text&form has been working remotely as much as possible for over 2 weeks now but with online tools like XTRF, Microsoft Teams and Zoom, keeping in touch and working to our usual high standards haven’t been a problem. We have successfully adapted our working lives and are continuing to produce the high quality of work our clients expect from us. Read about our experiences and how we’re adjusting our work styles:
Which country are you based in? How has life there been affected by COVID-19?”
I live in Montreal, Québec, Canada. The Ontario and Québec governments have announced the near-complete shutdown of their provinces’ economies in a bid to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus as of today. “Essential businesses include, but are not limited to grocery stores and pharmacies, telecommunications and IT infrastructure service providers, and businesses that support power generation, natural gas distribution and clean drinking water,” the statement said.
So, most businesses are closed! Nearly one million people, or 5 per cent of all employees in Canada, applied for unemployment benefits in the past week. The national unemployment rate may have nearly doubled in just seven days and this will continue to grow!
Danielle Faubert, Director of Globalization Solutions
I am based in Berlin, Germany. Schools, restaurants, shops, bars are now closed, so the streets are pretty quiet. The situation has been evolving every day for the past weeks but I feel like people are following the rules though, taking it one day at a time, which is reassuring.
Amélie Nicklaus, Project Manager
I’m based in Germany. The number of affections rises daily that is why most outdoor activities are forbidden now. We are stongly encouraged to stay at home and avoid social contacts.
Sebastian Binarsch, Senior Project Manager
I live in Germany. Life here is pretty much affected by the current restrictions. I hardly leave my place but it could be much worse.
Daniel Nad, Project Manager
I live and work in Sheffield in the UK. Although our government was hesitant at first, the country is now in lockdown and people are staying in their homes. Generally everyone is reacting well and following the instructions and the streets are now very quiet. The weather has been sunny and warm for the last few days so not being able to spend time in the parks or meeting friends has felt strange and repressive.
Caroline Strappazzon, Research Assistant
How has your working life at text&form changed in the last few weeks?
I joined text&form in 2013, working from home, in a Business Development role for North America. Given that I travel to customer sites, conferences, etc., it just makes more sense that I work from home. So for me it is business as usual! I have all kinds of tools available to me to work remotely: Microsoft Team, Webex, Office 365, Zoom, HubSpot, XTRF, VPN to access our intranet, etc.
Danielle Faubert, Director of Globalization Solutions
I have been working from home for the past 2 weeks, I made sure I had a good setup, with a second screen and a good chair. Only the colleagues are missing! Apart from that, we can have normal working days, and we communicate with the project management team, the translators and the whole company on a day to day basis.
Amélie Nicklaus, Project Manager
Our project management team decided to work from home in order to avoid getting to the office by public transport. It is safer for us and the restof our team.
Sebastian Binarsch, Senior Project Manager
I only work from home, which means not seeing coworkes, communication gets a bit more difficult and the coffee isn’t half as good.
Daniel Nad, Project Manager
If you’re working from home, how do you organise your day?
Whether I work from home or travel, I use our CRM HubSpot and my Outlook Calendar to organize my day.
Danielle Faubert, Director of Globalization Solutions
Working from home gives you much more flexibility, but this can sometimes be a double-edge sword. I try to stick to schedule, although it is sometimes difficult, because we work with people all over the world in many different time zones, so you receive communications at all times of day and night!
Karen Rodriguez Anadón, Senior Account Manager
I keep the same schedule as any given day: wake up, shower (no pyjama! 🙂), take regular brakes and a lunch break. I feel this is important, to keep a normal schedule and not end up totally disorganized, like going to bed too late for instance.
Amélie Nicklaus, Project Manager
I usually start to work at 09:00 when I’m in the office. Since I’m working from home, I start half an hour earlier. I try to have some breaks and stick to the routines I have in the office. I stay in touch with my colleagues and my clients by means of mobile phone, mails and Microsoft Teams.
