Due to COVID-19, many of us have found ourselves working from home for an extended period of time. Welcome to our world! HiringThing has been a 100 percent remote company since we were established in 2012. Over the years, we like to believe we have grown and improved our company’s remote work. Not only are we great at what we do but we manage to have fun, too! If you’re new to working remotely, check out our top five tips for staying sane and having fun when working from home.
Five Ways to Stay Sane While Working Remotely
1. Switch Up Your Location
You’re working from home so why tie yourself to an uncomfortable desk chair? Take advantage of the perks of remote working and settle in somewhere cozy! Work from the couch or your favorite overstuffed chair. As long as you’re able to use your keyboard, it’s fair game. Consider working outside, as well. During a stressful time, it’s a great idea to take in fresh air and the spring blooms. Working on a front porch or on a blanket in the back yard might be relaxing and spur some extra creativity. If you’re tired of sitting, this is a great opportunity to finally tackle that standing desk hack you’ve been thinking about. Or, pile some books on a desk and figure out a less Instagram-worthy solution. Bonus? No coworkers are around to make fun of you. Keep switching it up to avoid cramps in new, weird places you didn’t know existed.
2. Take Breaks
Have you been having a hard time remembering what day it is? Yep, same here. We’ve lost all semblance of our normal life and routine. Plus, with no place to go, it’s easy to work longer hours. After all, no one is leaving work early to meet friends or participate in a school event. If you have kids, make sure you take breaks to help out with school projects, enjoy a long lunch, or get some fresh air with the kiddos. And if you don’t have kids? Do the same! It’s important to get away from your computer, interact with your friends and family, and exercise, no matter what. Stick to a schedule and make sure to sign off at a certain time. Remember, studies have shown that workers don’t accomplish more with longer days – efficient workers can accomplish far more in a shorter day. Don’t feel like you have to constantly be online to prove your worth.
3. Socialize Remotely
It’s easy to retreat into your own world when working remotely, especially when you’re barely able to leave your home. However, chatting with your coworkers will add some levity to your day and possibly boost your mood and your mental outlook.
Here at HiringThing, we’re always trying to get to know each other better. Whether we have casual department hangouts or create fun events like our Halloween costume contest, we want to get to know our coworkers better. We have multiple Slack channels dedicated to non-work communications. In our fitness channel, we share tips, resources, and encouragement. In our parents channels, those of us with children post cute kid photos, online educational resources, and tips for entertaining the kiddos. We started weekly happy hours (at three different times to cover our time differences) to help each other relax. A yoga aficionado on our team even started teaching a weekly half hour virtual yoga class during the day for anyone who is available and needs some de-stressing.
4. Be Comfortable
Now is not the time to wear a suit. If getting dressed in real clothes gets you ready to work and makes you feel productive, then go for it. But make sure that you are relaxed and comfortable. Yoga pants? Great. Sweatpants? No problem. What if you really want to wear your pajama pants? This gets a cautious thumbs-up but if you have any video calls, make sure not to stand up.
5. Use Zoom backgrounds
You’ve probably been on plenty of Zoom calls by now but have you used any of their virtual backgrounds? There are a huge assortment of free fun backgrounds you can try out, whether your taste runs more Game of Thrones or Finding Nemo. Not only is this a great conversation starter that will give your coworkers a chuckle, but it’s a great way to obscure anything you might not want visible in your home (we don’t give examples – you can make your own guesses). Just be careful. You’ve read about the woman who turned herself into a potato and couldn’t turn it off. Don’t be that woman.
Check Out the HiringThing Remote Work Hub
We hope this gets your day off to a fun, relaxed start. If you want to learn more about HiringThing, read our Remote Work Manifesto. Or, for more remote work tips, check out our Remote Work Hub.
About HiringThing
HiringThing is a modern recruiting platform as a service that creates seamless hiring experiences. Our private label recruiting technology enables organizations to add hiring capabilities to complete their solution. With our open API and developer-friendly documentation, we enable customized workflows and seamless connectivity for HR Solutions, PEOs and ASOs, Franchises, Staffing Agencies, and more. Approachable and adaptable, our platform empowers everyone, everywhere to hire their dream team. Start your free trial today!
