I’ll Be [Working from] Home for Christmas
By: Organized Q
Tags: Organizedq, Working From Home, Working Over The Holidays, Tips And Tricks, Time Management

In a normal year, most of us would fantasize about heading home for the holidays. However, like everything else in 2020, teleworking in the holiday season brings its own new challenges.

Instead of holiday happy hours, secret Santas, and Christmas parties, we’ve got Zoom parties and that’s what we’re working with, even though Zoom fatigue is real and set in about 6 months ago.

As a home-based employee, we need to make sure we’re taking extra care of ourselves…and setting boundaries between our personal and professional obligations amid the chaos and wonder of the holiday season.

Here’s a few tips & tricks ensure that between teleworking and COVID restrictions and children homeschooling, we’re able to find some balance and peace.

Enjoy the Little Things!

Attend those Holiday Events (Yes, even on Zoom)

When you work at home, do you really need to attend the annual holiday office party? This year of all years, the answer is a resounding yes. In a year when so many people have lost jobs, transitioned completely online and had to forego the typical cooler talk, those zoom holiday parties, ugly sweaters and digital gift cards and all, are so very important.

Don’t pass up the opportunity to build and renew your workplace relationships with the people you might have once shared cubicle space with, or split projects with on Microsoft Teams when COVID struck in the Spring.

Just consider the fact that these connections and experiences you share could be the building blocks for a promotion, a support system, or simply a healthy digital workplace environment as online working doesn’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon.

(Are you HR for a company that went virtual and in need of some ideas? Check out this blog post on throwing virtual holiday parties.)

Handwritten cards and notes are a welcome surprise!

Send Cards and Notes

If gift giving isn’t a thing in your office (or even if it is), sending a card or note of appreciation is always a well-received courtesy. The holiday season comes at the end of the year. This makes it an especially appropriate time to look back and express positive observations to your coworkers, clients, and supervisors. Gratitude for everything that’s happened, the fact that you are still employed in some capacity and blessed enough to be able to work from home while your family is dealing with virtual school and you’re completing contracting work in your bathrobe says a lot for your boss, the flexibility of your company and this year.

Since you are remote, sending a card through the mail is convenient for you and, at the same time, a nice treat for the receiver. A hand-written, short note will always make more of an impact than an email! Be sure your cards are appropriate for all in a business setting. They don’t have to be holiday themed. (In fact, if you make it a New Year’s note, you have more time to get it into the mail!)

Juggling all of the schedules! Organized Q can help manage that!

Know and Respect the Office’s Holiday Schedule…and Your Family’s Winter Break!

Plan ahead as much as possible, schedule your PTO and holiday time in advance to respect the rest of the team and make sure that your assignments are getting turned in on time. Just because you’re home doesn’t mean you get to walk away from your computer when you’re on the clock!

On the same coin, remember that [if you’ve got kids at home] winter break will mean your house may be livelier than when the kids are doing online school. Be sure to plan activities for the kids while you have to work, but also have hard stops for when projects and work end so that you can enjoy winter break with your family.

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All of that said, know that you’re not alone. Though some of us have been working remotely for years, we know that this is new and uncharted territory for most of the world and COVID simply forced this lifestyle on nearly every person with a desk job. Remember to give yourself grace, cut yourself some slack, enjoy working in your pajamas (but brush your hair before Zoom calls!), and make time for holiday traditions.