Sebastian Binarsch, Senior Project Manager
I organize it the same way as usually. It is actually much easier, since I save time that I usually spend commuting.
Daniel Nad, Project Manager
I think having a routine is important. I try to get up at the same time every day and work to a schedule. Being self-disciplined is essential because distractions at home are easy to find and you don’t want to catch yourself watching ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ at 11am! Having a comfortable workspace away from the other living areas of the house is also good, if possible.
Caroline Strappazzon, Research Assistant
Do you have any tips for staying productive when working from home?
I start my day at the same time everyday and I take breaks every hour or two. I feel I am more productive at home and also have more time for me since I am not travelling to work every day. Also, my children are no longer living at home, so I have little distraction. For employees who have children at home, it is important to have a schedule with their kids and time out for the parents.
Danielle Faubert, Director of Globalization Solutions
Have a schedule, even if you don’t stick to it, it is good to have it. Try to keep your working space/office in a separate area. Avoid working in your bedroom or living room if possible. This is not only useful to reduce interruptions; a different environment will help you disconnect from work once your working day is over.
Karen Rodriguez Anadón, Senior Account Manager
What works for me is muting my phone, avoiding Twitter, Facebook and co., to focus on the task at hand, without distractions – except music. I also organize my day when I log on in the morning: lists work for me! And I make sure I don’t stay in front of my PC in the evening, so that I have a clean cut between work life and personal life.
Amélie Nicklaus, Project Manager
You should avoid being distracted. It’s fine to listen to music or to switch on the TV, but you should remember that you are still “at work“ . This means you need to be available at all times to ensure productivity and performance.
Sebastian Binarsch, Senior Project Manager
Stay focused and remind yourself that you’re still at work. Get in touch with coworkers and share your thoughts and ideas.
Daniel Nad, Project Manager
It can be intense working alone so I find that having plenty of breaks for coffee or to just move around is helpful and means concentration doesn’t drop. Healthy snacks and drinking plenty of water also help keep energy levels up. Too much sugar is the enemy!
Caroline Strappazzon, Research Assistant
Do you have any recommendations for confinement activities for language enthusiasts?
I typically go to the gym at 6:30 AM in the morning and start work at 8:30 AM. I need to be active to feel good. So now, I take a short walk early in the day and a longer walk at the end of the day. On St-Patrick day, as we were all confined at home, about 10 of my friends and I did our 5à7/happy hour on video conferencing to keep in touch and laugh! I am also starting to use video conferencing to keep in touch with my two sons as well as with friends in the USA and abroad. And of course, like most people, on weekends, I do more chores around the house, spend more time reading good books and started a challenge with my friends in Australia. I also have more time to register for webinars to keep up with the industry best practices and SAP translation related trends.
Danielle Faubert, Director of Globalization Solutions
Online scrabble! Best game ever!
Karen Rodriguez Anadón, Senior Account Manager
Reading is a healthy choice I think, I read in French, German and English. I also work on my puzzle while listening to French and English podcasts. Also, I would recommend using the tools at hand, like Netflix for instance: you can watch movies or series in Swedish, Norwegian, French, Italian, Spanish, etc. 🙂
Amélie Nicklaus, Project Manager
It’s the best time now to watch foreign movies or series on Netflix or to connect with your friends in Skype. Last weekend we had a skype call with native speakers of different languages.
Sebastian Binarsch, Senior Project Manager
It’s the best time to learn a new language or improve one that you know. Just watch the latest news in that language – even if you don’t understand much at first, you’ll at least know what they are talking about!
Daniel Nad, Project Manager
This a fun website with lots of entertaining language related content http://thelanguagenerds.com/and there’s also a section devoted to language trivia on the Mental Floss website https://www.mentalfloss.com/section/language
https://www.merriam-webster.com/ has lots of quizzes and interesting facts about English words and expressions.
Caroline Strappazzon, Research Assistant
