The safety and well-being of our employees and their families have been top-of-mind at Silicon Labs as we have tried to navigate through a world of shifting uncertainty carefully. I would like to take a moment to share where Silicon Labs is in the evolution of this new environment, how we got here, and how we are preparing for future phases.

Let me start by saying that in times like these, I feel fortunate to work for a company like Silicon Labs.  Back in January, when the pandemic had just starting to hit our Asian offices, our executive team assembled a global COVID-19 Response Team (CRT). The CRT included our COVID Taskforce in Austin, our Global Site Health Leaders (GSHL), and key individuals from our offices around the world. I am honored to lead this team and have had the opportunity to work with great, caring people across our global sites to identify and implement the right measures at the right sites at the right time.

Our Asian sites were the first to experience lockdowns. Our parts support critical and desperately needed communications, infrastructure, and medical products. As such, we were deemed an essential business. Fortunately, most of our global workforce could work effectively from home. However, there were still several key activities that required ongoing access to our facilities and equipment to support our customers and our products, including our testing operations in Singapore. Finding a way to perform these functions while minimizing risk to our employees was crucial. Our team collaborated with the local governments to quickly implement guidelines for on-site operations, including split shifts, limited office staffing, social distancing, temperature checks, face mask requirements, enhanced cleaning procedures, and many other precautionary steps.

These precautions became a model for our other sites as COVID-19 continued to spread across the globe. By sharing our global experiences, specific actions and procedures were defined by the CRT and then tailored for each individual office by site leaders based on local regulations and health conditions.

By the time the pandemic reached Austin, TX where our global headquarters is located, we had had the opportunity to learn extensively from our global experiences. Our Austin HQ is our largest site and consists of two buildings, each with six floors, some of which are occupied by non-Silicon Labs tenants. Our test floor and our labs house specialized equipment that often requires in-person attention. Our IT and administrative offices are the nerve center of our worldwide operations. While the majority of our employees could work from home, we had a small percentage of “essential” workers who needed to be in the office regularly to access and maintain our specialized equipment.

To protect those who need to be in our HQ buildings, we adopted several preventative measures that continue today. We limited access to only a small authorized list of individuals divided into “orange” teams. These teams were each based in restricted access areas. Segregating teams helps mitigate potential contagion concerns by limiting the number of individuals any worker comes into daily contact. 

Employees check for symptoms before coming to work, check their temperatures twice a day, wear face masks in all public areas, and practice social distancing. There are temperature check and no-contact material transfer stations on every floor, hand sanitizer stations, cleaning supplies, and disinfectants in all common areas, and visual separation reminders in break areas, conference rooms, and service desks. We have adopted strict cleaning and disinfection standards, have moved workstations, installed clear dividers, and closed gyms, and other common areas. We also have partnered with the Ascension/Seton Hospital System (Seton hospitals, Dell Children’s, and UT Medical School), to conduct audits of our facilities and processes and to give us access to health experts who help guide our decision making.

From the beginning, the Silicon Labs Executive team has been cautious and thoughtful about how and when we return to the office. The GSHL team continues to monitor infection, testing, and hospitalization metrics to ensure our decisions are measured, science-based, and data-driven. As an example, when the metrics in Austin indicated a favorable trend earlier this summer, the Austin Task Force and orange teams leaders evaluated a plan to slowly increase the number of individuals who could access our facilities (Phase II). However, once the rate of cases and hospitalizations began to increase, we quickly made the decision to remain in our essential-personnel-only on-site levels (Phase I).

Doing the right thing is one of our core values. We will continue to protect our employees and their families without compromise, and provide a safe environment for the minority of employees who must access our facilities. At the same time, we also support all of our employees working from home. Because of early action and ongoing health and safety protocols, we have had no known transmissions of COVID-19 in the workplace. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure we keep it that way.

Many local and national governments around the world have initiated “shelter at home” and “work from home” policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of our employees have been working remotely for years, for many of us, this is a completely new experience. We’re now starting to develop some new routines and work habits. The question is, are they good habits?

