Author: Sami Kritz

There’s been a lot of talk about hard and soft skills recently. Both are essential, but soft skills seem to be winning in the eyes of hiring managers. For remote team leaders or anyone in a management role, emotional intelligence is one of the most vital soft skills to possess. How would your employees describe you? Do they feel comfortable reaching out to you when they need assistance? Do you present yourself well on camera and through written communication? In the realm of successful leadership, emotional intelligence plays a pivotal role. It not only aids in fostering strong relationships but…

Are you craving new scenery? Working from the same location or even from the same city each day can become monotonous. Shake things up by trying a workation home swap. Step into someone else’s shoes for a bit. Take your work with you, temporarily move into another digital nomad’s home, and experience new food, culture, and norms. A workation home swap is an excellent opportunity for those with a sense of wanderlust. What Is a Home Swap? A home swap, also known as a home exchange, allows individuals to exchange homes with someone else for a specific period, typically for…

A diverse, cohesive, and dedicated team is the key to success. Whether you plan remote team retreats to reward your team or to build camaraderie and trust, these get-togethers can be very beneficial for virtual employees. Take a moment to think why someone would want to work for your company. Great insurance and benefits? Room for growth? A virtual workplace with a strong company culture? Great pay? Ideally, you’d say yes to all of the above, and you’d have a heap of applications from the best of the best rolling in daily. Why not take it up a notch? Hosting…

How you start your workday sets the tone for the rest of the day; how you end it sets the tone for your transition from work to personal life. Implement a workday shutdown ritual to help your mind realize you’re off the clock, and it’s time to relax. How often do you reopen your work computer after closing it, swearing you were done for the day? When we worked from the office, we often left our work there. Our commute home was our time to review the day, decompress, and mentally prepare for what’s next. Now that we work remotely,…

Too many papers, too many apps, too many employees, too many meetings. Living in excess averts your attention from things in your life and career that genuinely matter and bring you joy. Professional minimalism leads to clearer focus and reduced stress. Is less actually more? In a culture saturated with propaganda that tells us we always need the newest and best electronics, clothes, and appliances, most of us have more items than we need. The same translates to business. Companies have an overload of technologies, unused electronics, and sometimes even employees. By embracing professional minimalism, you’ll have clearer goals, increased…

Workers’ comp for remote workers is something businesses are still wrapping their heads around, as on-the-job injuries can happen from any location an employee works from. Remote employees have rights to workers’ comp, but determining the validity and graveness of the injury requires further investigation. As the world returns to normal, the pandemic leaves behind a paradigm shift of where and how we work. A recent Zippia survey shows that 55% of employees desire to work remotely at least three days a week. Companies are still adjusting and learning how to master async communication, build trust from a distance, and…

Successfully working remotely is a balancing act. You need to balance the distractions of your home and social life, and the endless thoughts that pass through your head. To get through your days as smoothly and productively as possible, you must set remote work boundaries. There’s no denying that working from home has uncountable benefits. However, it takes some time to get into your groove and learn how to make it work for you. A Zippia survey shows that 86% of people working from home full-time experience burnout, 67% feel like they must always be available, and only 30% take…

As a remote worker, you can work from anywhere with sufficient Wi-Fi and an amiable work environment. Coworking spaces are an excellent choice for those who need or want to get out of the house. Each space is unique, and choosing a coworking space that fits your needs can result in more productivity, focus, creativity, and happiness. Based on data gathered by TeamStage, there were only three coworking spaces in the world in 2005. By the end of 2019, there were 22,400, with approximately 6,300 in the United States. The industry shows no signs of slowing down, and analysts expect…

Think of the comparison of hard skills vs. soft skills like experience vs personality. While there’s much more to it, both sets of skills are crucial for a productive and cohesive remote team. However, some experts have been putting more weight on soft skills recently, and with good reason. As a hiring manager, you get to hand-pick your team. For many years, recruiters paid more attention to the resume than the person sitting in front of them (or on the other side of the screen). While the resume showcases blanket experience and education, a skills test and conversation are what…

In some ways, remote work has lessened types of workplace discrimination, including discrimination based on gender, race, looks, sexual orientation, religion, age, and physical abilities. However, thanks to technology, public social media profiles, and mandatory on-camera video calls, discrimination in remote settings still exists. One of the most dangerous aspects of discrimination in remote settings is that the absence of physical presence may reduce accountability, allowing discriminatory behavior to go unnoticed and unaddressed. For some minority remote or hybrid workers, biases are exacerbated when working from home because, on top of being discriminated against for one thing, they’re considered lazy…