The Hiblog

The unspoken rules of WFH etiquette

Here’s something we never thought will become such a crucial part of our lives in 2020:  adjusting to working from home. Full-time. All of us. Unexpected changes are always hard to handle, especially when they’re global (and have fatal consequences). The uncertainty is the only solid thing in our lives (aside for making banana bread), and we have no idea when this catastrophe will come to an end. But don’t you dare to despair!  Because when you do, that’s when the trouble starts. We need to stay positive, both for…

We need HR more than ever

In my 30 years on this planet, I’ve never experienced anything like this. Neither have you. Same goes for my mom, my dad, and my grandma, who are a combined 231 years old (I’d break it down for you, but that wouldn’t end well for me). This is a pandemic the likes of which haven’t been seen since the flu outbreak in 1918, before coworking spaces and international travel on low-cost airlines. While the solution may, in part, be the same as the 1918 pandemic—stay at home, folks!—the scale of…

Cohabitating in quarantine: Communication tips for WFH

What would you do if a year ago, a fairy would have appeared out of nowhere, telling you that soon we are all going to be locked indoors with our loved ones, pets, family members, or roommates? For some, this is the perfect scenario, maybe even a suppressed fantasy they've been plotting and wishing for. For others, it can be a total nightmare or even the realization of their worst fears. Either way, now it’s reality—so all we can do is make the best of it. Here are some friendly…

Five skills to learn while you’re stuck at home, plus online learning resources

Like all of the posts that we’ve published over the last month, this was written from home. COVID-19 has given most of us more time within our four walls than we know what to do with—and while it might be tempting to work all day and night, that’s a recipe for big-time burnout. Social distancing is a struggle, but it helps to look at these strange times as a weird-yet-important reminder for us to stop buying, quit chasing the unattainable, and learn to relax with what we have at home.…

WFH week 2: Our tips for managers and employees

The remote WFH requirement as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has officially become the new normal to facilitate social distancing around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people who up until recently had only ever worked inside an office are being forced by the rapid spread of the Coronavirus to suddenly start working from home.  Unfortunately, there’s no clear end to this predicament just yet. In effect, it might be that remote WFH may be the future of work as we know it.  Your managers and employees should keep…

Work from home faux pas that happen to the best of us

Whether your company has always allowed for remote work or you’re one of the many exiled to a home office setup because of COVID-19, working from home comes with some unique complications. While working from the office comes with its own social risks—have you ever spilled coffee on a white shirt?—working from home leaves you vulnerable to roommates, neighbors, pets, and unfortunate dress code violations. These are some of the work-from-home embarrassing realities that we’ve experienced. Laugh, cry, and prepare yourself for your own inevitable humiliations. 1. The surprise child…

WFH 101: Getting used to
remote work culture

Maybe you’ve heard about the remote work revolution. Maybe you’ve even asked your manager to let you work from home every so often. Or maybe you’ve never worked from anywhere but an office, and you’re nervous about having to work from home. Moving to a remote model is a big change. How do you replace taps on the shoulder and shared lunches? What’s it like having a team meeting over video call instead of in one room? Any kind of change comes with questions, so we’re here with answers: tips…

How to manage a remote team during Coronavirus

People managers, we’re in uncertain times. And your team is relying on you to take action. As more and more companies choose to have employees work from home, you’re the ones making the rules. Working from home may be as new to you as the rest of your team, but it’s up to you to take charge. That’s why we’ve put together some best practices taken from seasoned work-from-home and remote vets—so you can get adjusted quickly and help lead your team to success. What people managers can do: Schedule…

HR tips for working from home

Imagine: starting tomorrow, your entire organization, across all sites, has to start working from home. That might not be the case—at least not yet. But as COVID-19 spreads, more and more office-based organizations are embracing WFH as the solution. Whether you have teammates under mandatory quarantine or taking care of loved ones, you want to take extra precautions, or you’ve been forced to close your offices to follow government protocol, switching to a fully- or partially-remote model isn’t simple. It is, however, doable. We’ve put together some tips for how…