For many starting the work from home (WFH) process, the biggest concern is often that there will be so many distractions, no work will ever get done. In fact, after listening to employee feedback, reading articles about WFH and even experiencing it myself, the challenge is often figuring out how can I stop working. We roll out of bed and, since we are not commuting to the office, there is no clear demarcation of when the day begins. Similarly, we don’t need to wrap things up and get home in time for dinner, so again, no boundary of when the day ends. The result is from the time we get up until we go to sleep, we are glued to the computer. The reality is – when working from home, we must find the right work/life balance. With that in mind, here are some practical considerations for those working from home.

One trap people tend to fall into during remote working is they sit down at their computer and never get up to take a break. We don’t do that when working in the office, and we should not do that in our home offices either. Here are a few simple tips from employees who already have been working remotely around the world:

• Get up and stretch. Don’t go more than an hour or so without getting up and stretching your legs for a few minutes.

• Interact virtually with your co-workers. Use Zoom (or other video-conferencing applications) to create virtual meetings – and even virtual breaks from work.

  • Quick stand-up meetings with your team – gather them together occasionally through video conferencing and talk about how their day is going.

  • Water cooler/coffee machine – schedule 15 minutes a couple times a day for colleagues to get together and chat. It doesn’t have to be work-related.

  • Lunchroom – if you have colleagues you would normally go to lunch with, bring your lunch into your computer or iPad area and enjoy a relaxing break together.

  • Workout – if you have fitness equipment in the house (or even if you don’t) get some music going, download a free 7 min. workout and challenge each other to get the blood pumping.

  • Happy hours – many companies are now hosting end-of-day virtual happy hours using video conferencing. It works!

Keep family close, even during shelter at home. Please take advantage of your access to Zoom and similar video tools to keep in contact with your family. They do not need the Zoom application installed; simply share a Zoom link via email so family members can join through a web browser.

Here are additional productivity tips for working remotely (Source):

• Create an ergonomic workspace. This means a good chair, proper desk height and as many screens as necessary. 
• Build a routine to help ease into work mode. Don't forget to include meals, breaks and light exercise (standing up to stretch counts). 
• Divide the day into chunks such as "serious work," "catch up," "collaboration and so on. 
• If possible, use specific parts of your living space for different activities. Example: use the home office for major project, the kitchen for phone calls and backyard for catch-up meetings. 
• Instead of basing your productivity on whether you worked eight hours, base it on a question to yourself: "Have I done a good day's work?"

While everyone is working so hard remotely, no one wants you to burn out. Find ways to break up the day. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk around the neighborhood (remember to stay at least six feet away from others). Keep connected not only to your family, but also to your co-workers and your teams. There have been a lot of very rapid changes over the last few weeks, and we sometimes struggle to keep pace as we rush to implement new policies and procedures that fit within WFH and shelter at home, but we are all succeeding in making these necessary adjustments, one step at a time.

Many local and national governments around the world have initiated “shelter at home” and “work from home” policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of our employees have been working remotely for years, for many of us, this is a completely new experience. We’re now starting to develop some new routines and work habits. The question is, are they good habits?

For many starting the work from home (WFH) process, the biggest concern is often that there will be so many distractions, no work will ever get done. In fact, after listening to employee feedback, reading articles about WFH and even experiencing it myself, the challenge is often figuring out how can I stop working. We roll out of bed and, since we are not commuting to the office, there is no clear demarcation of when the day begins. Similarly, we don’t need to wrap things up and get home in time for dinner, so again, no boundary of when the day ends. The result is from the time we get up until we go to sleep, we are glued to the computer. The reality is – when working from home, we must find the right work/life balance. With that in mind, here are some practical considerations for those working from home.

One trap people tend to fall into during remote working is they sit down at their computer and never get up to take a break. We don’t do that when working in the office, and we should not do that in our home offices either. Here are a few simple tips from employees who already have been working remotely around the world:

• Get up and stretch. Don’t go more than an hour or so without getting up and stretching your legs for a few minutes.

