Why is it helpful to have a virtual assistant over the holidays? Here are ways they can help!

The Holidays Are a Great Time to Hire a Virtual Assistant!

Having an offshore helper, especially over the holidays, is a great idea for you and your business. The following are some of the many advantages of hiring a virtual assistant throughout the Christmas season:

1. High Rate of Productivity

Despite the holiday, everything continues as normal. The moment is ripe for business growth since consumers are spending freely on a wide range of goods and services. Hire a virtual assistant to help keep the business running at peak efficiency while you spend time with family and friends and make the most out of the holiday season.

2. Gaining Access to Qualified Assistants at a Low Price

A regular assistant may request time off at this time so that they can spend it with their own family. Bringing on a second helper for the duration of the holiday season could end up costing more than you bargained for. You can obtain the assistance you need at a reduced rate by hiring a virtual assistant during the time of year when you actually need their services.

The holiday season may be a very busy period for your company, and gain an extra hand will help avoid bottlenecks in your company’s daily tasks. Look into virtual assistant services and see how they can assist you during the holidays.

3. More Versatility

As a solution to severe quantity of workload during Christmas, consider seeking the support of an offshore staff who can keep the operations of the firm even on holidays. As long as they have access to the internet, virtual assistants can do their jobs from anywhere in the world. They operate around your timetable. As a result, it permits simpler contact anytime you need them, no matter if it is Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

4. Reduces the Risk of Burnout

Getting away from the office, especially over the holidays, helps you and your employees appreciate your business even more, given that this is the ideal opportunity to make unique moments with your family and friends. Let a virtual assistant make it feasible. If you find yourself spending a lot of time on administrative tasks that aren’t essential to running your business, consider handing off some of that responsibility to an assistant.

5. Acts as a Customer Service Representative

It’s a good opportunity to hear from customers, who may be interested in making a purchase or simply have questions. It would be great to have someone on hand, like a virtual assistant, who is happy to help clients with their inquiries and requests.

6. Handles Business Transactions

Use a virtual assistant to aid with administrative tasks like order processing and monitoring through to shipping. It allows you to continually sell your products or services even at the moment when they least anticipate it.

7. Helps with Marketing Processes

Some of the tasks involved in marketing can even be handled by a virtual assistant. As an illustration, consider the practice of advertising goods and services on social media and other channels. You’ll remain ahead of the pack thanks to this.

8. Retains Email Contact Immediately

Emailing back and forth with people takes a load of your time. It’s fortunate that things can be taken over by a digital helper. Instantly responding to emails, setting up a streamlined mailing system, and fielding inquiries from customers are all within the range of virtual assistants.

9. Makes Top-Notch Newsletters

Distributing an email newsletter is a great method to increase your sales and attract new customers. One wonderful way to boost revenue is to increase repeat business by informing existing customers of the newest brand developments, specials, and offerings.

A virtual assistant can create and distribute in-depth newsletters to current clients. They can make changes to the contact list in real-time.

10. Makes a Plan for Corporate Communications

During the breaks, a virtual assistant can help with typing, editing, and proofreading documents for the company. We can gain even more time through this.

In a nutshell…

Hiring a virtual assistant is like getting a whole team of people to help you out at once. They undeniably wear several hats, which is useful to organizations, especially in terms of cost savings.

If you are a business owner in need of virtual assistants, OVA Virtual offers virtual assistant services that can remotely assist with any business-related activities, especially during this hectic holiday season!

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You’re not the only one who thinks it’s a business venture started by a team of individuals who are basically just a group of friends sharing a common goal.

While this is usually how start-ups begin, with a group of people working together for a specific objective, a business that is only five-years-old can still be considered a start-up.

A startup can become a bigger company though acquisition of another company, opening more offices, generating more revenues than $20 million, or having more employees than 80, Forbes explains.

However, not all start-ups are attractive enough to be acquired by investors, and most struggle to succeed in an already competitive digital market, making startups more vulnerable than we might think. The bright side is that 10% of start-ups succeed each year, and they know how to overcome the odds of failure.

One start-up essential the best virtual assistant services, and here are reasons why there are necessary to the success of your company.

Why You Need a Virtual Assistant for Your Startup?

