How To Keep Pets Quiet When Working From Home

According to PIAA statistics, more than 62% of Australian households have pets, with 38% owning dogs and 29% having cats. With coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases still rising in the country and worldwide, many people are being urged to work from home in a bid to slow down the spread of infection. Pets, especially dogs are probably happy with this news.

However, this can be a problem for employees who struggle with noisy pets when they are working. Unlike children, making pets understand that you need to work is tougher. Also your dog’s constant barking during video calls or your cat’s sleeping on your keyboard can make it more challenging to stay focused on the task at hand. Here are some ways you can keep pets quiet while you work at home.

Walk Before And After Work

Taking your dog for a walk before and after you start work has many health benefits for both you and your pooch. Walking is a good way to keep weight down and keep fit and healthy. Dogs are naturally outdoor creatures so staying indoors for long periods of time cause anxiety and depression which leads to destructive behavior. Take your dog for a walk before work to release pent up energy and to calm them down.

Aside from exercise, walks also stimulate them mentally. Seeing new stuff, smelling new smells and being able to socialize with other dogs will make them happier and teach them how to behave in public.

Walk them after work too. This will further release any pent up energy so both you and your dog can have a good night’s sleep.

Keep Them Engaged With Food Puzzles and Interactive Toys

Keep your pets engaged and quiet by giving them food puzzles and interactive toys. A good example is the Kong. Dogs and cats will have a great time figuring out how to get the food out of the Kong. It is literally hours of quiet and fun as they try to get every bit of food out.

Start by packing the Kong with a few bits of food. Pack tighter as they get the hang of it. Try to buy different pet food puzzle feeders and food balls to engage them mentally and to keep them quiet.

Cats are easier to entertain. Cat furniture, boxes and pieces of paper lying around are usually enough to keep them entertained for hours.

Frozen Food Treats During Video Calls

Now that you have a pet food puzzle feeder, pack them with a frozen homemade treat 5 minutes before a video call. If you have multiple pets, the trick here is to give each pet a frozen treat and to separate them so that they can lick and solve without squabbling and you can get to your conference in peace.

Get The Family Involved

Your housemates should also share in pet care. Create a schedule where somebody is in charge of a particular chore. For example, your spouse can be in charge of walking and feeding the dog. Kids can be in charge of feeding or playtime.

Just remember that chores should be age appropriate. Young children should never be left unsupervised when they are doing pet chores. Also, don’t forget to pencil in some personal time with your pet.

Be Patient And Consistent

Pets will find it harder to understand why you don’t play with them even if you’re home all the time. They will result to barking and other means to get your attention. In this case, try you very best to ignore them especially if you don’t have a home office. If you keep ignoring them despite the barking, whining and howling they will learn that such behavior is not tolerated and will get them nowhere. In time they will learn to keep quiet and to entertain themselves.

The key here is to be consistent. Don’t keep shushing them because it only works temporarily. We know how hard it is to ignore pets but you need to be patient and consistent so that you and your pet can work and live hand in hand at home in peace and harmony.

Bottom Line

It looks like Covid-19 is here to stay for the time being. While Australia is doing a good job in containing the virus, local spread can still sometimes shut down communities and cities. Many companies will ask employees to work at home in order to mitigate risks so finding ways to keep pets happy and entertained while you work is important.

Work from home can be challenging especially during the transition period. However, finding creative ways to stay focused while keeping pets entertained is important in order to keep up your work efficiency and productivity.

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6 Ways Covid-19 Is Changing The Workplace

It’s now more than 6 months and the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is still wreaking havoc around the world. Some countries like Australia and New Zealand are faring better than others at containing the virus but breakouts and surges are still happening in both countries.

It looks like finding ways to cope with Covid-19 will still be a daily struggle for many individuals, businesses and countries. It has had a huge impact on our daily lives and on the workforce. Although it is hard to imagine right now, but this pandemic will end and some things will go back to normal. For others, there will be a new normal.

Some of these changes will be temporary, others permanent. Here are a few ways Covid-19 is changing the workplace.

Corporate Flexibility

When Covid-19 hit Australia, many businesses were forced to shut down or to minimize the physical appearance of staff on the workplace. This is why many employees were quick to figure out how they could work from home efficiently.

Work from home was an alien concept before but many employees and companies are now embracing this practice because it provides flexibility. Now that many companies and employees realize that they can work at home and stay productive, it will be hard to let go of this practice even if the pandemic is over.

Headquarters 2.0

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, temperature checks and social distancing guidelines will likely be followed even if infection rates go down and they will persist until such time that advances in medicine and health bring breakthroughs. However, once the pandemic is over offices will become more about community and interaction rather than individual productivity.

Conference rooms, video studios and meeting places will dominate offices of the future and offices will become a social environment rather than a “lock me in the office” scenario. Offices will be designed for better socialization and communication in an effort to take advantage of talent when they are in 1 location. Pandemic or not, humans are not robot and thrive on human interaction which leads to productivity and innovation.