• Interact virtually with your co-workers. Use Zoom (or other video-conferencing applications) to create virtual meetings – and even virtual breaks from work.

  • Quick stand-up meetings with your team – gather them together occasionally through video conferencing and talk about how their day is going.

  • Water cooler/coffee machine – schedule 15 minutes a couple times a day for colleagues to get together and chat. It doesn’t have to be work-related.

  • Lunchroom – if you have colleagues you would normally go to lunch with, bring your lunch into your computer or iPad area and enjoy a relaxing break together.

  • Workout – if you have fitness equipment in the house (or even if you don’t) get some music going, download a free 7 min. workout and challenge each other to get the blood pumping.

  • Happy hours – many companies are now hosting end-of-day virtual happy hours using video conferencing. It works!

Keep family close, even during shelter at home. Please take advantage of your access to Zoom and similar video tools to keep in contact with your family. They do not need the Zoom application installed; simply share a Zoom link via email so family members can join through a web browser.

Here are additional productivity tips for working remotely (Source):

• Create an ergonomic workspace. This means a good chair, proper desk height and as many screens as necessary. 
• Build a routine to help ease into work mode. Don't forget to include meals, breaks and light exercise (standing up to stretch counts). 
• Divide the day into chunks such as "serious work," "catch up," "collaboration and so on. 
• If possible, use specific parts of your living space for different activities. Example: use the home office for major project, the kitchen for phone calls and backyard for catch-up meetings. 
• Instead of basing your productivity on whether you worked eight hours, base it on a question to yourself: "Have I done a good day's work?"

While everyone is working so hard remotely, no one wants you to burn out. Find ways to break up the day. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk around the neighborhood (remember to stay at least six feet away from others). Keep connected not only to your family, but also to your co-workers and your teams. There have been a lot of very rapid changes over the last few weeks, and we sometimes struggle to keep pace as we rush to implement new policies and procedures that fit within WFH and shelter at home, but we are all succeeding in making these necessary adjustments, one step at a time.

Many local and national governments around the world have initiated “shelter at home” and “work from home” policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of our employees have been working remotely for years, for many of us, this is a completely new experience. We’re now starting to develop some new routines and work habits. The question is, are they good habits?

For many starting the work from home (WFH) process, the biggest concern is often that there will be so many distractions, no work will ever get done. In fact, after listening to employee feedback, reading articles about WFH and even experiencing it myself, the challenge is often figuring out how can I stop working. We roll out of bed and, since we are not commuting to the office, there is no clear demarcation of when the day begins. Similarly, we don’t need to wrap things up and get home in time for dinner, so again, no boundary of when the day ends. The result is from the time we get up until we go to sleep, we are glued to the computer. The reality is – when working from home, we must find the right work/life balance. With that in mind, here are some practical considerations for those working from home.

One trap people tend to fall into during remote working is they sit down at their computer and never get up to take a break. We don’t do that when working in the office, and we should not do that in our home offices either. Here are a few simple tips from employees who already have been working remotely around the world:

• Get up and stretch. Don’t go more than an hour or so without getting up and stretching your legs for a few minutes.

• Interact virtually with your co-workers. Use Zoom (or other video-conferencing applications) to create virtual meetings – and even virtual breaks from work.

  • Quick stand-up meetings with your team – gather them together occasionally through video conferencing and talk about how their day is going.

  • Water cooler/coffee machine – schedule 15 minutes a couple times a day for colleagues to get together and chat. It doesn’t have to be work-related.

  • Lunchroom – if you have colleagues you would normally go to lunch with, bring your lunch into your computer or iPad area and enjoy a relaxing break together.

  • Workout – if you have fitness equipment in the house (or even if you don’t) get some music going, download a free 7 min. workout and challenge each other to get the blood pumping.

  • Happy hours – many companies are now hosting end-of-day virtual happy hours using video conferencing. It works!

Keep family close, even during shelter at home. Please take advantage of your access to Zoom and similar video tools to keep in contact with your family. They do not need the Zoom application installed; simply share a Zoom link via email so family members can join through a web browser.