A jack of all trades, a term coined by William Shakespeare, perfectly describes what a virtual assistant is. Virtual assistants are professionals who work remotely for your company to help you with many tasks. They can add value to your existing team with their diverse skills without costing too much.

Read more: The Rise of Virtual Assistants

These are just a few of the many ways they can help you realize your vision and make it a reality.

1. Better Business Branding

A VA can help increase brand awareness by creating a marketing strategy that puts your products and services at the forefront of the Internet.

They can help you identify your ideal customers and create buyer personas. This will allow you to focus your marketing efforts to the right people.

2. Higher Efficiency

A VA will help you determine which marketing tools work best for your company. This will allow your business to focus on marketing strategies that increase sales.

3. Lower Costs

It is cheaper to hire a VA than to pay expensive marketing agencies or consultants. They may want to spend more than you do and might be willing to work with your company long-term without any strings attached.

4. Finding your target demographic

A VA can help locate your target audience and monitor their online presence. This will help you to understand the thinking and actions of potential customers at every stage of the buying cycle, which can lead to increased traffic and credibility in your industry.

5. Conducting Useful Market Research

Knowledge is your competitive advantage This knowledge will help you stay ahead of your competitors. It’s also time-consuming and an ongoing task you may not have the time to do.

A virtual assistant can help you expand your small business through timely and relevant research. This type of work can include:

• Develop a strategy to retain and gain clients
• Research your competitors to help you plan your engagement
• Research the market to promote your products and services accordingly
• Find, research, market and sell more clients
• Access to product and service information through multiple resources
• Answer clients’ queries accordingly
• Assessing new marketing tools to find out what works best for your business

So, Where Can We Hire a Virtual Assistant?

Look no further. You ask, we deliver. Whether you require sales and marketing, project management and research, accounting and bookkeeping, customer support, or more, OVA Virtual has a pool of talented and dedicated virtual assistants prepared for any task at hand.

Start your start-up success story with us today!

The post 5 Reasons Why Virtual Assistants Are a Startup Essential appeared first on OVA VIRTUAL.

Digital marketing is currently the most popular way to advertise one’s business. With constant improvements in the technology sector and the number of people heavily relying on their phones and the internet, it is no longer surprising how this became possible. Because of this, many businesses leverage their resources to establish a solid online presence.

But if you are a newbie to the business world and need some tips on how you can make your business more visible on the internet, continue reading because this one’s for you.

• Know your customers

If you are wondering what your priority must be, it is knowing your customers. Understanding their wants and needs can help you provide them with the desired service. Everything must operate smoothly – from the products or services you offer to ensuring your website is user-friendly. Your customers are your lifeline. Thus, it is only necessary always to keep them satisfied.

• Take advantage of social media

Digital marketing can be a little complex if you do not take the time to study it. Some terms might just be confusing for a novice. Fortunately, there is social media. This platform is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to start with your online advertising. It is a promising avenue that offers excellent opportunities for startups and established businesses without spending that much.

• Optimize your website for search engines

Website optimization is a bit more technical but is crucial if you want to make your business more visible online. With countless companies vying to land the top results of search engines, the competition in the market is undoubtedly tough. Optimizing your website is necessary for gaining the online traffic you need to make your website stand out, be visible, and, eventually, be profitable. This crucial step also contributes to helping your enterprise collect strategies that will provide you with a significant return on investment.

• Run paid search ads

Another technical step you can take to step up your online presence is running paid search ads. While it is nice to gain website traffic organically, shelling out some cash to intensify your visibility on the internet is sometimes necessary. You can start with PPC or pay-per-click advertising, which are ads displayed whenever a user performs a search using a particular keyword. By engaging in PPC ads, you can reach a variety of audiences. The good thing about PPC is that you can control the amount you bid for each link allowing you to budget your resources accordingly.

• Seek help from a Filipino virtual assistant

Stability is one of the most critical elements for business success. Thus, if your company is already stable enough, it is important to keep it that way or improve further, and one way to do that is to hire a virtual assistant.

A virtual assistant allows you to have more freedom and control over your time so you can focus on doing the things that require more of your attention. You can work with them on strategizing for your business, developing deeper relationships with clients or customers, or having the flexibility to spend time on things that matter to you.

