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Does it ever seem like there’s a clock in your brain that wakes you at the same time each morning and sends you to sleep at night? No worries, we all have it ticking. Its scientific name is the circadian rhythm. And it regulates the cycles of alertness and tiredness you experience over a 24-hour period.
As the temperatures climb, you get into a summer routine, and it’s easy to slow down, including in the workplace. There are many reasons for this mythical slump, like families taking vacations while kids are out of school, creating an “out of office” ripple effect through your company. Externally, clients and vendors may be taking more time to respond, further making you less productive.
It’s summer! All you can think of is vacation, waves, beach, and cold drinks. Instead, you are stuck at home and still need to work. I can’t honestly find an encouraging bright side to that, but maybe it would make you feel better if you knew that you are not alone! No less than 25 percent of US workers feel less productive during the summer months and 68 percent admit that they are daydreaming during office hours. And that’s what summer slump is all about.