Here are additional productivity tips for working remotely (Source):

• Create an ergonomic workspace. This means a good chair, proper desk height and as many screens as necessary. 
• Build a routine to help ease into work mode. Don't forget to include meals, breaks and light exercise (standing up to stretch counts). 
• Divide the day into chunks such as "serious work," "catch up," "collaboration and so on. 
• If possible, use specific parts of your living space for different activities. Example: use the home office for major project, the kitchen for phone calls and backyard for catch-up meetings. 
• Instead of basing your productivity on whether you worked eight hours, base it on a question to yourself: "Have I done a good day's work?"

While everyone is working so hard remotely, no one wants you to burn out. Find ways to break up the day. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk around the neighborhood (remember to stay at least six feet away from others). Keep connected not only to your family, but also to your co-workers and your teams. There have been a lot of very rapid changes over the last few weeks, and we sometimes struggle to keep pace as we rush to implement new policies and procedures that fit within WFH and shelter at home, but we are all succeeding in making these necessary adjustments, one step at a time.

Many local and national governments around the world have initiated “shelter at home” and “work from home” policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of our employees have been working remotely for years, for many of us, this is a completely new experience. We’re now starting to develop some new routines and work habits. The question is, are they good habits?

For many starting the work from home (WFH) process, the biggest concern is often that there will be so many distractions, no work will ever get done. In fact, after listening to employee feedback, reading articles about WFH and even experiencing it myself, the challenge is often figuring out how can I stop working. We roll out of bed and, since we are not commuting to the office, there is no clear demarcation of when the day begins. Similarly, we don’t need to wrap things up and get home in time for dinner, so again, no boundary of when the day ends. The result is from the time we get up until we go to sleep, we are glued to the computer. The reality is – when working from home, we must find the right work/life balance. With that in mind, here are some practical considerations for those working from home.

One trap people tend to fall into during remote working is they sit down at their computer and never get up to take a break. We don’t do that when working in the office, and we should not do that in our home offices either. Here are a few simple tips from employees who already have been working remotely around the world:

• Get up and stretch. Don’t go more than an hour or so without getting up and stretching your legs for a few minutes.
• Interact virtually with your co-workers. Use Zoom (or other video-conferencing applications) to create virtual meetings – and even virtual breaks from work.
  • Quick stand-up meetings with your team – gather them together occasionally through video conferencing and talk about how their day is going.
  • Water cooler/coffee machine – schedule 15 minutes a couple times a day for colleagues to get together and chat. It doesn’t have to be work-related.
  • Lunchroom – if you have colleagues you would normally go to lunch with, bring your lunch into your computer or iPad area and enjoy a relaxing break together.
  • Workout – if you have fitness equipment in the house (or even if you don’t) get some music going, download a free 7 min. workout and challenge each other to get the blood pumping.
  • Happy hours – many companies are now hosting end-of-day virtual happy hours using video conferencing. It works!

Keep family close, even during shelter at home. Please take advantage of your access to Zoom and similar video tools to keep in contact with your family. They do not need the Zoom application installed; simply share a Zoom link via email so family members can join through a web browser.

Here are additional productivity tips for working remotely: (Source:  “Notes from REMOTE by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson”)

• Create an ergonomic workspace. This means a good chair, proper desk height and as many screens necessary.
• Build a routine to help ease into work mode. Don’t forget to include meals, breaks and light exercise (standing up to stretch counts).
• Divide the day into chunks such as “serious work,” “catch-up,” “collaboration” and so on.
• If possible, use specific parts of your living space for different activities. Example: use the home office for major projects, the kitchen for phone calls and backyard for catch-up meetings.
• Instead of basing your productivity on whether you worked eight hours, base it on a question to yourself, “have I done a good day’s work?”

