Top Ten Telecommuting Tips Part Deux
David Letterman gave his final one. Casey Kasem gave all of America one for years. Even the Federal Bureau of Investigation has one (although you probably don’t want to be on it). Yes, America’s favorite pastime and the number one on the Top Ten list of trivial timewasters, it’s the famous Top Ten List. Making a Top Ten list is so popular, even your CSEA Chapter 262 decided to join in. In the previous issue, we counted down the last five on the list. Let’s finish off our Top Ten Telecommuting Tips with the top five tips.
Starting off at number 5 …
Number 5 … Prioritize Your Work: When you telecommute, you don’t always have easy access to your manager to help prioritize your work, and you may have as much to do telecommuting as you do at work on campus. Prioritizing your tasks and workflow is a bit more complicated, especially if you have requests coming from other managers or employees. Some of this work may be urgent and important or not urgent and not important. Some tasks you might even be able to delegate to colleagues. Do yourself a favor and figure out where each task fits in this matrix. Make a chart if you need to (see example at right) and place your tasks in the priority chart where you think they belong. Then share your chart with your manager. Your manager might shuffle some of the tasks around to where he or she believes they belong, and that’s perfectly fine since your manager should be prioritizing your work. Your manager will also see that you are giving careful thought to the work you are being asked to do and being creative or taking initiative, both of which could be beneficial at your next evaluation period.
Number 4 … Dress for Work: Working from home in your living room wearing pajamas is just a joke. Wearing pajamas all day is impractical, for one thing. Getting into “work mode” is difficult if you are not dressed for the part. You don’t have to put on a suit and tie (and very few of us do anyway), but business casual gets us into the frame of mind to keep us focused on work. Casual dress is certainly one of the perks of working at home, so stay in the habit of getting ready for work each day. This will also make the transition back to working on campus again easier.
Number 3 … Set Clear Goals: When you have been given assignments by your manager, set goals for yourself. If you need your manager to prioritize your assignments, do that and also ask for each task’s deadline. Deadlines help you understand the priority and helps you set your goals. Low priority items you can get to tomorrow or Thursday. Assignments your manager needs right away you need to get to right away. This tip works with Tip #5. Once you have your tasks prioritized, you can set a goal of getting all the important-urgent tasks done today or at least as soon as possible. Also set goals for you. Set a goal for not working through lunch. If you have several assignments, set a goal for stopping every couple of hours and getting away from your work area. Walk around the yard. Take a 15-minute nap. Help the kids with their math homework. Anything to help clear your mind so you can get back to it later somewhat refreshed.
Number 2 … Don’t Work Alone: Just because you are working from home does not mean you have to be alone. Do not be afraid to ask for help from your colleagues or to ask others to help you check your work. Since you cannot speak face-to-face, use Zoom or send e-mails back and forth. Respect your co-workers’ workloads and work situation, so do not hold a Zoom meeting to discuss non-work topics. You have collaborative tools available to you, so use them if you need or want help from your colleagues.
And the NUMBER 1 Telecommuting Tip . . .
Balance: Yes, balance is arguably the most important aspect to telecommuting. Balance can apply to anything. Trying to get work done when you also have to homeschool your kids or getting an assignment completed on time for your manager when you also have a room full of distractions is a challenge. Utilizing the previous tips can help you achieve balance. Set a daily schedule to follow. Take your breaks. Isolate distractions. Communicate and collaborate with co-workers. Take time outs for yourself. These can all help you maintain a healthy work-home balance. Remember that you are not expected to be sitting at your computer all day unless you are working on an assignment your manager has given you. If your manager has no assignment for you, then go homeschool the kids, walk the dog, or catch up with NCIS. Check your voicemail or e-mail for assignments from your manager. If your manager has given you assignments, then work on those, but remember to maintain a healthy balance.
If you find these tips helpful, share them with your colleagues. If you have other telecommuting tips you’d like to share or if you have questions, please send your ideas to cpro@csea262.org or submit them to the Chapter 262 Telecommuting Tips web page by following this link.
Telecommuting FAQ Web Page
Adjusting to the telecommuting model has been a challenge on many fronts, including where to get answers to your questions. To help answer those questions, we have created a COVID-19/Telecommuting FAQ page with answers to many of your questions.
Follow this link to visit the Telecommuting FAQ page. If you have a question that doesn’t appear on the FAQ page, you can submit a question through this online form.
