If you’re working from home (WFH) and missing access to office equipment such as a stand desk or sit-stand desk, I have a solution for you.
Kudos to Annsofie of IMA Sweden
I learned this weekend that it’s actually “strykbräda” (“ironing board”) that’s Swedish for common sense.
This is what happens when you network
Our networks can include people as close to you as physical distancing in these pandemic times permits. These days, that’s two metres – or just shy of six and a half feet.
If you’re like me, your networks can include people on other continents. That’s how I picked up on a tip from IMA Sweden (International Management Assistants Sweden) member Annsofie Andersson.
In a conversation initiated by Real Careers alum Sofie Koark, Annsofie offered that she’s been using her ironing board as a stand desk while working from home.
That’s me above, on Day Two of enjoying my new adjustable stand desk that comes complete with a drink holder!
Your ironing board (strykbräda) can be your new best friend
Brilliant, I thought! Sometimes the simplest solutions can be the best ones. While I routinely work from home and have been relying on another system, I tried out the ironing board and love it.
Social media can be helpful
I shared the concept on various social media channels, and people have not been shy in expressing their delight and appreciation with this simple yet effective innovation.
What I particularly appreciate is that it’s not unusual for assistants to share helpful recommendations with one another.
Think of my article last week, sharing the work of Mary Johnson of England. Mary and her colleague developed a Quick Start Guide to Teams, and she readily shared it with me for publication. You’ll find it here .
Then there’s Vicki Faint, who is the National President of New Zealand’s Association of Administrative Professionals NZ, also known as AAPNZ. I interviewed Vicki and association leaders from around the globe for some recent articles on working in the midst of a pandemic, and Vicki shared her organisation’s work from home checklist.
Drawing on the screenshot Vicki sent me and also my own experiences, I published a Work from Home checklist template that readers may want to review with colleagues for adaptation and use at your office.
How are you adapting and innovating?
Feel free to offer your comments here, and know you may well be helping your peers near and far.
Click on the links below for more of Shelagh’s ongoing series on assistants in the time of COVID-19
- March 24, 2020 – Innovation: How are you adapting to working from home?
- March 20, 2020 – Weekend Poll: Pandemic – A snapshot in time
- March 19, 2020 – Pandemic insights from professional association leaders
- March 19, 2020 – Tips for Using Microsoft Teams to communicate with colleagues
- March 18, 2020: The pandemic’s impacts on assistants around the globe
- March 17, 2020 – Italy’s COVID-19 Experience
- March 17, 2020 – Work from Home (WFH) Tech checklist
- March 15, 2020 – Phishing advisory
- March 12, 2020 – Update and Weekend Poll results
- March 2, 2020 – Workplace practices and Shelagh’s Weekend Poll