Work Ready Homes  

Many remote workers did not find working from home difficult because they felt isolated; rather they were ill prepared for the sudden change in their working life. At the start, many of them did not have a work ready home or Zoom installed in their personal computers.

One of the biggest challenges remote workers had was internet performance. Many of them commented on how weak internet was at home which caused drops in productivity. Fortunately, internet for homes will improve quickly.

Home offices will also become a priority for people who are buying or renting homes. The ability to work from home will become an important factor for employees when moving.

Online Learning For All

Online learning will not just be for students anymore. Many companies are quickly learning that seminars can easily become webinars which makes it more convenient for everyone involved. It cuts down travelling accommodation expense and is more flexible for both parties.

Person-to-person learning, trainings and workshops won’t go away but they will be reserved for certain functions or personnel in the company.

Good-Bye To Business Attire

You likely dressed up for the office before Covid-19 but you don’t have to be dressed in business attire every day for remote working. Many work from home employees usually wear a smart blouse or shirt for their tops but wear comfortable bottoms with slippers. This way they are presentable enough for video calls but comfortable in their PJ bottoms, short or sweat pants.

Video Expert

Speaking of videos, many remote workers quickly became video virtuosos during the pandemic. Since video calls and meetings have become the norm; setting up video, looking good and sounding better have become important.

Remote workers had to learn to operate video apps like Zoom in order to interact and socialize with co-workers and in order to replace face-to-face meetings.

Bottom Line

According to a survey by Building20, Most Australians believed that working from home allowed them to be more productive or had minimal effect on their productivity. 45%of responders think that they were more productive while 32% thought their productivity remained the same. Overall, 51% said they prefer remote working compared to the 23% who preferred working at the office.

However, the survey also revealed a significant find: workers don’t want to go back to the inflexible working arrangements of before Covid-19. This means companies and businesses have to find ways to make a new office culture where remote work and traditional work can co-exist.

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How Covid-19 is Affecting Small Businesses and Marketers

It seems like despite the world’s best efforts, the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is still hanging in there. Millions of people have been infected worldwide and thousands have died since the virus was first detected late last year. As a result, many businesses have been forced to permanently or temporarily shut down.

The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting public health and economies around the world. According to Google, search interest for the virus has increased +260% globally. While spikes in search trends are common during large scale events, there has also been a surge in traffic for related products and topics as a direct response to the pandemic.

How Google And Facebook Are Responding

As a response to fake news and information circulating around the internet regarding Covid-19, both Google and Facebook are removing anyone running ads to exploit the situation. Google for example has removed content on YouTube that claims to prevent infection in place of medical treatment and is blocking all ads exploiting the coronavirus disease.

How does it affect small businessmen like you? It doesn’t.  Unless you copy this type of messaging in your ads that claims to cure or prevent Covid-19 then these changes implemented by Facebook and Google will have minimal effect on your marketing.

These platform policies will most likely not impact your account. However, the pandemic and the resulting market changes will. Here are some strategies to prepare and adjust your accounts.

Review Accounts

It is always important to stay on top of marketing changes because the trends can impact your strategies. For example, it might affect your paid search and paid social accounts, from changing click and impression volumes to changing costs.

Staying on top of changes and current trends can help you to get a more accurate picture of where you stand in terms of your metrics. Monitor comments within your post too to prevent the spread of disinformation and fear-based comments can detract potential customers.

Communicate Changes With Customers

Communicating effectively with customers is a key factor in maintaining relationships. For example, your office or store might need to postpone operations temporarily and customers and suppliers will need to know the changes in your schedule in terms of office hours, delivery etc.

You need to communicate changes as soon as possible especially online. Google recommends changing business hours and description on Google My Business profile. Your description can be updated to reflect any changes in terms of precautions and any changes to your services.

Adjust Strategy

A lot of changes have happened due to the coronavirus disease pandemic. For example, hand sanitizers have been in short supply and social distancing is now the new normal. Remote working is also becoming popular while non-essential travels are banned by some countries in a bid to help prevent infections. These changes are stressful which is why marketers need to have a concise and clear messaging strategy.

For example, if you have products advertised that are flying off the shelves make sure that you’re still not advertising them when they become out of stock. Exclude out of stock products from store campaigns to prevent advertising products you no longer have.

For Travel Agencies

The travel and tourism business is perhaps one of the hardest hits sector due to Covid-19. In Australia for example, you can’t leave the country unless you get an exemption from the Department of Home Affairs and other nations have instituted similar bans on non-essential travel.

Despite the ban, there is still interest on “cheap flights right now” and “cheap flights due to coronavirus”. This means that while many people can’t travel beyond their countries right now, there is still interest for travel in the future. For the travel industry, this means focusing on the future. Advertise trips or activities in low-risk areas, and provide additional content about what trips and activities are still safe.

Bottom Line

While coronavirus disease pandemic has affected the livelihood and economies of millions of people and countries worldwide, keeping ourselves and our communities should be our first priority. Many businesses are feeling the effects of the business and staying up to date with the correct information is a key.