While everyone is working so hard remotely, no one wants you to burn out. Find ways to break up the day. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk around the neighborhood (remember to stay at least six feet away from others). Keep connected not only to your family, but also to your co-workers and your teams. There have been a lot of very rapid changes over the last few weeks, and we sometimes struggle to keep pace as we rush to implement new policies and procedures that fit within WFH and shelter at home, but we are all succeeding in making these necessary adjustments, one step at a time.

Many local and national governments around the world have initiated “shelter at home” and “work from home” policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of our employees have been working remotely for years, for many of us, this is a completely new experience. We’re now starting to develop some new routines and work habits. The question is, are they good habits?

For many starting the work from home (WFH) process, the biggest concern is often that there will be so many distractions, no work will ever get done. In fact, after listening to employee feedback, reading articles about WFH and even experiencing it myself, the challenge is often figuring out how can I stop working. We roll out of bed and, since we are not commuting to the office, there is no clear demarcation of when the day begins. Similarly, we don’t need to wrap things up and get home in time for dinner, so again, no boundary of when the day ends. The result is from the time we get up until we go to sleep, we are glued to the computer. The reality is – when working from home, we must find the right work/life balance. With that in mind, here are some practical considerations for those working from home.

One trap people tend to fall into during remote working is they sit down at their computer and never get up to take a break. We don’t do that when working in the office, and we should not do that in our home offices either. Here are a few simple tips from employees who already have been working remotely around the world:

• Get up and stretch. Don’t go more than an hour or so without getting up and stretching your legs for a few minutes.
• Interact virtually with your co-workers. Use Zoom (or other video-conferencing applications) to create virtual meetings – and even virtual breaks from work.
  • Quick stand-up meetings with your team – gather them together occasionally through video conferencing and talk about how their day is going.
  • Water cooler/coffee machine – schedule 15 minutes a couple times a day for colleagues to get together and chat. It doesn’t have to be work-related.
  • Lunchroom – if you have colleagues you would normally go to lunch with, bring your lunch into your computer or iPad area and enjoy a relaxing break together.
  • Workout – if you have fitness equipment in the house (or even if you don’t) get some music going, download a free 7 min. workout and challenge each other to get the blood pumping.
  • Happy hours – many companies are now hosting end-of-day virtual happy hours using video conferencing. It works!

Keep family close, even during shelter at home. Please take advantage of your access to Zoom and similar video tools to keep in contact with your family. They do not need the Zoom application installed; simply share a Zoom link via email so family members can join through a web browser.

Here are additional productivity tips for working remotely: (Source:  “Notes from REMOTE by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson”)

• Create an ergonomic workspace. This means a good chair, proper desk height and as many screens necessary.
• Build a routine to help ease into work mode. Don’t forget to include meals, breaks and light exercise (standing up to stretch counts).
• Divide the day into chunks such as “serious work,” “catch-up,” “collaboration” and so on.
• If possible, use specific parts of your living space for different activities. Example: use the home office for major projects, the kitchen for phone calls and backyard for catch-up meetings.
• Instead of basing your productivity on whether you worked eight hours, base it on a question to yourself, “have I done a good day’s work?”

While everyone is working so hard remotely, no one wants you to burn out. Find ways to break up the day. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk around the neighborhood (remember to stay at least six feet away from others). Keep connected not only to your family, but also to your co-workers and your teams. There have been a lot of very rapid changes over the last few weeks, and we sometimes struggle to keep pace as we rush to implement new policies and procedures that fit within WFH and shelter at home, but we are all succeeding in making these necessary adjustments, one step at a time.

Many local and national governments around the world have initiated “shelter at home” and “work from home” policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of our employees have been working remotely for years, for many of us, this is a completely new experience. We’re now starting to develop some new routines and work habits. The question is, are they good habits?

For many starting the work from home (WFH) process, the biggest concern is often that there will be so many distractions, no work will ever get done. In fact, after listening to employee feedback, reading articles about WFH and even experiencing it myself, the challenge is often figuring out how can I stop working. We roll out of bed and, since we are not commuting to the office, there is no clear demarcation of when the day begins. Similarly, we don’t need to wrap things up and get home in time for dinner, so again, no boundary of when the day ends. The result is from the time we get up until we go to sleep, we are glued to the computer. The reality is – when working from home, we must find the right work/life balance. With that in mind, here are some practical considerations for those working from home.

