Working From Home For Dummies

A 20-year talent development professional, Tara Powers is an international best-selling author, award-winning leadership expert, and sought-after keynote speaker. She has worked with more than 200 companies and 15,000 leaders worldwide, building and launching talent initiatives that deliver high touch and high impact for her clients.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 2Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 3Part 1: Getting Started with Working From Home 5Chapter 1: Setting Up Your Workspace 7Choosing the Right Spot in Your Home 8Picking the best room 8Creating an effective layout 10Getting All the Equipment You Need 11Desk and chair 12Computer and monitor 13Printer and scanner 14Internet access 15Phone service 15Noise-cancelling headset and camera 15Storage 16Organizing Your Work Life (And Keeping It That Way) 16Time 16Workspace 17Paperwork 17Computers and other devices 18Books and other reference materials 19Adding Some Personal Touches 19Chapter 2: Ensuring Success with Important Work-at-Home Skills and Behaviors 21Setting Goals and Priorities 22Starting with goals 23Deciding on priorities 24Managing Your Time Well 24Creating and sticking to a schedule 25Making to-do lists 27Conquering procrastination 28Establishing Routines 29Being Your Own IT Department 30Increasing Your Healthy Productivity 31Watching Out for Distractions 32Overcoming Isolation 33Staying Positive and Motivated 34Putting positivity into practice 35Understanding personal motivation 37Being a team player and knowing you matter 38Making Sure You Still Have a Personal Life 39Establishing expectations 39Setting boundaries 39Chapter 3: Following Virtual Team Meeting Etiquette 41Checking Your Background 42Looking Camera Ready 43Minimizing Noise and Using the Mute Button 44Speaking Clearly and Making Eye Contact 45Remembering a Few Important Do’s and Don’ts 46Engaging in virtual meeting best practices 46Steering clear of common mistakes 48Practicing Patience 49Part 2: Staying in Touch with Slack 51Chapter 4: Getting Started with Slack 53Reviewing Slack’s Different Versions 53Free plan 54Standard plan 54Plus plan 55Enterprise Grid 55Changing Your Slack Plan 56Upgrading 56Downgrading 56Beginning Your Slack Journey with the Workspace 57Creating a new Slack workspace 58Signing in to an existing Slack workspace 59Accessing your new workspace via a web browser 61Using the Slack desktop app 62Using the Slack mobile app 63Introducing the Slack user interface 63Summarizing Slack’s Different Roles and Permissions 66Administrative roles 66Non-administrative roles 68Managing member roles 69Enterprise Grid roles and permissions 72Starting Your New Workspace off on the Right Foot 73Expanding your existing workspace 73Configuring your member profile and key account settings 76Chapter 5: Targeting Your Communication with Slack Channels 79Introducing Slack Channels 80Exploring the Different Types of Slack Channels 81Public channels 82Private channels 83Multi-workspace channels 83Shared channels 85Creating Public and Private Channels 86Creating your first public channel 87Building an intelligent channel structure 89Viewing basic channel information 91Adding Members to Existing Channels 93Manual additions 93Default workplace channels 94Exploring Existing Public Channels 95Communicating via Slack Channels 97Posting simple channel messages 97Understanding channel etiquette 98Chapter 6: Entering the Wonderful World of Slack Messages 101Understanding Slack Messages 102Sending a message 102Performing basic message actions 104Formatting your messages 106Finding people in your workspace to message 108Editing messages 109Deleting messages 110Muting conversations 110Setting message-specific reminders 111Saving direct messages and channel messages 112Pinning direct messages to conversations 113Creating special types of messages 114Converting group direct messages into private channels 118Using threads to create topic-specific containers 118Sharing in Slack 120Sharing files 121Sharing messages 123Forwarding Email to Slack 125Communicating Outside of Slack 125Chapter 7: Staying Informed with Notifications, Statuses, and Feeds 127Getting Your Arms around Notifications 128Channel-specific notifications 130Keyword-specific notifications 133Direct messages from individuals and groups 134Missed calls 134DM reminders 134Member join and leave messages 135Threads