Working From Home For Dummies

Working From Home For Dummies

by Tara Powers
Released August 2020
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119748496

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Book description

  • Create a space for a healthy work–life balance
  • Stay connected with Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams
  • Maintain productivity and stay healthy and sane

Working from home is the new normal

Working from home was already on the rise, but when COVID-19 hijacked our reality, it became a way of life for many. Whether you're doing it one or two days a week or full-time, you'll appreciate the guidance in this book. Here are tried-and-true tips for enhancing your productivity, creating a workspace that's pleasant and efficient, dealing with distractions, making the most of virtual meetings, maintaining the trust of your manager and teammates, and a whole lot more.

Inside...

  • Make online meetings more productive
  • Get in the right headspace
  • Set necessary boundaries and expectations
  • Maintain effective connection with team members
  • Learn to stay focused

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  3. Part 1: Getting Started with Working From Home
    1. Chapter 1: Setting Up Your Workspace
      1. Choosing the Right Spot in Your Home
      2. Getting All the Equipment You Need
      3. Organizing Your Work Life (And Keeping It That Way)
      4. Adding Some Personal Touches
    2. Chapter 2: Ensuring Success with Important Work-at- Home Skills and Behaviors
      1. Setting Goals and Priorities
      2. Managing Your Time Well
      3. Establishing Routines
      4. Being Your Own IT Department
      5. Increasing Your Healthy Productivity
      6. Watching Out for Distractions
      7. Overcoming Isolation
      8. Staying Positive and Motivated
      9. Making Sure You Still Have a Personal Life
    3. Chapter 3: Following Virtual Team Meeting Etiquette
      1. Checking Your Background
      2. Looking Camera Ready
      3. Minimizing Noise and Using the Mute Button
      4. Speaking Clearly and Making Eye Contact
      5. Remembering a Few Important Do’s and Don’ts
      6. Practicing Patience
  4. Part 2: Staying in Touch with Slack
    1. Chapter 4: Getting Started with Slack
      1. Reviewing Slack’s Different Versions
      2. Changing Your Slack Plan
      3. Beginning Your Slack Journey with the Workspace
      4. Summarizing Slack’s Different Roles and Permissions
      5. Starting Your New Workspace off on the Right Foot
    2. Chapter 5: Targeting Your Communication with Slack Channels
      1. Introducing Slack Channels
      2. Exploring the Different Types of Slack Channels
      3. Creating Public and Private Channels
      4. Adding Members to Existing Channels
      5. Exploring Existing Public Channels
      6. Communicating via Slack Channels
    3. Chapter 6: Entering the Wonderful World of Slack Messages
      1. Understanding Slack Messages
      2. Sharing in Slack
      3. Forwarding Email to Slack
      4. Communicating Outside of Slack
    4. Chapter 7: Staying Informed with Notifications, Statuses, and Feeds
      1. Getting Your Arms around Notifications
      2. Letting Others Know Your Availability
      3. Configuring Device-Specific Notifications
      4. Finding Other Ways to Stay Current
  5. Part 3: Focusing on Zoom
    1. Chapter 8: Getting to Know Zoom’s Suite of Communication Tools
      1. Zoom’s Core Services
      2. Zoom Meetings & Chat
      3. Zoom Video Webinars
      4. Zoom Rooms
      5. Zoom Phone
    2. Chapter 9: Setting Up Zoom
      1. Taking Your First Steps
      2. Reviewing Zoom Account Management
      3. Discussing the Importance of Zoom Roles
    3. Chapter 10: Connecting with Others via Zoom Meetings
      1. Getting Started with Zoom Meetings
      2. Hosting Zoom Meetings
      3. Performing Mid-Meeting Actions
    4. Chapter 11: Looking at Zoom Contact Management and Chatting
      1. Managing Your Zoom Contacts
      2. Understanding User Status in Zoom
      3. Chatting in Zoom
  6. Part 4: Taking Advantage of Microsoft Teams
    1. Chapter 12: Navigating Microsoft Teams
      1. Downloading, Installing, and Opening Teams
      2. Taking a Quick Spin around Teams
      3. Using Teams across Many Devices and Platforms
    2. Chapter 13: Starting Your First Team and Managing Your Settings
      1. Creating a New Team
      2. Inviting People to Your Team
      3. Managing Your Team Settings
      4. Managing Your User Settings
    3. Chapter 14: Staying Connected to Others with Channels and Chat
      1. Chatting in Teams
      2. Sending Messages in Channels
      3. Creating a New Channel
      4. Configuring a Channel
      5. Moving from a Channel to a Chat
      6. Sending More than Text When Chatting
    4. Chapter 15: Embracing Teams to Make Meetings Better
      1. Getting Up to Speed with the Types of Meetings in Teams
      2. Viewing Your Calendar in Teams
      3. Creating a New Meeting and Inviting People
      4. Joining an Existing Meeting
      5. Using Teams for Conference Calls
      6. Using Teams for Video Calls
  7. Part 5: Managing Employees from Home
    1. Chapter 16: Introducing the Basics of Managing Virtual Employees
      1. Making Room for a New Kind of Employee
      2. Managing from a Distance
      3. Managing Different Shifts
    2. Chapter 17: Transitioning from Old-School Manager to Virtual Team Leader
      1. Recognizing Which Leadership Style Works Best
      2. Taking the Opportunity to Grow
      3. Recognizing Common Virtual Team Issues
    3. Chapter 18: Adopting Best Practices in Communication
      1. Identifying Four Components to Transform Your Communications
      2. Looking Closer at Text-Only Communication
      3. Providing Consistent and Frequent Feedback
      4. Establishing Best Practices with Communication Agreements
      5. Utilizing the DISC Assessment Tool
  8. Part 6: Adding Balance and Peace to Your Work-at-Home Life
    1. Chapter 19: Building Trust and Wellness in the Virtual Workplace
      1. Building a Connection Culture
      2. Focusing On Workplace Wellness
      3. Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
    2. Chapter 20: Using Mindfulness in Your Daily Life
      1. Using Mindfulness at Work
      2. Living Mindfully in the Digital Age
    3. Chapter 21: Stretching during the Workday
      1. Step Away from the Desk: Standing Stretches
      2. Have a Seat: Stretches for the Professional Desk Jockey
  9. Part 7: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 22: Ten Predictors of Virtual Team Success
      1. Having the Right Technology
      2. Hiring the Right Team Leader
      3. Hiring the Right Team Members
      4. Establishing Clear Team Vision and Values
      5. Aligning Team Goals with Company Goals
      6. Having a Solid Team Agreement in Place
      7. Using a Communication Strategy
      8. Agreeing on a Process for Team Workflow
      9. Using an Onboarding Strategy for New Team Members
      10. Actively Managing Executive Perceptions
    2. Chapter 23: Ten Great Slack Tips
      1. Respond Promptly to New Users’ Requests, Questions, and Feedback
      2. Regularly View Slack Analytics
      3. Tread Lightly with New Hires
      4. Establish Slack as the Default Medium for Internal Communication
      5. Emphasize Slack’s Carrots More than Its Sticks
      6. Keep an Eye Out for New Slack Apps
      7. Tell Overly Exuberant Slack Members to Tone It Down
      8. Publicize Your Status and Availability
      9. Try Before You Buy
      10. Know When to Turn Slack Off
  10. Index
  11. About the Authors
  12. Advertisement Page
  13. Connect with Dummies
  14. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Working From Home For Dummies
  • Author(s): Tara Powers
  • Release date: August 2020
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119748496