Theresa国际传媒檚 a video that still swirls around the internet that perfectly illustrates the challenges of working from home.
And yousa国际传媒檙e thinking of it already, arensa国际传媒檛 you?
A man in a business suit in an uninteresting office setting is doing his best to look professional whilst providing his opinion to a television news show host. That is, until his toddler enters the room and steals the limelight, followed by a woman attempting to hide from the camera and wrangle the kid.
This isnsa国际传媒檛 unlike my experiences working from home as a reporter while my troops were very young.
While video calls werensa国际传媒檛 part of my work-from-home repertoire, non-stop phone calls were. And Isa国际传媒檓 here to offer a few tips to the masses, who may be trying to find a balance between letting a child wail in the background about a sippy cup, and hiring a full-time nanny who is comfortable with television cameos.
Hold, Please
The first step is to find the mute or hold button on your phone, and perfect its use. This is the ultimate tool in defeating a cranky toddler or anxious teenager. Practise interrupting people and politely saying sa国际传媒渃an you hold, please?sa国际传媒� so you can turn on the parent voice and deal with whatever travesty has befallen your offspring.
Stay mobile
Invest in a headset. Children get more anxious the more calm you look. To head them off at the pass, conduct all your business while doing household chores. You can connect with anyone, really, while washing dishes and listening to them.
Tip: Before trying this on clients, patients or customers, practise on an in-law. They are your toughest audience and best critics.
Dress for work
This is horrible advice. Donsa国际传媒檛 do this. How often will you be sent home to manage your companysa国际传媒檚 affairs? This is a chance to work in the best conditions possible. In your sweat pants, on your couch. If yousa国际传媒檙e feeling extra fancy and the budget allow sa国际传媒� after all, yousa国际传媒檝e managed to keep your job during a public health crisis sa国际传媒� then splurge on some nicer day pajamas. Think Hugh Hefner. He did okay in his pjs, after all.
Tip: If your work day involves video conferencing, Skype interviews or your want to impress the mail carrier yousa国际传媒檙e finally going to meet, dress for success from at least the waist up.
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Keep regular hours
As tempting as it will be to finally attempt to make a souffle on your lunch break, trust me, yousa国际传媒檒l get burned. Either yousa国际传媒檒l fall asleep from the extra effort to create a masterpiece during what is actually a work day, or yousa国际传媒檒l forget entirely and the fire alarm will go off in the middle of a call.
Put the whisk down. Instead, grab a coffee on your breaks. Take a walk around the block at lunch. Just remember to go back to the sa国际传媒榦fficesa国际传媒� at some point.
Train your children and pets
When my sons were small, I made my calls when one was at elementary school, one was soundly sleeping on a bed in my office, and another was mostly docile. I trained that middle child to walk in gently and place his hand on my shoulder for my attention. I rewarded him by saying sa国际传媒渃an you hold, pleasesa国际传媒� into my headset. We would then talk about a great many childhood mysteries, and Isa国际传媒檇 send him happily on his way before returning to my call.
The long-term benefit is he is now also the kind of person who places a hand on you while he speaks to you. And now that I think of it, maybe sharing too many germs along the way.
And as for dogs who may bark at inopportune times, repeat after me: sa国际传媒淥h, that darn neighbour and his dog!sa国际传媒�
You will bond over the shared contempt of this dog and bad dog owners, and then yousa国际传媒檒l spend a half hour consoling him or her later.
And that reminds me. Stock your workplace with treats as a failsafe back-up, for you, your children and your dogs.
Best of luck out there. Stay safe and healthy.
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jpeters@theprogress.com
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