From the President
25 March 2020
Kia ora
My apologies for the lateness of this newsletter. It's all due to my tardiness in getting my President's report written. Every time I sit down to write something, I find the situation has changed! And I feel like everything has been said already!
Webinars
Our webinar programme, which can be found on our home page under Upcoming Events, will at this stage continue as planned and the Board will keep meeting online via Zoom.
Fees
Fees won't increase this year and our Board will think about other ways we might be able to help. Get in touch if you have any suggestions or questions.
Mental health and resilience
If you read nothing else, read Real-time Resilience Strategies for Coping with Coronavirus. We’ve entered a strange and challenging time, and it’s more important than ever to keep yourself healthy in mind and body.
Staying in contact
Meanwhile don't forget about our Slack group. It's a great place to discuss TechComms related issues with others in the industry or just share a few jokes. If you haven’t joined yet, go to "Member Area>Slack Participation" on the techcomm.nz website.
I'd love to see you there!
Note: You need to be a member to join the Slack group
Working from home
We've compiled this newsletter with a few links that the TechCommNZ Board members recommended. I hope it's useful for you.
Topics:
- How to work from home, and do it well
- Computer monitor positioning
- Cybersecurity at home
- Working from home with the kids around
- Financial support.
How to work from home, and do it well
This one is a 12-minute read from start to finish, but it’s laid out well enough that you can skim read and skip to the bits you’re most interested in. How to Work From Home: 20 Tips From People Who Do It Successfully advises you to put on pants in the morning no matter how tempting it is to work in your PJs, pick a dedicated work space that’s not the sofa, and to make use of messaging and videoconferencing tools to stay in contact with your team. If real-life examples help you out, this is your thing!
There’s also a great video centred around managing your remote team, available on YouTube:Stop Managing Your Remote Workers As If They Work Onsite.
Since this newsletter was originally published in March 2020, another interesting article has been brought to our attention. While it is aimed specificity at admin assistants and PAs, many of the tips are just as relevant to anyone working from home. The article can be found at https://www.orielpartners.co.uk/blog/how-admin-assistants-pas-work-at-home.
Computer monitor positioning
One of the most common problems for remote workers is poor workstation set-up. It might be tempting to work from the sofa but it’s going to be hell on your neck and back. Let’s prevent that by setting up a workstation and making sure your computer monitor is in the right place. Get started with this simple, 6-point checklist: Office Ergonomics: A Six-Point Checklist to Correctly Position Your Computer Monitor.
Cybersecurity at home
The biggest concern about remote working is security, and rightly so. There are a lot of articles out there, but this one offers some solid advice that you can put into play yourself, as well as useful resources for business owners: 13 cybersecurity tips for staff working remotely. Make sure your antivirus software is up to date and your WiFi connection is secure, update your computer regularly, and make use of tools like a VPN and password manager.
Working from home with the kids around
If you’ve got children at home, they are going to need your attention. Tips for working from home with the kids at home include: planning your day around your normal routine and sticking to it as much as possible, set expectations with the kids on noise and mess, divide the household tasks between everyone, and using your screen time wisely. If you haven’t got broadband, it’s a good idea to plan your conference calls for the ‘quiet’ hours of the day when fewer people are online and slowing your connection.
Financial support
The New Zealand government is offering financial support for all businesses affected by covid-19. Whether you are an employer, sole-trader or freelancing, you should visit Unite against COVID 19: Financial support to find out what help you can get.
We’d also like to remind you to contact your bank to find out what help they can give you, both business and personal.
Good luck out there and we'll be in touch soon.
Kia kaha everyone!
Meredith.