You may have heard that classic expression, laughter is the best medicine. As cliché as it might sound, it’s actually the truth. In past iterations of The Productivity Box we’ve talked about how mental health and stress management have an impact on your job performance. In this month’s edition, let’s turn the lens on laughter and examine how this positive emotional release can make you more productive, whether you work from home or in an office.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused millions of employees to work from home. While some have returned to full-time office work, many people are still working remotely or following a hybrid schedule. Despite the mass transition to remote work, communication remains a significant challenge amongst workers and using solid communication techniques has become vital.
Mindfulness has found its way into mainstream culture, but does it have a place in the business world? Research points to a connection between mindfulness and optimal work performance, specifically the practice of meditation.
For some people, working from home during the pandemic has been a dream come true. For others, not so much. According to Cigna, 61 percent of Americans reported feeling lonely in early 2020. Mental health experts believe that the number has increased significantly ever since due to prolonged social distancing and repeated lockdown. In time, people started losing their sense of community and became less engaged to their company’s life.
Change is the new normal and we’ve all had to manage major shifts in our lives since the beginning of 2020. The larger and more impactful the change, the more of a paralyzing effect it can have on resilience, flexibility, decisive action, and productivity. However, change is necessary in the workplace. While major transformation can feel unbearable to manage sometimes, some smaller, consistent changes are easier to handle and can lead to major impact.
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.
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!
