March 29, 2024

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Working from home isn’t for everyone

Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Work Transformed newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free, here.



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Working from home isn’t for everyone.

It can feel lonely. Motivation is sometimes hard to come by. Boundaries between work and home are nonexistent.

And can we talk about the endless distractions?

It’s going to be a while before many of us can return to the office. So I asked career experts for some solutions to common work-from-home problems that will make our remote lives a little easier.

  • You’re worried about your career: Now that almost everyone in your company is working from home, you might have more access to meetings and conversations that only higher-level executives used to attend. Ask to join those meetings. You can learn new information, meet new people and find new opportunities.
  • Motivation is lacking: Time can seem pretty meaningless these days. Before you know it, several hours have passed and you haven’t been as productive as you should have. Create a schedule that blocks off time for things like work that requires deep thought, creative thinking, meetings and emails.
  • You feel overworked: Remember when you sat at your desk for eight hours straight in the office? Yeah, me neither. Add breaks into your schedule. Turning off your brain for a little while can help you be a better worker.

Get more tips here.

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Tech companies try to find their groove

Let’s just state the obvious: Remote meetings aren’t the same as getting together in-person.

Collaboration and creativity can be particularly challenging for teams when everyone is working from home.

And that has many tech companies, where the office space (game rooms and all) has long been a selling point, trying to figure out how to re-create their in-office culture in a remote world, reports The Wall Street Journal.

From hackathons to frequent check-ins, read this story on what companies are doing to maintain their culture and productivity.

Amazon gets ready for Career Day

Looking for work? Amazon is seeking to fill more than 30,000 corporate and tech jobs across the country.

All of the positions will be paid a minimum of $15 per hour and will offer up to 20 weeks of parental leave.

Job seekers can learn more about the positions, receive career coaching and job search tips at Amazon’s virtual Career Day on September 16.

Learn more here.

Transit workers next worry: layoffs

Transit workers have risked their lives during the pandemic to get people to where they need to be. And now many of these workers fear losing their jobs.

A dramatic drop in ridership, declining sales tax revenue and higher costs due to new cleaning protocols are destroying transportation agencies’ budgets, reports CNN Business’ Matt McFarland.

He spoke with one New York City bus driver who missed weeks of work when she got Covid-19. She said she has lost colleagues to the virus and feels unsafe, even with the precautions currently in place. And now she is also worried about losing her job.

While the transit industry received federal aid in March, many experts say it’s not enough. Read the full story here.

Don’t forget about gig workers

Gig economy workers don’t receive a lot of the same job protections as full-time employees.

It’s time to change that, argues Postmates CEO and co-founder Bastian Lehmann.

“Independent workers deserve a comprehensive, national solution for on-demand work that updates obsolete labor laws and strengthens the safety net for everyone,” he writes for CNN Business’ Perspectives.

He argues that the US needs to move beyond the traditional worker classifications: employees (those who fill out a W2) and independent contractors (those filling out 1099s). Instead, he says, Congress needs to create a new, uniform federal classification standard that provides benefits that are portable from one job to the next.

Read more about it here.

Coffee break

Wanna get away? Like off-the-grid away?

Check out this next level RVing called boondocking, where you stay away from traditional campsites and their amenities (read: no water or electricity hookups) — and also away from other people.

But don’t worry, while there might not be access to a sewer line, there’s usually still a cell signal if you need to get some work done.

Read more about it and the new RVs that companies are coming up with.

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