The Coronavirus has turned the majority of our workforce into remote offices. And while many parents are adapting this quickly, others particularly those - with little kids at home, aren’t handling this change all that well. Parents finding themselves multi-tasked with 3 roles - worker, parent and teacher, must find a way to keep it going amid extraordinary uncertain times.

Here are 10 tips you can use to manage your work team, your home team, and homeschool duties.

  1. Interaction is key. Webcams are required for meetings and group chat. Baseball caps, messy hair, no makeup, - all acceptable. Everyone’s in the same boat. Let them see another side of you! Just as your school aged kids are using zoom, FaceTime, google meets, you can too! It’s easy, just get in front of the technology and do it! You’ll find it productive! Show your kids that you are in your classroom too! We’re all in this together! They may appreciate and respect you more.

  2. Block out time each day for critical interactions. It’s so easy to lose focus when at home. You’ll most likely be toggling back and forth between work and family, so keep structured blocks of time for each, perhaps the same blocks each day so that everyone’s expectations are set. Those times are important to communicate, redirect, and get feedback.

  3. Block time for everything. Routines are best. Take a chalkboard or scheduler and tape it to the fridge. Maybe morning call breakfast meet with the family before everyone starts their day, then a before or after lunch meeting, followed by a mid afternoon get together, and an end of day roundup with the family too. Set expectations and timeframes.

  4. Daily check-ins. These are 5 minute check-ins to keep people focused. How’s it going? What can I do to help? Make these spontaneous. The goal is to bring them back to task.

  5. Make people accountable for tasks. What do you expect, when and who? Lay it out in plain English. Be realistic, but be direct. At the beginning of the work week, lay out the top 5-10 tasks to be completed by certain times during the week. Same with the family, lay out projects or chores with completion goals.

  6. Do not micro-manage. Set accountability metrics in place and then leave them alone. Check in regularly. But trust your teams, both work teams and family.

  7. Celebrate wins no matter how small. Create a way to communicate simply, perhaps a text thread or quick team email.

  8. Do not let up your remote management plan. Don’t take your foot off the pedal. Stay vigilante.

  9. But try not to over do it, you’ll just disappoint yourself.

  10. Finally, take breaks to clear your mind. Go for a quick stroll, a coffee break, and at times, even a “time out” break to avoid a major blowout.

So how is your family managing during this crisis?  TAKE A QUICK POLL and share your experience.