Zoom Burnout
First it was ZoomBombing. Now we have to worry about Zoom Fatigue. While we struggle every day with questions like, “Will I get sick if I go outside?” (No. Just going outside and breathing air won’t mean you will catch COVID-19). Then there are the fatigue-induced constant requests for “virtual” parties, where your friends want to call you up on Zoom or your smartphone’s video chat app when all you want to do is get away from your computer, not spend more time there.
While Zoom is an invaluable tool for keeping “social” contact with someone without being physically present, too much of a good thing is also exhausting.
When we are online video-chatting or teleconferencing with Zoom, you can be hyper-focused on the visual cues of the person with whom you are “Zooming.” Subconciously (or perhaps even consciously), reading and interpreting these cues can become exhausting after extended periods. We gather a great deal of meaning and understanding from a full range of body language, and doing this online drains our energy faster, especially if you are not familiar with online social activity like “chat rooms” or “Virtual Places” (which is a real thing).
Zoom burnout and Zoom FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) are real and play against each other. You don’t want to be left out or forgotten by your virtual community, but at the same time between that and all the Zoom conferences required by telecommuting, the last thing you want to do is sit for two more hours video-chatting or “partying” via Zoom with your colleagues who want to “meet” with you after work and have a drink.
While social contact is important, especially now that being sheltered at home is required, too much Zoom can strain your eyes, tax your mental awareness, and learning the new (for you) norms and pitfalls of proper online etiquette.
Be aware of your Zoom usage. Only take Zoom meetings that cannot be done via e-mail or by phone. Turn off the video and just use the sound portion of Zoom. Only accept a few Zoom meetings a day or week, depending on your tolerance levels. These are all things you can do to control your Zoom Fatigue and Zoom FOMO. If you find yourself reaching your Zoom limit, click on this link, sit back for the next 20 minutes, and enjoy a laugh or two.
CSEA President Kicks Off ‘Fridays with Ben’
We have never faced anything like the COVID-19 pandemic before, which of course has led to uncertainty about how it will impact both our lives at home and at work. In an effort to share important information about what CSEA is doing to advocate for our members, Association President Ben Valdepeña is sending out a video message each Friday. The video series is called “Fridays with Ben.”
Each week, he updates members about our latest goals and accomplishments, which are pivotal to CSEA’s mission of improving the lives of our members, students and communities. Please join us by tuning in and sharing this information with your coworkers and loved ones. Now, more than ever, it is important to stand united behind our shared values.
Family Resources and Virtual Activities
Staying home for the weekend is sometimes a fun way to unwind and relax. Staying home for weeks on end is not exactly the same thing. As we follow health and safety orders to shelter in place and slow the spread of COVID-19, many of us are looking for new ways to make the most of our time and keep our family occupied. Here are some things to do and places you can visit “virtually” on your computer to entertain you and your family while we stay safer at home.
Take a trip to some of your favorite places, without leaving the comfort of your home.
Learn new recipes, from quick meals to more involved cooking projects with your family.
Here are some educational materials to keep you healthy, both mentally and physically.
Healthy Eating and Stress Management
CSEA videos recognize ‘Everyday Heroes’
We are proud of our fellow brothers and sisters, now more than ever. Despite the school closures, many of us are still reporting to work on a daily basis. We are providing important services to meet the needs of our families and communities during this unprecedented time in a variety of different ways. From preparing and transporting meals to setting students up with the necessary tools to login for distance learning, each and every one of us has an important role to play. This work is not only allowing our families to maintain some sort of normalcy, but also provides a lifeline in many ways for those used to relying on school meal programs and other important services.
CSEA is recognizing the noble efforts of our members with the launch of the “Everyday Heroes” video series, which highlights classified employees from all over the state sharing their stories about how they are providing critical services to their schools and their communities. We invite you to share these stories with your coworkers and family, and encourage you to reach out to the Communications Department if you have any stories you think should be highlighted. Email editor@csea.com.
Your CSEA Chapter 262 Executive Board:
Robert Stubbe, President • Rosa Asencio, 1st Vice President • Marlene Espina, 2nd Vice President
Barbara Carrillo, Secretary • Zak Gallegos, Treasurer
Elizabeth Jauregui, Chief Union Steward • Mark Fernandez, Communications Officer
Brandon Gillett, Site Rep Coordinator • Sandra Bollier, Past President
“To improve the lives of our members, students, and community.”
CSEA Chapter 262 • 1100 N. Grand Avenue Walnut, California 91789 • 909.274.6262 • www.csea262.org