Businessmen and marketers should continue to monitor the situation as more industry experts, data, analysis and resources will come to light in the coming weeks.

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Are You Ready For The New Normal At The Office?

It seems like the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic isn’t going away anytime soon. This means that people around the world will have to learn how to live with the disease as this will become the “new normal”. In some countries, citizens are asked to wear masks when in public by their governments. Social distancing is also becoming normal at work and public places.

In Australia, social distancing is now becoming second nature as outbreaks continue in some cities around the country. However, mandatory mask wearing depends on where you live. In Victoria for example, citizens are asked to wear face coverings when they are in public. With all of this confusion, many are asking whether businesses and offices are ready for the new normal.

Here are some tips on how you can safely manage opening your business in these pandemic times.

Implement Basic Health Protocols

Basic health protocols include: frequent hand washing or sanitizing, social distancing and mask wearing. Businesses have to realize that in order to protect customers and employees, everybody has to follow these basic guidelines.

In some countries, washing or hand sanitizing stations can be seen outside businesses and patrons are encouraged to wash their hands or sanitize before entering the premises. This is to make sure that there is minimal transmission of the virus once patrons are inside the stores. Additional protocols like mask wearing and social distancing can limit the transmission of airborne particles that could contain the virus and protect patrons and employees.

The Australian Government Department of Health has issued orders for everybody to practice physical distancing, good hygiene and to stay at home when sick even though states and territories are easing restrictions. Following these basic health guidelines at the office can protect everybody from the virus.

Risk Mitigation

Risk assessment should be followed at the office. This is an easy step that involves all employees in order to minimize everybody from contracting and spreading the virus. Risk mitigation includes:

• What can cause injury or infection at work?
• Evaluate the level of risk. How likely is this to happen?
• What are the steps needed to eliminate or reduce the risk?

Everybody should be involved in risk assessment. This will help you identify risk issues and reassure everybody that the company is being proactive regarding safety in the workplace.

Mental Health Support

Covid-19 has brought about uncertain times. Many of the world’s governments are in recession with economies contracting at alarming rates. Many employees and businesses also face uncertainties as shutdowns, unemployment and bankruptcies are being filed around the world. There is no doubt that the pandemic has affected everybody physically, emotionally, financially and mentally.

This is why it is also important to provide mental health support to employees who are having a hard time or those who want to reach out and talk. Like Covid-19, mental issues are invisible and sensitive. Providing employees the support they need in order to cope with these uncertain times can help them become happier and more productive.

Protect People At High Risk

Some employees are at higher risk of contracting Covid-19 than others and there are those who have a high risk of dying due to complications of the disease. For example, workers who are frequently on field and meet with different people are more at risk than contracting the virus. Providing them with proper PPE (personal protection equipment) can protect them from infection.

Senior citizens with comorbidities like heart disease and diabetes and those who suffer from autoimmune disease are also more likely to suffer from complications and have higher fatality rates. If you have senior citizens employed at your establishment, it is better to provide them with other alternatives like working from home or moving them to other departments that require minimal contact with people from the outside.

Contact Tracing

Keep a record of your guests too. You will want to inform them of possible infection should anybody from your business test positive for Covid-19. You can do this by physically recording their names and contact number or you can use a Covid-19 contact tracing app.

Australia uses COVIDSafe. As of August 1, 2020 the NSW Health announced that the app has helped in tracing an additional 544 people who tested positive for Covid-19. Remember, every case matters.

The other app being used in the country is Coronavirus Australia for information and isolation registration.

Clean & Disinfect Office

The office and the premises should be cleaned and disinfected regularly. If your office has a cleaning staff, they should be trained and provided with proper PPE as well as disinfectants that are effective against Covid-19.

High touch surfaces like desks, keyboards, mice, doorknobs, light switches, drawers and other similar surfaces should be disinfected and sanitized regularly by employees before and after office hours. The rest such as floors, bathrooms, lounge and other common areas can be disinfected by the cleaning staff.

Employees and cleaning staff should also practice proper hand hygiene. Bottles of sanitizers should also be made available for employee and customer use to minimize transmission on fomites.

Training And Awareness  

Everybody at the office should be trained in Covid-19 prevention and awareness. All employees should know and understand the basic health protocols and why they should be followed. Management should make it a priority to educate their employees about Covid-19 and what they can do to protect their fellow co-workers and family members.

Aside from this, staff should be aware or trained what to do should they test positive. In many parts of the world, once a positive diagnosis is received the individual is required to contact the local health workers for proper isolation and treatment. Employees should know who to contact and what to do should they face the worst case scenario.

Office workers should also be aware what to do if one of their colleagues test positive. For example, they should be made aware that self-isolation is important in order to prevent spreading the disease to their co-workers and family members.

Bottom Line

Many businesses are now open in Australia even though the government has imposed lockdowns in some areas due to surges in infection. This delicate walk between public health and the economy is nothing new as governments around the world also learning how to find a balance between them.

Businesses and offices have to learn how to co-exist with the pandemic in order to continue providing service, products and to exist.

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