and notifications 135Concurrently notifying multiple users 136Letting Others Know Your Availability 137Setting your status 137Viewing your colleagues’ statuses 138Editing your status 139Clearing your status 139Setting yourself to away/active 140Unplugging with Do Not Disturb mode 140Configuring Device-Specific Notifications 143Enabling notifications on mobile devices 143Understanding when settings collide 144Finding Other Ways to Stay Current 144Receiving emails on recent activity 144Viewing mentions and reactions 145Part 3: Focusing on Zoom 147Chapter 8: Getting to Know Zoom’s Suite of Communication Tools 149Zoom’s Core Services 150Zoom Meetings & Chat 151Main features and benefits 151Plans and costs 152Add-ons 155Zoom Video Webinars 156Main features and benefits 156Plans and costs 156Zoom Rooms 157Main features and benefits 158Plans and costs 159Supercharging Zoom Rooms 159Zoom Phone 161Main features and benefits 161Plans and costs 162Chapter 9: Setting Up Zoom 163Taking Your First Steps 163Creating a new Zoom account 164Modifying your Zoom plan 167Downloading and installing the Zoom desktop client 170Signing in to the Zoom desktop client 172Completing your Zoom profile 174Getting to know the Zoom user interface 174Reviewing Zoom Account Management 176Adding new users to your Zoom account 176Deactivating existing accounts 178Deleting existing users from your Zoom account 178Unlinking users from your Zoom account 179Unlocking the power of Zoom user groups 180Discussing the Importance of Zoom Roles 183Reviewing Zoom’s default roles 183Creating new user roles 184Changing an existing user’s role 185Chapter 10: Connecting with Others via Zoom Meetings 187Getting Started with Zoom Meetings 188Reviewing Zoom’s meeting-specific roles 188Locating your personal Zoom information 189Augmenting your Zoom meetings 191Hosting Zoom Meetings 193Inviting others to your current meeting 195Planning a future Zoom meeting 197Letting others in to your current meeting 203Joining others’ Zoom meetings 205Putting your best foot forward 207Performing Mid-Meeting Actions 208Using virtual backgrounds 208Managing and interacting with meeting participants 210Using breakout rooms during meetings 212Chapter 11: Looking at Zoom Contact Management and Chatting 215Managing Your Zoom Contacts 216Adding contacts to your Zoom directory 216Removing an existing contact from your Meetings & Chat directory 218Inviting an existing Zoom contact to a new meeting 219Adding internal contacts to an existing meeting 219Performing contact-specific actions 220Understanding User Status in Zoom 221Getting familiar with Zoom’s status icons 221Changing your status in Meetings & Chat 223Staying current with Zoom notifications 225Chatting in Zoom 226Exchanging messages with your individual Zoom contacts 226Holding group chats 227Creating threads in Zoom 230Saving message drafts 231Editing and deleting your messages 232Referencing other Zoom members in a group discussion 233Adding some flair to your messages 234Uploading and sharing files in Zoom 236Sending screenshots 238Performing message-specific actions 239Part 4: Taking Advantage of Microsoft Teams 241Chapter 12: Navigating Microsoft Teams 243Downloading, Installing, and Opening Teams 244On the web 244On a laptop or desktop computer 245Taking a Quick Spin around Teams 248Activity 248Chat 249Teams 249Calendar 249Calls 250Files 250Using Teams across Many Devices and Platforms 251Chapter 13: Starting Your First Team and Managing Your Settings 253Creating a New Team 254Inviting People to Your Team 259During the team creation process 259After the team creation process 260Managing Your Team Settings 261Managing Your User Settings 264General 266Privacy 266Notifications 267Devices 267Permissions 267Calls 267Chapter 14: Staying Connected to Others with Channels and Chat 269Chatting in Teams 270Sending Messages in Channels 271Creating a New Channel 273Configuring a Channel 275Moving from a Channel to a Chat 279Starting a private chat 280Adding multiple people to a chat 281Giving a chat a title 282Pinning a chat to the top of the list 282Sending More than Text When Chatting 283Adding emojis, GIFs, and stickers 283Adding a file 284Reacting to chat messages 286Chapter 15: Embracing Teams to Make Meetings Better 287Getting Up to Speed with the Types of Meetings in Teams 287Viewing Your Calendar in Teams 288Creating a New Meeting and Inviting People 289Joining an