I want to start out by thanking everyone for your professionalism and understanding during this crisis.  This is something that most of us if not all of us have ever seen before. The main difference from prior crises lies in the way that our normal way of living has been abruptly impacted forcing us to bring our lives to an uncomfortable and unsafe change for an uncertain time period ahead.  

I am sure we are all sharing this uneasy, anxious and uncertain feeling.  It’s important that each of you know that we are in this together. We will fight through it and we will get through it, stronger than when we began our fight.  Our first and foremost concern is your health and the health of your loved ones. Nothing will ever become a greater priority for Wiss and we will never change the way in which we value life.  We will always look at life through a large lens, not a narrow one. We will never lose sight of what’s most important.   

It’s also important (but not as important as your health of course) that each of us does not fall into the trap of being traumatized or inactive.  There’s a very simple and famous theory we were taught in school by our friend that was hit in the head by a falling apple. “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” Well, we have definitely been hit by an unbalanced force.  What we don’t want to do – unless we are sick – is to allow this force to get us off a productive track or to force us into complete rest. When something stops, it’s very hard to get it going again. 

 Here are some tips for setting up a productive work-from-home environment:

• Create a dedicated workspace. Set up a space in your home with limited distractions that will be ideal for conducting work and that you can leave when you’re off the clock.

• Be available and over-communicate. In the absence of face-to-face interaction, be available to colleagues via phone or Skype for Business. If you plan to be away from your computer or have any flex needs, let your team know how to reach you. For example, you can do this through the Skype location setting.

• Establish regular check-in meetings. Connect with your co-workers and manager to discuss goals, projects, and daily tasks. If you manage a team, encourage accountability through “team huddles” at an agreed-upon and specific schedule (i.e. 10 a.m. in the morning and 3 p.m. in the afternoon).
• Set a schedule. Remember to set a consistent routine, as working longer hours is a common result of working from home. Establishing and informing your team of when you will regularly take lunches and breaks is a good start.