WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: The remote worker is in

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of war, where location and hours are more

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<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to keep

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<v Speaker 1>semi regular hours when the people you work with and

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<v Speaker 1>the people you live with now roughly when you're working

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<v Speaker 1>and when you're not. This allows you to be more

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<v Speaker 1>effective at work and at home. Since many organizations had

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<v Speaker 1>to move everyone to virtual work basically overnight, a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of organizations simply kept their standard work hours. If you'd

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<v Speaker 1>normally be expected to be in the office at nine, well,

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<v Speaker 1>your boss might start sending chatty slack messages at nine

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<v Speaker 1>just to make sure you're there. It's understandable, but long term,

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<v Speaker 1>one of the biggest upsides of remote work is that

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<v Speaker 1>people can establish a rhythm that works best for them.

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<v Speaker 1>A team could set core hours of say, tend to two,

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<v Speaker 1>but then allow people to choose their other hours around that.

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<v Speaker 1>Someone who's generally useless before ten in the morning could

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<v Speaker 1>work until six or seven at night, whereas an early

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<v Speaker 1>bird could start at six in the morning. But whether

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<v Speaker 1>you start at ten or at six aiming to work

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<v Speaker 1>roughly the same hours each day enables your colleagues to

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<v Speaker 1>work with your schedule. If they know you're on at

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<v Speaker 1>six am, but that you and your partner trade off

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<v Speaker 1>childcare and you have a toddler on your lap at

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<v Speaker 1>three pm, they'll know that matters requiring focus are best

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<v Speaker 1>handled early. If you almost always work from six to

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<v Speaker 1>eight am, before the household gets up, a night owl

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<v Speaker 1>colleague will know that anything he sends to you at

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<v Speaker 1>one am will be responded to by the time he's

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<v Speaker 1>back at his desk. When we know each other's rhythms,

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<v Speaker 1>we can seize convenient opportunities for real time interactions, and

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<v Speaker 1>we can be strategic about the times we the baton

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<v Speaker 1>uncollaborative work. Of course, for your colleagues to work with

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<v Speaker 1>your schedule, they have to know your schedule, so tell them,

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<v Speaker 1>don't just assume they'll notice. This is particularly important for

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<v Speaker 1>people who are covering childcare duties. You might say, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>generally at my desk from seven a m. Till noon,

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<v Speaker 1>and then on kid duty till bedtime. Then I'll log

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<v Speaker 1>back on for an hour or so around eight, or

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<v Speaker 1>if you're home with children's solo, communicate the times when

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<v Speaker 1>you'll be available to your colleagues, even if that's non

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<v Speaker 1>traditional hours like early morning, after the kid's bedtime and naptime.

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<v Speaker 1>Try not to feel too self conscious. It's much better

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<v Speaker 1>to acknowledge your time constraints and make a plan for

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<v Speaker 1>doing your job anyway, rather than say nothing and have

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<v Speaker 1>your colleagues feel like you're a wall without understanding why.

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<v Speaker 1>Keeping fairly regular hours helps on the home front too.

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<v Speaker 1>If your kids know that you'll have lunch with them

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<v Speaker 1>and that you'll play outside together from three till four,

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<v Speaker 1>then they'll be more patient unless demanding of your attention

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<v Speaker 1>while you're working at other times. Even if you've only

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<v Speaker 1>got adults in the household, this transparency can keep everyone happy.

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<v Speaker 1>You won't make the mistake of popping into chat at

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<v Speaker 1>a time when your partner, your roommates, or your adult

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<v Speaker 1>children really want to focus. Of course, not every day.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll fit the template, and that's okay. If a major

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<v Speaker 1>client or a coworker in a different time zone needs

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<v Speaker 1>to meet at a time when you're generally on kid duty,

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<v Speaker 1>well hopefully you and your partner can trade off. If

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<v Speaker 1>you want to make an early morning grocery run every

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<v Speaker 1>other Friday, to avoid the weekend crowds, or shut your

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<v Speaker 1>laptop earlier than usual On a nice afternoon, you can

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<v Speaker 1>just make up the time earlier or later. After all,

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<v Speaker 1>part of the appeal of remote work is more flexibility.

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<v Speaker 1>So today, think about what you'd like your regular hours

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<v Speaker 1>to be. Talk with your colleagues and family members about

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<v Speaker 1>what might work for everyone. Then you can start planning

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<v Speaker 1>your days to be effective at work and at home.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, This is Laura, thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's the succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New

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<v Speaker 1>Corner Office is a production of I Heart Radio. For

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<v Speaker 1>more podcasts, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you get your favorite shows.