One trap people tend to fall into during remote working is they sit down at their computer and never get up to take a break. We don’t do that when working in the office, and we should not do that in our home offices either. Here are a few simple tips from employees who already have been working remotely around the world:

• Get up and stretch. Don’t go more than an hour or so without getting up and stretching your legs for a few minutes.
• Interact virtually with your co-workers. Use Zoom (or other video-conferencing applications) to create virtual meetings – and even virtual breaks from work.
  • Quick stand-up meetings with your team – gather them together occasionally through video conferencing and talk about how their day is going.
  • Water cooler/coffee machine – schedule 15 minutes a couple times a day for colleagues to get together and chat. It doesn’t have to be work-related.
  • Lunchroom – if you have colleagues you would normally go to lunch with, bring your lunch into your computer or iPad area and enjoy a relaxing break together.
  • Workout – if you have fitness equipment in the house (or even if you don’t) get some music going, download a free 7 min. workout and challenge each other to get the blood pumping.
  • Happy hours – many companies are now hosting end-of-day virtual happy hours using video conferencing. It works!

Keep family close, even during shelter at home. Please take advantage of your access to Zoom and similar video tools to keep in contact with your family. They do not need the Zoom application installed; simply share a Zoom link via email so family members can join through a web browser.

Here are additional productivity tips for working remotely: (Source:  “Notes from REMOTE by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson”)

• Create an ergonomic workspace. This means a good chair, proper desk height and as many screens necessary.
• Build a routine to help ease into work mode. Don’t forget to include meals, breaks and light exercise (standing up to stretch counts).
• Divide the day into chunks such as “serious work,” “catch-up,” “collaboration” and so on.
• If possible, use specific parts of your living space for different activities. Example: use the home office for major projects, the kitchen for phone calls and backyard for catch-up meetings.
• Instead of basing your productivity on whether you worked eight hours, base it on a question to yourself, “have I done a good day’s work?”

While everyone is working so hard remotely, no one wants you to burn out. Find ways to break up the day. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk around the neighborhood (remember to stay at least six feet away from others). Keep connected not only to your family, but also to your co-workers and your teams. There have been a lot of very rapid changes over the last few weeks, and we sometimes struggle to keep pace as we rush to implement new policies and procedures that fit within WFH and shelter at home, but we are all succeeding in making these necessary adjustments, one step at a time.

Many local and national governments around the world have initiated “shelter at home” and “work from home” policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of our employees have been working remotely for years, for many of us, this is a completely new experience. We’re now starting to develop some new routines and work habits. The question is, are they good habits?

For many starting the work from home (WFH) process, the biggest concern is often that there will be so many distractions, no work will ever get done. In fact, after listening to employee feedback, reading articles about WFH and even experiencing it myself, the challenge is often figuring out how can I stop working. We roll out of bed and, since we are not commuting to the office, there is no clear demarcation of when the day begins. Similarly, we don’t need to wrap things up and get home in time for dinner, so again, no boundary of when the day ends. The result is from the time we get up until we go to sleep, we are glued to the computer. The reality is – when working from home, we must find the right work/life balance. With that in mind, here are some practical considerations for those working from home.

One trap people tend to fall into during remote working is they sit down at their computer and never get up to take a break. We don’t do that when working in the office, and we should not do that in our home offices either. Here are a few simple tips from employees who already have been working remotely around the world:

• Get up and stretch. Don’t go more than an hour or so without getting up and stretching your legs for a few minutes.
• Interact virtually with your co-workers. Use Zoom (or other video-conferencing applications) to create virtual meetings – and even virtual breaks from work.
  • Quick stand-up meetings with your team – gather them together occasionally through video conferencing and talk about how their day is going.
  • Water cooler/coffee machine – schedule 15 minutes a couple times a day for colleagues to get together and chat. It doesn’t have to be work-related.
  • Lunchroom – if you have colleagues you would normally go to lunch with, bring your lunch into your computer or iPad area and enjoy a relaxing break together.
  • Workout – if you have fitness equipment in the house (or even if you don’t) get some music going, download a free 7 min. workout and challenge each other to get the blood pumping.
  • Happy hours – many companies are now hosting end-of-day virtual happy hours using video conferencing. It works!