Business Success with OVA Virtual

Tackling the challenges of the digital world without being equipped with the appropriate tools can be a challenge. Good thing there is OVA Virtual to help you out. OVA Virtual is an organization that offers virtual assistant services in almost all aspects of a business. We can handle many work-related or personal tasks, allowing you to focus more on accomplishing the more critical business-related duties.

If you want to know more about us, you can check our website at www.ovavirtual.com.

The post Digital Marketing: Ways to Boost Your Business Online appeared first on OVA VIRTUAL.

Because of the number of COVID infections and death from 2020 to 2021, many companies suffered from massive labor shortages. It is also found that a significant number of employees have participated in the Big Quit or the Great Resignation. This term refers to an ongoing economic trend where employees voluntarily quit their jobs due to several economic and health reasons. Such reasons include wage stagnation despite the increasing cost of living, job dissatisfaction, safety from the COVID-19 pandemic, and desire to work for other companies with better remote working policies.

With all these issues, you might wonder how some managers respond to the current labor shortage. The answer is simple – freelancers.

How do freelancers help in tackling the problems of labor shortage?

Finding the right person to fill a job post can be a tedious, labor-intensive, and time-consuming process. And for an economy that is still recovering from the pandemic’s effects, this poses a new challenge. Upwork’s Future Workforce Report has proven this concern. They found that 69% of hiring managers anticipated hiring more workers in the next six months. However, 60% also cited having difficulty finding quality talent that can fill the open positions.

In response to this challenge, many companies have shifted their focus and tapped an independent contractor workforce. By doing this, about 80% of managers have felt confident they could find the help they need. One example is seeking help from virtual assistant companies in the Philippines.

A virtual assistant is an employee, typically remote, that offers administrative support for you and your business. They are usually part-timers or freelancers. Their job is to do tasks that an executive assistant would often handle, such as scheduling appointments, making phone calls, organizing emails, and arranging travel.

Another benefit of working with an independent contractor, like a Filipino virtual assistant, is organizations are seen to be more confident in withstanding turmoil. In the same report by Upwork, they stated that 84% of managers feel more confident in their company’s ability to respond to disruption. This is in contrast to the 69% who do not use freelancers.

Businesses setting themselves for success

It is no longer a surprise that many establishments have closed their doors or filed for bankruptcy during the peak of COVID-19. The economic effects of the pandemic were no joke and can still be felt today. Because of this, situations have been more unpredictable. Thus the best way to ensure survival in these uncertain times is to reevaluate one’s talent strategy and learn to embrace the flexible and on-demand workforce.

A fast turnover rate is deemed a bad reputation for any business. So instead of hiring and laying off people or waiting for your employees to resign, companies can hire independent contractors.  Through this, they can build a dynamic workforce by scale or contract only when needed, whether for seasonal demands, highly specialized jobs, or market conditions.

Seek business success with OVA Virtual

OVA Virtual is an organization that offers virtual assistant services in almost all aspects of a business. We can handle many work-related or personal tasks, allowing you to focus more on accomplishing the more critical business-related duties.

If you want to know more about us, you can check our website at www.ovavirtual.com.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsegal/2022/08/25/how-freelance-workers-are-helping-companies-address-labor-shortage-crisis-new-survey/?sh=50fb46a312db

https://thehappybeavers.com/blog/freelancing-in-the-coronavirus-crisis/

The post How Freelancers Help in Tackling Labor Shortage Crisis? appeared first on OVA VIRTUAL.

The advent of COVID-19 and how it changed the workplace model

When the COVID-19 pandemic started spreading across the globe, businesses had no choice but to adapt to the work-from-home setup. With the government implementing strict health protocols, such as social distancing and quarantine, companies had no other way to continue their operations besides allowing employees to work remotely.

Fortunately, the development of the COVID-19 vaccine helped slow down the virus’s spread. This resulted in the number of infected cases steadily dropping. Following this improvement is the government being laxer with the protocols. And recently, working on site is again allowed as long as employees keep wearing masks.

But after experiencing the change in work setup, the debate about the best workplace model remains. If you are a company whose still stuck on what work model to follow, let this infographic help you weigh your options.

