Media training 101 for small businesses

-
Image
Great news: you just scored a big press interview to promote your business. The story will expose your brand to the perfect new audience and drive meaningful traffic to your website. So…don't blow it. Yes, just as quickly as the excitement for the opportunity arrived, the realization that you now have to do an interview sets in. I get it—press interviews can absolutely be intimidating. The resulting coverage represents a significant opportunity to acquire new customers, drive sales, or raise awareness, and you want to be sure to represent your brand well and really compel the audience to check out your company. On top of that, you have to contend with adrenaline and nerves in the moment. You may be thinking, "So many other business owners are so polished and articulate in their interviews. How am I going to pull that off?" Deep breath. A successful interview is usually the result of good media training: preparation and practice in advance of an interview. I've tr
1 comment

2020 is exhausting but people are taking less time off than usual. Here's why

-

American knowledge workers are burned out as they continue to adjust to work-related issues caused by COVID-19. But even in the midst of that exhaustion, some are less likely to take time off from work.

That's according to a new survey commissioned by Zapier and conducted online by The Harris Poll. Nearly a third of knowledge workers (32 percent) say their mental health has been negatively impacted by stress caused by the global pandemic—and 22 percent are currently experiencing job burnout. Despite this, 39 percent of Americans have shortened or flat-out canceled their planned time off since March.

In this three part report, we’ll look at why knowledge workers may be avoiding time off, the most stressful parts about returning from a vacation, and strategies for preventing post-vacation burnout.

About Zapier: Zapier helps businesses grow using the power of automation to connect 2,000+ apps. Founded in 2011, Zapier has always operated as an entirely remote company, and today has 300+ employees working in 30 countries around the world.

Americans are reluctant to take time off

American knowledge workers are increasingly burned out—and it’s impacting their work

It's clear that the pandemic is increasing personal stress levels, but it's also affecting professional motivation and work productivity.

  • 23 percent feel like they're working 24/7 because they're working from home.
  • 22 percent are currently experiencing job burnout.
  • 20 percent feel more burned out at work than usual.
  • 20 percent admit they've felt less productive at work over the past five months.

This stress and burnout is taking a toll on mental health.

  • Nearly a third, 32 percent, say their mental health has been negatively impacted by stress caused by the global pandemic.
  • 22 percent say their mental health has been negatively impacted by drastic company changes such as layoffs or restructuring.
  • 18 percent say their mental health has been negatively impacted by working from home while their family is there.

Despite this, many Americans are taking less time off, or none at all

More than 1 in 6 knowledge workers (17 percent) say increasing responsibilities at work is a major reason they want to take time off right now. But not everyone is taking steps to alleviate this strain.

Since March, 39 percent of American knowledge workers have canceled or shortened their time off.

So why aren't people taking time off when they arguably need it the most?

  • 33 percent feel it’s a waste to take time off from work right now because of travel restrictions.
  • 24 percent believe it’s hard to justify taking time off from work because they're already working from home.
  • 13 percent say they likely won’t take any time off from work until the pandemic is over.

The numbers paint a picture of stressed-out workers who are hesitant to take time off. It will be up to companies to ensure that employees are taking the time off that they need. Whether that's through mandatory PTO minimums, extra mental health days, or simply modeling time off from leadership teams, new measures will be necessary as we adjust to the current reality. Measures like this might be necessary as we all adjust to the current reality.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Zapier from July 21-23, 2020 among 1,119 employed U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 840 are knowledge workers (primarily work in a professional setting and use a computer for their job).



from The Zapier Blog https://ift.tt/32sFJtb

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If Time-Tracking Apps Don't Work for You, Try a Productivity Journal

-
Image
Monitoring how you spend your time leads to a wealth of useful information: It can tell you what time of day you're most productive , help you create better estimates for how long tasks will take, and show you what activities you'd have to cut to focus your energy on a new idea or project. The most precise way to monitor how you spend your time is to use a time-tracking app . But these apps require a lot of overhead. You have to diligently log your hours (or make sure your app is logging them correctly) and sort your tracked time into categories. You have to pause after every task—no matter how brief—to capture time spent accurately. If tracking your time at such a granular level sounds like a punishment, but you still want insight into how and where you spend your time, consider the less menacing sibling of time-tracking apps: a productivity journal. What Is a Productivity Journal? I kept a journal as a preteen, though in those days I called it a diary. Snoopy and Woods
Read more

The 25 Best Productivity Apps for iPhone in 2018

-
Image
The best productivity apps for iPhone make possible something that would otherwise be impossible, or they make something you need to do simpler and faster. Imagine being asked, unexpectedly, for a copy of a tax form from last year as proof of address during an important appointment that you traveled many miles to attend. In fact, it happened to me, and thankfully I had a copy of the document I needed saved to a file syncing application, which meant I could pull it up on my phone and show it to the gracious Customs and Border Protection officer who demanded to see it. If that's not productivity by way of efficiency, I don't know what is. Perhaps a more routine example is keeping track of time spent in an off-site meeting so that you can claim it as an expense later. If you have the right time-tracking mobile app, you can record the time on the spot rather than having to estimate it and remember to record it later. The use cases for productivity apps are infinite, and sometimes
Read more

Forget Folders: The Best Ways to Organize Your Files with Tags and Labels

-
Image
Trying to find old files is like trying to go back in time and read your own mind. Where would I have saved those pictures from Australia?!? you think, before spending a frustrating half hour digging through folders and folders of miscellaneous images. What would I have called that report I wrote in August 2012?!? Tags (or labels in some apps) can eliminate these exasperating and time-consuming mental exercises. With a couple of tags, you can instantly categorize and label files for hassle-free searches down the road, and then find all of those files again easily no matter where you save them. Let's explore why tagging is so useful, and how to set up your own tag system. Then, we’ll dive into how to tag your emails, photos, notes, and files, and glance at the benefits of using tags alongside folders. Intro to Tagging Tagging Best Practices How to Tag Folders How to Tag Emails How to Tag Photos How to Tag Notes How to Tag Files Turn Tags into Actions Intro to Taggi
Read more