Sonya's blog

Here at Out of Office, we’re always trying to keep things new and exciting. So, in the spirit of continuous improvement, I’m delighted to share with you that we have a new feature on the Out of Office blog! 

Since we love hearing from readers so much, we made an upgrade in our Talk to Us section. Now, in addition to leaving us a message, you can also upload an attachment! That’s right – you can send us pictures, templates and other projects you’ve created.

We got to thinking…what better way to break in the new feature than to use it, right? With the holidays around the corner, we’ve got a few crafting tricks up our sleeve, but we’d love to see what you’ve been creating, too!   ...read more

I have an awesome team. We work hard and spend a lot of time together, and it always feels good when I can give them a “shout-out” for their achievements. I’m especially reminded of this as Thanksgiving rolls around. We will all gather around the table next week to give thanks for family, friends and health, but I think we should also remember to express our gratitude to the colleagues who make work life a little easier.

As managers, we might not always be able to reward our teams and colleagues with raises, bonuses or glamorous two-week cruises to tropical paradises. Luckily, there are some things we can do to show them our appreciation.

If you’re like me, then you love decorating your house for the seasons. Recently, I found myself spending way too much time in the seasonal décor section at a couple of stores when the sole purpose of my shopping excursion was to buy new stainless steel pots and pans. I ended up getting back on task and decided to wait on the home décor – even though I really wanted to purchase a new table centerpiece. What better way to show the changes outside than to reflect the season inside? Autumn brings warmth to the household, along with thoughts of family celebrations, friends and good food. With Halloween and Thanksgiving just a few more fallen leaves away, why not get started decorating for them now? You can even bring in the kids to help with these easy, inexpensive DIY fall décor projects.

As many of our Out of Office readers most likely already know, a business trip can be a great source of stress and nerves, particularly the night before you hit the road. Somewhere between practicing your presentation and packing just the right outfit, the anxiety hits hard.

But every good road warrior knows that the best offense is a good defense: be prepared. Good preparation for a business trip – whether it lasts two days or two weeks – can be the difference between basking in the glow of your boss’ praise or quietly wishing things had gone differently. By following these three tips for perfect preparation, you will not only survive but thrive during your time away from the office.

For many, Labor Day signals the unofficial end to the lazy days of summer. This might sound depressing, but I think the holiday should be a celebration of all the hard work we’ve been doing at home and on the job. Whatever your profession–nurse, teacher, mom, firefighter, lawyer – you’ve earned the right to celebrate!

No matter how you plan to mark the occasion, we at Out of Office want to help you make the most of your Labor Day. ...read more

Labor Day is fast approaching – and while this is an occasion to reflect on and celebrate our hard work at the office, those long desk hours can get really exhausting! Here are a few tried-and-true tips that the Out of Office team uses to rev up the workday and avoid those dreaded afternoon crashes.

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• Change Gears – sometimes breaking up your daily routine can be the perfect way to refocus. Get away from your computer and chat with a colleague about his or her weekend or schedule a quick team check-in to find out what everyone’s working on.
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• Corporate Cardio – working in an office can lead you to become “one” with your chair. To prevent this from happening, take a brisk walk around the office. This will get your blood flowing and help you tackle your projects with renewed energy.

Just like when you move homes, if you’ve decided to relocate your business lately, there can be a laundry list of things to remember during the process. From identifying a new location, packing and moving, to joining a local Chamber of Commerce and updating your current customers on where you’re moving to -- the “to do” list never seems to end! Eventually of course, you find yourself settled in and ready to open up shop again.

Now that your business is in its new place, it’s important to make sure your logo, address and phone number are updated in all the right places. This will make it easier for current customers to find you and to build awareness about your business with new customers who are visiting for the first time.

Signage – Make sure you update any exterior or window signage with your business name, address, phone number and hours of operation. Aside from your new address, this information may have changed since you moved to a new site. ...read more

How – and where – we work is changing. I’m sure many Out of Office readers know people who work from a “home office,” which I’ve learned can be anything from a clearing on the kitchen table to the local Wi-Fi hotspot. You might even be a home-office-based worker yourself!

I know professionals who work in their pajamas, take their dogs for walks during lunch hour and have no problems getting through rush hour traffic to pick up kids from soccer practice or daycare (like one of my best friends). With all of this flexibility, who wouldn’t want to work this way?! For some, it’s ideal. And for others like me, it can be hard to focus on work when there’s so many distractions around the house (e.g., my dog Oreo anxiously placing his toy ball at my feet for a game of catch).

Truthfully, there are a lot of things to weigh when considering the telecommuting work style. I’ve been doing my homework, weighing some of the pros and cons, and wanted to share some of the great resources out there for people who are already taking advantage of a home/mobile office or those who might be looking to start.

As the final installment in this summer’s family reunion series, I want to showcase another one of my reunion must-haves: banners.

With relatives flooding in from all parts of the country, one of the biggest challenges is to get the whole clan to the event site. By posting an oversized, “can’t miss” visual at your meeting spot, family members will know immediately that they’re in the right place. And trust me…a bunch of balloons just won’t do – especially if the event is at a crowded park. Plus, if you change locations over the course of your reunion, banners are easily moved and reused – and everyone will already know what to look for. ...read more

For part two of the family reunion series, I’m going to tackle a big challenge – how to keep everyone informed, organized and entertained leading up to and throughout your events. Let’s jump right in! ...read more