The three different workplace model setups and their advantages

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations were able to think things through and weigh their options for the workplace model. In the new normal, there are three work setups that many companies are considering – on-site, remote, and hybrid.

On-site work set up

An on-site setup refers to the work model where employees must be at the office to fulfill their daily duties and responsibilities. While this structure is considered to be more rigid than the other work models, working on-site still has advantages, such as:

• Direct communication with clients and supervisors
• Immersion
• Better work-life balance
• Greater control
• More reliable resources (laptops/computers, internet, air conditioning unit)

Remote work set up

Remoted work, also known as work-from-home or distance work, is a workplace setup where employees are allowed to work in the comforts of their home, or anywhere they deem comfortable. This is the only work model permitted during the height of the pandemic and the setup used by most virtual assistant companies in the Philippines. And after experiencing remote working, many companies are now considering continuing pursuing this setup due to its advantages.

• A much more flexible schedule
• No need to commute
• Completing more tasks and assignments
• Working in comfortable and cozy clothes
• More creative control of your workspace

Hybrid work set up

A hybrid work setup is the newest workplace model. It is a combination of working on-site and from home. Many companies are considering this because the virus is still very active even with the decreasing number of COVID-19 cases. Furthermore, a hybrid working setup provides benefits that both the organizations and employees might want.

• Increased productivity and efficiency
• Reduced operational costs
• Redefines collaboration
• Improved work-life balance
• Maintained staff safety and health

While the advantages of these three work setups may seem so enticing, you have to consider that each type also has its disadvantages. The decision of what workplace model to use should always depend on your company’s identity, as this will define how you will function.

Work more efficiently and productively with OVA Virtual

OVA Virtual is an organization that offers virtual assistant services Philippines in almost all aspects of a business. Moreover, we give tips and guide on how to work efficiently and productively.

If you want to know more about us, you can check our website at www.ovavirtual.com

Sources:

https://blog.vertexplus.com/advantages-of-working-onsite/

https://www.themuse.com/advice/10-reasons-working-remotely-is-even-better-than-you-thought-it-was

https://www.zoho.com/workdrive/digest/top-5-benefits-and-challenges-of-hybrid-work.html

https://opensourcedworkplace.com/news/types-of-hybrid-work-models

https://weworkremotely.com/hybrid-work-model-vs-remote-work-what-s-better-for-you

The post What is the best workplace model setup – on-site, remote, or hybrid? appeared first on OVA VIRTUAL.

All these things are just some of the things that make remote working advantageous. However, this does not mean that you would not have any issues. Working from home does not guarantee freedom from distractions.

These distractions can come from the people you are living with or your surroundings. Either way, these disturbances can cause you to slow down with your work. That being said, here are some tips on how you can beat distractions while working from home.

• Do not multitask

When you are at home, there will be a lot of distractions – the pile of dishes, Netflix on your phone or computer, and your devices that keep buzzing with notifications. While it seems tempting to multitask, this will only cause you even more confusion, eventually leading to you not finishing your tasks properly. So instead, these distractions should not matter when you start your work. Learn how to focus on one task at a time. You can also create a to-do list to help you identify the things you need to prioritize.

• Set boundaries with the people living with you

One of the most effective ways to ensure a successful work-from-home experience is to set boundaries with your family members, including your spouse or children. Create a sign or signal to let them know you are working in your home office or dedicated workspace. For example, you and your family could agree that a closed room door means that it is office hours and you are busy and unavailable.

• Put your phone on do not disturb

Getting notifications from time to time is inevitable, especially if you are active on social media. And even if you put your phone on silent mode, your phone will still continuously light up whenever there are new notifications. To help you stop yourself from using your phone while it is still work hours, you can put your device in a do not disturb mode. If you are worried about missing out on important alerts from a workmate or client, you can fix your phone’s settings and give the necessary contacts an exception.

• Change your clothes

The number one thing that can make you distracted is comfort. You do not necessarily need to wear jeans or formal work clothes, but get out of your pajamas. You can still wear something comfortable but not something you would wear to bed. This transition may seem simple, but it will help you shift your mood from relaxation to work mode.

