最新麻豆原创

Even though we continue to provide our regular services during regular business hours, 最新麻豆原创 Group has temporarily closed offices for those personnel not deemed 鈥渆ssential鈥� in compliance with government and state COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

Some of us have jobs that allow us to work remotely with very little change to our actual work. But for most of us, we still face the very big difference of not reporting to an office, seeing our co-workers face-to-face, and the routine that goes with actually working on site.

For Jerry King, Senior Mechanical Estimator in our Lawrence, KS, facility, keeping the company鈥檚 success top-of-mind helps him stay motivated.

鈥淚 try to keep in mind there are others depending on me to get work done so the company stays solvent and we all stay employed,鈥� Jerry said.

鈥淢y grandkids are next door, so when they come around I let them know I am working and will have to do things with them later. If they just want a little love, I take the time to hug them and hear their thoughts then get back to the task at hand.鈥�

Sometimes, knowing you鈥檙e needed is the best medicine. Las Vegas Project Engineer Liz Ferguson checks in with the foremen to stay focused.

鈥淚 find that staying in the same mindset and not disrupting my normal routine keeps me focused,鈥� Liz said. 鈥淐hecking in with the foremen each day helps as well. They know I鈥檓 readily available and the daily interaction helps me mentally.鈥�

If you have a wandering attention span while working online, Senior Controls Engineer Justin Foster at 最新麻豆原创 Group鈥檚 Lenexa, KS, headquarters recommends extensions that can help you reduce use of time-wasting social media sites.

鈥淢y preferred option is , which has extensions for both Chrome and Firefox,鈥� Justin said. 鈥淚t allows you to set custom time ranges and decide what sites to block within those ranges. You can also set a limit of how long you may browse those sites before it blocks you.鈥�

Project Coordinator Roxanne Sturgeon makes sure her team gets a personal touch each day, sending pictures from home along with humorous or motivational quotes. 

"I try to to send some sort of greeting with a picture, quotes, just something to touch base with my entire team each day," Roxanne said.

Here are some more ways 最新麻豆原创 Group associates stay motivated and on-track while working at home.

 鈥淪et ground rules with the people in your space. Designate a room as a make-shift office with natural light. Try to avoid working from the couch or recliner as well. Schedule breaks and take breaks in their entirety. Don鈥檛 short-change yourself during breaks, especially your lunch hour.鈥� 鈥揃rad Dorrell, Safety Specialist

鈥淲ith three grade-school-age children, it鈥檚 all about organization and scheduling. My wife and I have developed a plan around who will be working with which child at what time. It鈥檚 a work in progress as we鈥檙e trying to learn all the online programs are kids using.鈥� 鈥� Eric Affolter, Senior Project Manager

Staying aligned with the company culture while working remotely helps with the morale. Sending memes to coworkers, chatting on the phone, 鈥渨ater cooler talk鈥�, checking in to see what others are working on. Taking the time to keep connections and relationships is important and extremely valuable through this.  鈥揓ennifer Morris, Operations Coordinator

鈥淭ake the opportunity to call more customers and associates. They are struggling with the home-bound work environment too and will welcome the chance to hear from you. Get a Bluetooth headset to improve your conference calls, be respectful of your family or housemates, and above all, be patient.鈥� 鈥揋lenn Shain, Vice President 

 鈥淚 start the morning almost the same as I did, only I get an hour extra each morning, and I get to wear shorts. Both of those are great motivation for me! Not having to commute gives me extra time I didn鈥檛 have before which allows more time to also help out around the house.鈥� 鈥� Ted Thompson, Senior VDC Specialist-Sheet Metal

鈥淚 like to get up at my normal time, get dressed (ish) and get right to work. Without the commute time, I can dive in a little earlier than I normally would and ease into my day. By the time most others are online, I鈥檓 warmed up.鈥� 鈥揤ictoria Hoffman, Marketing Manager

鈥淐reate a regular routine but also make sure to take breaks. Take a little stroll outside, get some fresh air and take a much-needed breather. Email, call or FaceTime/Zoom with your coworkers, after all they are family too. I think it鈥檚 important to communicate with the people you physically spend almost every day with, even if it鈥檚 just to check in and say 鈥渉i!鈥� 鈥揗isty McConnell, Project Coordinator

鈥淭ake it one hour at a time. As things change fast and closures are happening, do what you can in the short term. Have a plan that is flexible and make sure dates for bids and projects are updated frequently.鈥� 鈥揅liff Pray, Project Manager

鈥淚 have found that getting up and getting ready for work as if I was going to the office has helped get me focused and ready to go in the mornings, as opposed to rolling out of bed and starting to work in my pajamas.鈥� 鈥揃eth Martens, Marketing Proposal Specialist

鈥淲e have a daily team update call. This helps me get into the work mindset and ready for my day.鈥�  -Shannon Boer, Project Coordinator

Senior Project Manager Rick Ellis shared an that reminds us we鈥檙e human when we allow the humanizing elements in that are now part of our day.

鈥淚 really like the idea that kid and pet distractions are welcome,鈥� Rick said. 鈥淥ver the last week, kids and pets have made unplanned appearances in most video meetings. Each incident has served to lighten the mood and humanize the format.鈥�

And at the end of the day, we鈥檙e all in this together, supporting each other and our families in this 鈥渘ew normal鈥�.