Existing Meeting 294Using Teams for Conference Calls 296Using Teams for Video Calls 297Part 5: Managing Employees from Home 303Chapter 16: Introducing the Basics of Managing Virtual Employees 305Making Room for a New Kind of Employee 306Preparing to get virtual 307Understanding changes to the office culture 308Weighing the pros and cons of telecommuting 309Managing from a Distance 311Increasing your interaction 311Providing long-distance recognition 312Using the Internet 312Managing Different Shifts 313Chapter 17: Transitioning from Old-School Manager to Virtual Team Leader 315Recognizing Which Leadership Style Works Best 316Examining what makes virtual team leaders succeed 316Determining whether you’re a micromanager, coach, or hands-off manager 319Comparing control-based and trust-based leadership 321Taking the Opportunity to Grow 323Pushing the boundaries of culture and C-level expectations 323Knowing when to manage up 324Recognizing Common Virtual Team Issues 325Poor communication 326Lack of clarity, direction, and priorities 326Loss of team spirit and morale 327Lack of trust 327Lack of social interaction 327Tech issues 328Cultural clashes 328Chapter 18: Adopting Best Practices in Communication 329Identifying Four Components to Transform Your Communications 330Looking Closer at Text-Only Communication 332Examining the pros and cons 332Using text-only communication effectively 334Providing Consistent and Frequent Feedback 335Establishing clear expectations 335Recognizing the importance of two-way feedback and performance discussions 336Giving feedback: The how-to 337Shifting focus from individual accountability to team accountability 338Establishing Best Practices with Communication Agreements 339Choosing appropriate communication methods 339Agreeing on expected response times 342Setting the rules for handling conflicts 342Choosing a problem-solving model 343Agreeing on a process for communicating outside the team 344Putting together your plan 345Establishing standards for meeting participation 346Utilizing the DISC Assessment Tool 346Part 6: Adding Balance and Peace to Your Work-at-Home Life 349Chapter 19: Building Trust and Wellness in the Virtual Workplace 351Building a Connection Culture 352Being a leader your team wants to follow 352Getting to know your team members 353Reaching out and building rapport 354Focusing On Workplace Wellness 356Considering wellness best practices 356Starting your team wellness program 357Maintaining Healthy Boundaries 358Chapter 20: Using Mindfulness in Your Daily Life 361Using Mindfulness at Work 362Beginning the day mindfully 362Dropping in with mini meditations 363Going from reacting to responding 365Solving problems creatively 367Practicing mindful working 368Debunking the multitasking myth 369Finishing by letting go 369Living Mindfully in the Digital Age 370Assessing your level of addiction to technology 370Using mindfulness to get back in control 372Using technology to enhance mindful awareness 374Chapter 21: Stretching during the Workday 375Step Away from the Desk: Standing Stretches 376Standing chest stretch 376Standing abdominal stretch 377Standing side reach with legs crossed 378Standing hamstring and calf stretch 380Standing hip flexor stretch 381Have a Seat: Stretches for the Professional Desk Jockey 382Shoulders and neck stretch with circles 383Chest stretch 384Seated spinal rotation 385Seated forward bend 387Wrist and forearm stretch 387Seated ankle circles 389Part 7: The Part of Tens 393Chapter 22: Ten Predictors of Virtual Team Success 395Having the Right Technology 395Hiring the Right Team Leader 396Hiring the Right Team Members 397Establishing Clear Team Vision and Values 397Aligning Team Goals with Company Goals 398Having a Solid Team Agreement in Place 398Using a Communication Strategy 398Agreeing on a Process for Team Workflow 399Using an Onboarding Strategy for New Team Members 399Actively Managing Executive Perceptions 400Chapter 23: Ten Great Slack Tips 401Respond Promptly to New Users’ Requests, Questions, and Feedback 401Regularly View Slack Analytics 402Tread Lightly with New Hires 402Establish Slack as the Default Medium for Internal Communication 402Emphasize Slack’s Carrots More than Its Sticks 403Keep an Eye Out for New Slack Apps 403Tell Overly Exuberant Slack Members to Tone It Down 403Publicize Your Status and Availability 403Try Before You Buy 404Know When to Turn Slack Off 404Index 405