• Stick with your work schedule

Working from home does not only let you control your work surroundings. This setup also allows you to enjoy a flexible work schedule, especially if your company is like most virtual assistant companies in the Philippines that are not that strict about this. While this is tempting, refrain from changing your schedule and just stick to what you were used to when working on-site. Sleeping in or doing household chores before clocking in can make it more challenging to transition into work mode. Keeping a regular schedule and routine can help you stay focused.

Learn how to work more effectively even at home with OVA Virtual

OVA Virtual is an organization that offers virtual assistant services in almost all aspects of a business. Moreover, they give tips on how one can still work effectively and efficiently even within the comforts of your home.

If you want to know more about us, you can check our website at www.ovavirtual.com.

Sources:

https://www.michaelpage.com/advice/career-advice/growing-your-career/avoiding-distractions-while-working-home

https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/dealing-with-distractions-working-from-home/

https://www.fastcompany.com/90502236/8-tips-to-beat-distractions-while-working-from-home

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashiraprossack1/2020/04/29/overcome-work-from-home-distractions-with-these-easy-tips/?sh=28d227e34626

The post How to Beat Distractions while Working from Home appeared first on OVA VIRTUAL.

According to Psychiatric Times, Zoom fatigue is “the tiredness, worry, or burnout associated with overusing virtual platforms of communication.” Work from home formats will require employees to use virtual communication platforms more than usual as they talk to clients and coworkers in meetings.

Remote workers will find that continuously talking through video calls is exhausting and draining, and it’s easy to suffer from not only work-from-home burnout but also Zoom-based burnout.

Difference Between Regular Burnout and Zoom Fatigue

Project managers can easily get burnt out with their regular workload since they’re more involved in communication, which usually accounts for about 80% of their workload. Regular office workers forced to use Zoom more often had a harder time than those already used to it.

Also, it’s difficult to determine whether someone is suffering from regular burnout or Zoom fatigue. A Stanford University research paper identifies five categories of fatigue that can be associated with Zoom fatigue.

• General fatigue
• Visual fatigue
• Social fatigue
• Motivational fatigue
• Emotional fatigue

The difference between plain old tiredness and Zoom fatigue becomes apparent when people even avoid social events. This is like how introverts recharge their batteries after being part of multiple social events.

Why are Virtual Meetings so Exhausting?

Virtual meetings are exhausting thanks to several factors associated with the nature of virtual meetings that are more common in remote work.

• Too Much Eye Contact
• Less Freedom of Movement
• Virtually Looking at a Mirror All-Day

Anyone lucky enough to only need to join a voice call instead of a video call can take advantage of Bluetooth headphones to freely move while in a call. Voice calls are arguably less tiring than video calls because of the lack of eye contact and the possibility of having more mobility, but managers should still keep in mind not to call a meeting when what’s going to be talked about can be done so through an email. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many remote workers and virtual assistants out there.

How to Avoid Zoom Fatigue

Zoom meetings became the norm during the early days and the height of the pandemic, and they might not go away anytime soon, even in the post-COVID world. Many businesses will likely continue to hire a virtual assistant in the Philippines as they have already benefited from the services of veteran VAs and freelancers in the past. Even companies that won’t hire any virtual assistant but opt to adopt a Hybrid Work Setup will still rely on Zoom meetings.

Because Zoom meetings won’t likely go away anytime soon, employees, freelancers, and virtual assistants will need to know how they can make the Zoom app work for them.

Focus on the Call

People should avoid multitasking and just focus on the call, even though it’s tempting to do something else while on a Zoom meeting. Our article titled 6 Productivity Hacks to Win Every Day talks about how there’s only 2.5 percent of people who can multitask.

It’s safe to assume that a regular employee and virtual assistant cannot multitask, so it’s better to focus on the meeting instead of squeezing in work while on a call. Multitasking is counter-productive, burns mental energy, and makes people ineffective in meetings and in their regular work.

Change Up Communication Channels

When a VA controls how they can communicate with other people, they should consider foregoing voice and video calls for a time and only communicating through emails, Skype, chats, and other means. Using a different communication channel is advisable to take a break while still being able to talk about work-related matters.

Bosses and managers should consider using other communication channels to maintain employee morale and not exhaust them with endless Zoom meetings. Arranging for meetings in the office or in a cafe from time to time is also advised when just having team meetings.

