Welcome to the new normal. With the current pandemic, many people in the public sector are teleworking full time for the first time. With that in mind, we are sharing links to articles that might make it easier to adjust to this remote work environment.
May 28
Keyword: TIME MANAGEMENT
Managing Yourself — Not Enough Time? Focus Your Energy Like Theodore Roosevelt
“You, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, and the kid mowing the lawn down the street all have the exact same amount of time every day. What separates “high achievers” from everyone else is how they use their time.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: MEETING FATIGUE
It’s Not Just You: Combatting Virtual Meeting Fatigue
“If you’re feeling drained, there’s actual science that backs up why you feel the way you do.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: EDITING
5 Tips for Editing When You’re Not Face to Face
“Right now, for so many of us who are physically isolated, edits feel more accusatory than ever, with none of the “nice job on that article” passing compliments in hallways and at desks.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: PEER MANAGEMENT
Peer Management and Remote Work
“Does my boss know how hard I’m working? Will my coworker finish their part of the project on time? Questions like these loom large in the minds of public servants working at home, who are trying to squeeze as much information as possible out of limited virtual face time with their colleagues.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: LAUGHTER
Laughter Will Keep Your Team Connected — Even While You’re Apart
“Normally people laugh about 18 times per day. And 97% of that time we’re laughing with others — we are 30 times more likely to laugh with others than to laugh alone. Think about it: When was the last time you had a funny thought alone and laughed at it out loud?”
– Harvard Business Review
Keyword: SCREEN TIME
How To Manage Screen Time During A Pandemic
“So just as screen time is not all the same, the uses of our phones are not all the same. Our phones are like little refrigerators that have all sorts of different apps in them, some of which are beneficial and some of them are not.”
– NPR
Keyword: REMOTE WORK
Why Remote Work Is So Hard—And How It Can Be Fixed
“In a remote workplace, in which co-workers are reduced to abstract e-mail addresses or Slack handles, it’s easier for them to overload each other in an effort to declare victory over their own rapidly filling in-boxes.”
– New Yorker
Keyword: PERSONAL RISK
We’ve been left to calculate our virus risk on our own. We’re terrible at it.
“Unfortunately, it’s hard for most of us to stay evidence-based as we develop pandemic strategies. ‘Our cognitive systems are not like calculators. They’re not adding up pros and cons. They’re making guesses based on all your past experiences,’ Gordon said.”
– The Washington Post
May 8
Keyword: CULTURE
5 Ways to Build Culture Remotely & What You Might Be Missing
“Both before coronavirus and right now, building culture has never been about happy hours, daily check-ins or team lunches; building culture is about creating a sense of belonging.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: ICEBREAKERS
8 Icebreakers for Virtual Meetings
“Whether it’s a piece of artwork or a family photo from the beach in 2012, why not show your colleagues what you have on display in your home? It’s a fun way to get to know others better and finally get an explanation for that weird painting that’s always behind your coworker in every meeting.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: RETURN
When Are Feds Returning to the Office?
“How and when federal employees and contractors return to the office is a loaded question with nuanced answers. The simple but insufficient response? It depends.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: JOBS
Best of USAJobs May 8
“To help promote interest in the thousands of jobs USAJobs has listed, GovLoop will highlight some of the more interesting opportunities available in a blog post each week. Welcome!”
– GovLoop
Keyword: BACK PAIN
How to Prevent Back Pain While Working From Home
“So if you are working from your home, it’s likely that you are either using your computer on a regular table or a kitchen countertop, or you are in a lounge chair or on your bed. Wherever you’ve camped out for the day, chances are you aren’t in a healthy posture.”
– Time
Keyword: PANIC
Coronavirus Panic: How to Get Your Thinking Brain Back Online
“Dr. Jud, everyone, including me, has been saying, “Take a deep breath” or “I need to take a deep breath” way more lately — to the point where I feel like it’s becoming a little bit cliché. But you say this actually works?”
– NPR
Keyword: LAUNDRY
Coronavirus Q&A: exercise, laundry, what counts as soap, and vaccines
“This week, we answer questions on exercising outside, safely doing laundry, soaps and disinfectants, and the pneumonia vaccine.”
– Axios
Keyword: URBAN LIFE
How Life in Our Cities Will Look After the Coronavirus Pandemic
“To help us make sense of urban life after the pandemic, Foreign Policy asked 12 leading thinkers from around the world to weigh in with their predictions.”