Keep family close, even during shelter at home. Please take advantage of your access to Zoom and similar video tools to keep in contact with your family. They do not need the Zoom application installed; simply share a Zoom link via email so family members can join through a web browser.

Here are additional productivity tips for working remotely: (Source:  “Notes from REMOTE by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson”)

• Create an ergonomic workspace. This means a good chair, proper desk height and as many screens necessary.
• Build a routine to help ease into work mode. Don’t forget to include meals, breaks and light exercise (standing up to stretch counts).
• Divide the day into chunks such as “serious work,” “catch-up,” “collaboration” and so on.
• If possible, use specific parts of your living space for different activities. Example: use the home office for major projects, the kitchen for phone calls and backyard for catch-up meetings.
• Instead of basing your productivity on whether you worked eight hours, base it on a question to yourself, “have I done a good day’s work?”

While everyone is working so hard remotely, no one wants you to burn out. Find ways to break up the day. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk around the neighborhood (remember to stay at least six feet away from others). Keep connected not only to your family, but also to your co-workers and your teams. There have been a lot of very rapid changes over the last few weeks, and we sometimes struggle to keep pace as we rush to implement new policies and procedures that fit within WFH and shelter at home, but we are all succeeding in making these necessary adjustments, one step at a time.

Many local and national governments around the world have initiated “shelter at home” and “work from home” policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of our employees have been working remotely for years, for many of us, this is a completely new experience. We’re now starting to develop some new routines and work habits. The question is, are they good habits?

For many starting the work from home (WFH) process, the biggest concern is often that there will be so many distractions, no work will ever get done. In fact, after listening to employee feedback, reading articles about WFH and even experiencing it myself, the challenge is often figuring out how can I stop working. We roll out of bed and, since we are not commuting to the office, there is no clear demarcation of when the day begins. Similarly, we don’t need to wrap things up and get home in time for dinner, so again, no boundary of when the day ends. The result is from the time we get up until we go to sleep, we are glued to the computer. The reality is – when working from home, we must find the right work/life balance. With that in mind, here are some practical considerations for those working from home.

One trap people tend to fall into during remote working is they sit down at their computer and never get up to take a break. We don’t do that when working in the office, and we should not do that in our home offices either. Here are a few simple tips from employees who already have been working remotely around the world:

• Get up and stretch. Don’t go more than an hour or so without getting up and stretching your legs for a few minutes.
• Interact virtually with your co-workers. Use Zoom (or other video-conferencing applications) to create virtual meetings – and even virtual breaks from work.
  • Quick stand-up meetings with your team – gather them together occasionally through video conferencing and talk about how their day is going.
  • Water cooler/coffee machine – schedule 15 minutes a couple times a day for colleagues to get together and chat. It doesn’t have to be work-related.
  • Lunchroom – if you have colleagues you would normally go to lunch with, bring your lunch into your computer or iPad area and enjoy a relaxing break together.
  • Workout – if you have fitness equipment in the house (or even if you don’t) get some music going, download a free 7 min. workout and challenge each other to get the blood pumping.
  • Happy hours – many companies are now hosting end-of-day virtual happy hours using video conferencing. It works!

Keep family close, even during shelter at home. Please take advantage of your access to Zoom and similar video tools to keep in contact with your family. They do not need the Zoom application installed; simply share a Zoom link via email so family members can join through a web browser.

