The lines that separate work time and personal life aren’t just blurring… they have been all but erased. For the masses working from home – which in the U.S. amounts to tens of millions or more and is expected to continue for the foreseeable future – there is little to no separation between personal and professional space. With a phone, laptop or tablet, a solid internet connection and some supporting software, more people than ever are working remotely at least 50% of the time. And without the traditional boundaries of what constitutes work space verses a personal place, the two are colliding in a messy mix, raising two important questions. 1. How do business leaders ensure the work gets done and professionalism is maintained? 2. And how do employees ensure they are productive without allowing work to take over home life?
Here’s how. Continue reading →

Texts ping during dinner. Kids and cats demand attention during a video conference. The boss calls at lunch time. The gardener knocks on the front door in the middle of a sales call. Work keeps crashing into personal time and home life keep interfering with work time. What is a professional to do? As more and more business people continue working from home in an effort to comply with CDC social distancing guidelines, employees are finding it hard to maintain distance between work and home life. Here are some tips to give each its due. Continue reading →

Reduced business hours. Abbreviated work schedules. Laid off employees. Smaller teams. How does a business service its internal and external customers when divisions and departments scale back on manufacturing, production or services offered? Or when the business scales back on hours of operation? What does a business do when those who are working can’t get the job done because their schedule has been reduced to a fraction of normal? What should an employee say when asked to work beyond hours paid? It is a challenge that both managers and employees – not to mention customers — are grappling with during the “new normal” in the age of Covid. Here’s what businesses need to do… and not do… while operating in a scaled-back Covid environment. Continue reading →

Most everyone would agree that the global economy has taken a massive blow as a result of the efforts to contain the coronavirus. Staffing was decimated in a multitude of industries from real estate to retail and from hospitality to healthcare. Unemployment soared. Now, some three months later, businesses are emerging from their forced hiatus, unsure of what to do next. Rehire everyone and trust that business will bounce back? Or hold off on rehiring and take a wait-and-see approach? Here are eight tips for how to make that very difficult decision. Continue reading →

Word Count: 1,293 Estimated Read Time: 5 min. In the past, if someone needed to earn big money fast – and the person wasn’t a technology genius, inventor, insightful stock trader or creative scientist — he or she might become … Continue reading →

No doubt that times are tough all over. Whether it is social, familial, professional or health-related, just about everyone is enduring some pain due to sheltering-in-place, social distancing and the resulting economic downturn. Even if not severely impacted, few are happy about the Covid crisis and no one is singing a happy tune. In fact, most would agree that the last few months have been pretty harsh. So when someone says “look at the bright side,” one might wonder if that bright light is an oncoming train. But the truth is that even in the darkest times, there is some good… and it is imperative to look for that bright side, both at home and work. Here’s why and how. Continue reading →

What will the business world look like by Summer or Fall of 2020? That is uncertain. Required or recommended measures are still unclear and evolving. What is fairly certain is that it’s unlikely to look or function the same as it did a year ago. Work spaces, employee behavior and processes have already changed and will likely adjust further or be replaced as a “new normal” emerges that is focused on increasing hygiene and reducing the spread of germs for customers and employees alike. Here are things to consider as businesses prepare to reopen in the age of contagion. Continue reading →

Sheltering-in-place and social distancing has forced many to work from home. Video conferencing – which used to be the path of last resort for professional meetings – has now become ubiquitous and necessary. While video conference providers abound and the technology is robust, the bigger adjustment has been in getting people to know how to use all of the features of the system and adapt to an online professional environment. Stories of video conferencing and webinar gaffes abound. Here are ten etiquette tips for how to video conference like a pro in the virtual business world. Continue reading →

These are certainly uncertain times. It’s been a very long time since the entire world has been so deeply and thoroughly affected and afflicted by a single, common factor. And, many are still in shock by this sudden, seismic disturbance upending every aspect of daily life. There will likely be profound, long-term adjustments to most aspects of daily life. Work life. Home. Travel. Relationships. Religion. Government. Healthcare. Education. That said, those who accept change and are flexible, nimble and adapt fastest will likely fare best. For a lesson on adaptability, it’s time to revisit an old business book and its newly published sequel, timed perfectly for these uncertain times. Continue reading →

The global economy is in the midst of a perfect storm. Some businesses are dropping anchor. Others are scrambling to find a safe port to dock. Still others are have no choice but to sail through the storm. There is no shortage of advice about what to do or not do to get through this unprecedented gale. The challenge is in analyzing the mountains of advice to extract the most useful information. To use this time wisely and focus on what most needs to be done, here are the top four strategies suggested by some reputable business experts, journals and business schools. Continue reading →