– Foreign Policy
April 10
Keyword: CAREGIVERS
It’s OK to Ask for Help
“I love what a wise leader told me a few weeks ago: This is not business as usual; this is business as best we can. Yes, the mission is still intact, but it should not be achieved at the expense of your team’s health and well-being.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: STRESS
COVID-19 Stress and Anger
“Know what angers you. What are your signs? When you encounter an event that provokes your anger, and you know the warning signs that you are getting angry, it will help you monitor your anger.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: HURRY SICKNESS
Stepping Away from “Hurry Sickness”
“…despite having fewer commitments due to physical distancing requirements, I’m still not doing a great job of being less busy.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: PRODUCTIVITY
Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure
“There is simply no way that our lives will resume as if this had never happened. And so, while it may feel good in the moment, it is foolish to dive into a frenzy of activity or obsess about your scholarly productivity right now.”
– The Chronicle of Higher Education
Keyword: STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS
Shelter-in-Place and Stay-at-Home Orders: What They Mean
“What do the new restrictions mean for people who live in affected states? So far, the stay at home orders that have been announced in various states all look pretty similar, requiring residents to stay indoors except for certain essential activities, which include buying food and seeking medical treatment.”
– The Cut
Keyword: REMOTE WORK
New to Working Remotely? These Resources Can Help
“Since January 2020 “remote working” searches on LinkedIn Learning have tripled as both employees and managers increasingly look for advice on how to navigate the challenges of working remotely and managing a remote workforce.”
– LinkedIn Learning
Keyword: 5G MISINFORMATION
No, 5G radiation doesn’t cause or spread the coronavirus. Saying it does is destructive
“5G radiation can’t penetrate skin, or allow a virus to penetrate skin. There is no evidence 5G radio frequencies cause or exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus.”
– The Conversation
Keyword: TELECONFERENCING
CISA Recommends “Zoom for Government” Platform for Feds
“The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is advising the Federal workforce to use the “Zoom for Government” platform for teleconferencing instead of the company’s free service.”
– MeriTalk
Keyword: NATIONAL GUARD CYBERSECURITY
Maryland launches cybersecurity task force for extra protection during pandemic
“We want to make sure the public is getting the most accurate information and that the governor doesn’t have to worry about nefarious activity [disrupting the flow of information to the public].”
– StateScoop
Keyword: STATE IT
Bill to Reorganize Florida IT Awaits Governor’s Signature
“The reason that this bill is important is that Florida is tremendously behind. … The state has never had a true enterprise architecture. We’ve never truly done data governance; we’ve always just operated in silos.”
– Government Technology
March 18
Keyword: POLICY
Updated: Are You in Limbo About Your Telework Status?
“Despite clear calls from public officials for people to refrain from large social gatherings, keep school-aged children home and work remotely to the extent possible, many government employees remain in limbo about their options to work from home in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: MANAGERS
Q&A: How Can I Manage Well Remotely?
“For larger meetings…we’ll have a channel in our Slack where people will be able to comment on what we’re talking about and make jokes and post a funny picture that’s relevant. It helps keep everybody focused on what we’re actually saying, kind of counterintuitively.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: INTROVERTS
How to Work From Home, if You’ve Never Done It Before
“Even introverts who work in an office can suffer from isolation at suddenly being moved home.”
– GovLoop
Keyword: BEST PRACTICES
Suddenly working at home? We’ve done it for 22 years—and have advice
“…It makes a huge difference having everyone working remotely. It’s the same kind of bonding via shared experience that takes place in a physical office, only virtually.”
– Ars Technica
Keyword: CYBERSECURITY
The federal government may be about to engage in the biggest telework experiment yet. But hacking and other cyber dangers pose serious challenges.
“If U.S. adversaries such as Russia or Iran creep inside government computer networks, they could disrupt efforts to mitigate the virus by stopping or slowing down communications.”
– The Washington Post’s Cybersecurity 202
Keyword: LONELINESS
Four ways to help prevent loneliness while you’re social distancing
“…So canceling church, school, work and sports means we are doing something that can be hazardous to our health — in order to save lives.”
– The Washington Post
Keyword: POLICY
Gov. Ivey to authorize agencies to implement telework
“‘Effective on Monday, March 16, I will be authorizing agency directors to implement telework, flexible work schedules and practice social distancing for the next three weeks,’ Ivey tweeted Sunday.”
– WTVY.com
Keyword: CYBERSECURITY
Attacks on DOD Networks Soar as Telework Inflicts ‘Unprecedented’ Loads
“As DOD scrambles to find equipment for those who can work from home, Pentagon leaders tell personnel: ‘No hand-shaking, no high-fives,’ and clean your workstations.”
– DefenseOne