Here are additional productivity tips for working remotely: (Source:  “Notes from REMOTE by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson”)

• Create an ergonomic workspace. This means a good chair, proper desk height and as many screens necessary.
• Build a routine to help ease into work mode. Don’t forget to include meals, breaks and light exercise (standing up to stretch counts).
• Divide the day into chunks such as “serious work,” “catch-up,” “collaboration” and so on.
• If possible, use specific parts of your living space for different activities. Example: use the home office for major projects, the kitchen for phone calls and backyard for catch-up meetings.
• Instead of basing your productivity on whether you worked eight hours, base it on a question to yourself, “have I done a good day’s work?”

While everyone is working so hard remotely, no one wants you to burn out. Find ways to break up the day. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk around the neighborhood (remember to stay at least six feet away from others). Keep connected not only to your family, but also to your co-workers and your teams. There have been a lot of very rapid changes over the last few weeks, and we sometimes struggle to keep pace as we rush to implement new policies and procedures that fit within WFH and shelter at home, but we are all succeeding in making these necessary adjustments, one step at a time.

Many local and national governments around the world have initiated “shelter at home” and “work from home” policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of our employees have been working remotely for years, for many of us, this is a completely new experience. We’re now starting to develop some new routines and work habits. The question is, are they good habits?

For many starting the work from home (WFH) process, the biggest concern is often that there will be so many distractions, no work will ever get done. In fact, after listening to employee feedback, reading articles about WFH and even experiencing it myself, the challenge is often figuring out how can I stop working. We roll out of bed and, since we are not commuting to the office, there is no clear demarcation of when the day begins. Similarly, we don’t need to wrap things up and get home in time for dinner, so again, no boundary of when the day ends. The result is from the time we get up until we go to sleep, we are glued to the computer. The reality is – when working from home, we must find the right work/life balance. With that in mind, here are some practical considerations for those working from home.

One trap people tend to fall into during remote working is they sit down at their computer and never get up to take a break. We don’t do that when working in the office, and we should not do that in our home offices either. Here are a few simple tips from employees who already have been working remotely around the world:

• Get up and stretch. Don’t go more than an hour or so without getting up and stretching your legs for a few minutes.
• Interact virtually with your co-workers. Use Zoom (or other video-conferencing applications) to create virtual meetings – and even virtual breaks from work.
  • Quick stand-up meetings with your team – gather them together occasionally through video conferencing and talk about how their day is going.
  • Water cooler/coffee machine – schedule 15 minutes a couple times a day for colleagues to get together and chat. It doesn’t have to be work-related.
  • Lunchroom – if you have colleagues you would normally go to lunch with, bring your lunch into your computer or iPad area and enjoy a relaxing break together.
  • Workout – if you have fitness equipment in the house (or even if you don’t) get some music going, download a free 7 min. workout and challenge each other to get the blood pumping.
  • Happy hours – many companies are now hosting end-of-day virtual happy hours using video conferencing. It works!

Keep family close, even during shelter at home. Please take advantage of your access to Zoom and similar video tools to keep in contact with your family. They do not need the Zoom application installed; simply share a Zoom link via email so family members can join through a web browser.

Here are additional productivity tips for working remotely: (Source:  “Notes from REMOTE by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson”)

• Create an ergonomic workspace. This means a good chair, proper desk height and as many screens necessary.
• Build a routine to help ease into work mode. Don’t forget to include meals, breaks and light exercise (standing up to stretch counts).
• Divide the day into chunks such as “serious work,” “catch-up,” “collaboration” and so on.
• If possible, use specific parts of your living space for different activities. Example: use the home office for major projects, the kitchen for phone calls and backyard for catch-up meetings.
• Instead of basing your productivity on whether you worked eight hours, base it on a question to yourself, “have I done a good day’s work?”

While everyone is working so hard remotely, no one wants you to burn out. Find ways to break up the day. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk around the neighborhood (remember to stay at least six feet away from others). Keep connected not only to your family, but also to your co-workers and your teams. There have been a lot of very rapid changes over the last few weeks, and we sometimes struggle to keep pace as we rush to implement new policies and procedures that fit within WFH and shelter at home, but we are all succeeding in making these necessary adjustments, one step at a time.