Go Remote

Benefits such as flexibility and autonomy have enabled many women to gain back precious time while juggling the demands of both work and home.

However, remote work still comes with its own set of challenges, and simply allowing employees to work from home is not enough. Now is the time to be vigilant – and to support women in business more than ever as we make this remote work transition.

One of the biggest benefits we’ve seen is the true sense of flexibility that remote work provides to employees. For working women, in particular, this has arguably opened up the opportunity to better balance work and home, without compromising on “climbing the ladder”.

The advantages are obvious. Without the stress of a hectic commute, or the pressure to be physically present in the office, you can find a better balance with work.

Technology can help bridge the gap

The world of technology has quickly recognized the potential of remote work and the need for suitable tools in this new environment. Countless products are available to make virtual collaboration effective, with platforms for project management, VC solutions for real-time conversation – and screen recording tools, such as Capture, that can play a valuable role in cutting down meetings, and enabling employees to communicate with distributed teams.

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"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

"The best protection any woman can have is courage."

To All the Women in the world, Happy Women's Day!

"Dedication doesn't have an off season."

The pandemic changed a lot about the modern workplace. Due to COVID-19, companies had to shift away from an in-person work model in 2020, embracing remote work. Positive work culture can mean different things, but many see it as the attitudes, behaviors, and connectivity of those working under an organization’s umbrella.

With offices now digitally scattered, what are some modern ways to keep co-workers connected? In a conversation with Jackbox Games’ CEO Mike Bilder, I found that video games continue to be a solution to that puzzle — specifically party titles like Jackbox and others like it.

Connection through play
I spoke with Bilder about how games like Jackbox have become the key to not just keeping employees connected, but also to keeping collaborative effort high. “We’ve had a lot of positive messages on social media through Twitter or LinkedIn,” Bilder says. “They’ll talk about some fun Friday at the office where instead of happy hour, they’d play Jackbox, whether it’s in person or virtually.

“In any creative field, video games are great for a lot of things, like stimulating creative thought.”

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Loneliness is a serious work-from-home concern. Here are some tools to help you manage this feeling.

The Best Tools and Tips to Fight Remote Work Loneliness

1. Practice Mindfulness With Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is a meditation app that makes it easy to find moments of peace throughout your day by providing you with free mindfulness resources at your fingertips.

2. Find Like-Minded People on Meetup
Meetup is a networking tool that allows you to find and meet people who share your interests. You can choose from a wide range of categories, including art & culture, health & wellbeing, games, music, social activities, and more.

3. Start Your Book Club on Bookship
Bookship is a great platform that allows you to create an online book club. You can use this tool to create groups, discuss a book you have recently read with group members via text or video call, or meet other fellow bibliophiles from around the globe.

4. Connect With Colleagues Through Slack
Slack is a communication tool that helps remote teams share important information and stay in touch using channels (groups), direct messages, file sharing, audio and video calls, and more.

5. Change Your Work Environment Periodically
You can work with other colleagues in a coworking space in your area, sip your favorite drink while working from a coffee shop, or take your work to the beach to enjoy the nice weather.

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"It takes dedication and hard work to constantly improve yourself."

"He who never made a mistake, never made a discovery."

"Ambition without action is fantasy."

The pandemic-era shift to remote work will likely be more persistent than anticipated, hitting the finances of U.S. cities that rely on commuters to return to offices after the pandemic.

Two recent studies point to the lasting impact of working from home.

About 75% of the increase in telecommuting seen over the course of the COVID-19 crisis is likely to hold, according to a paper by researchers at Arizona State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Dallas Federal Reserve.

Twice as many workers will continue to work 100% remotely than before the pandemic, and one in five working days will be from home, economists forecast.

The analysis, based on new survey data, found that working from home increased for all major demographic groups and industries, but was especially pronounced among highly educated workers.

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"No gesture is too small when done with gratitude."

Here are six ways HR teams and corporate leadership can provide more diverse benefits to attract top talent.

1. Pre-start incentives
Companies and organizations need to ask themselves, “Does our internal culture reflect a good working environment?” For example, some are allowing new hires to take the initial days, even weeks as paid time off at the start of a new job, during which they can rest, get organized and feel ready to start a new role.

2. Prioritize pay equity
Now is the time to review market pay rates and ensure that everyone at the same level and function in your organization is paid fairly and equitably.

3. More equitable hiring practices
People with the right background will take time to train, so those with transferable skills shouldn’t be automatically eliminated. Use this as an opportunity to look for candidates who might have otherwise been passed over and may provide fresh perspectives, adding diverse value to a company.

4. Ensure there is safe space for all via employee resource groups
Employee resource groups help support staff members in identifying with others in their spaces, and also help build communities within a company.

5. Recruit from diverse communities
Another strategy is to encourage employees to refer colleagues and diverse candidates from their personal networks, but be careful not to rely too heavily on such referrals.

6. Publish diversity reports
There are many companies, such as Slack and Google that have led the path into publishing diversity reports, holding themselves accountable to the world while also providing an example for others to follow.

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