Take Breaks

Once a Zoom meeting is over, the participants must take a break to re-energize themselves. If the meeting doesn’t end soon, the participants should call for short breaks to not get burnt out. Nobody wants to be stuck in a call for hours while staring at a computer screen.

If meetings are a constant in an employee’s life, then they should consider taking a proper rest by applying for leave and going on a vacation. It’s best to unwind whenever possible, and taking a break from the computer screen is the ideal way to do this.

Give Yourself More Space

Because virtual meetings can be restrictive, people should do everything they can to free themselves from such restrictions and have more mobility. Using Bluetooth-capable computer components is advisable so people can have more freedom of where they’ll work and receive calls.

When a video feed isn’t required, it’s possible to take a call while pacing or lying down by using Bluetooth headphones. Suppose the VA uses a laptop instead of a desktop computer. In that case, they can even switch working locations when they need to take a call so they won’t be restricted to one location and even use Bluetooth peripherals to have more freedom.

Conclusion

Zoom fatigue is real, and people must know how to avoid it so they won’t have to get burnt out. People offering virtual assistant services won’t be able to give their best when burnt out from virtual meetings, and there’s really no way to avoid the meetings when it’s part of the job. So, they’ll need to make the most of their remote work setups and work smartly to avoid zoom fatigue and the resulting burnout. They can also read more in our previous article titled “How to Overcome WFH Burnout” to supplement the abovementioned solutions.

Freelance and independent VAs who have a hard time achieving a work-life balance AND getting burnt out by excessive meetings should consider joining a team of professional VAs to get this. By joining a VA company Philippines like OVA Virtual, Filipina VAs can achieve an outstanding work-life balance where they can earn a steady income while having more time with their loved ones.

Sources:

https://www.betterup.com/blog/zoom-fatigue

https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions/

https://hbr.org/2020/04/how-to-combat-zoom-fatigue

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/coronavirus-zoom-fatigue-is-taxing-the-brain-here-is-why-that-happens

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychological-exploration-zoom-fatigue

https://www.betterup.com/blog/signs-of-burnout-at-work?hsLang=en

The post Zoom Fatigue: What is it, and How to Avoid it? appeared first on OVA VIRTUAL.

A survey by Monster.com stated that 69% of employees working from home are experiencing work from home burnout symptoms. Such symptoms can include overworking, overeating, overdrinking, overexercising, and changes in appearance. Even the best virtual assistant services offered by freelancers and independent VAs can degrade the moment they get burnt out.

Signs of WFH burnout

Remote workers can easily suffer from burnout when they start overworking since they feel like they have more control of their time. The signs that people are suffering from work from home burnout include the following:

• Physical exhaustion
• Emotional Exhaustion
• Pessimism
• Detachment
• Feeling that they lack accomplishments
• Being forgetful
• Being more irritable

WFH burnout is a state of chronic stress, and these signs won’t appear overnight. However, once it’s taken hold, people will no longer function effectively as they feel exhausted, become pessimistic, and be more irritable with people.

Causes of WFH Burnout

Anyone can get burnt out from work due to many different reasons, but remote workers will have it harder even though many people think that they should have more time to rest. Even though remote workers can theoretically have more control of their time, this actually makes things more problematic due to the following reasons:

• Blurred boundaries between work and home life
• Remote workers who can’t “shut off”
• Isolated remote workers
• The necessity to be viewed as a “good worker”

Thanks to the pandemic, many businesses had to resort to layoffs, and many people are more uncertain whether they’ll get a job or not. Because businesses can easily hire new eager remote employees and virtual assistants, there is a constant fear of being replaced.

The fear of being replaced and the natural fact that there are people who struggle with work and need adequate support from managers will make it easier for some remote workers to get burnt out from a WFH setting. Fortunately, people-conscious managers can help employee burnout by encouraging healthy remote work habits that freelancers and virtual assistants can also adopt.

Different Ways to Overcome WFH Burnout

Set Office Hours

Veteran Filipino virtual assistants and freelancers might know how to overcome WFH burnout or avoid it entirely, but office workers who were forced to work from home will find adjusting difficult. The WFH setting complicated this for many new remote workers since they can no longer use the time they get to the office and the time to leave to determine their work hours. Remote workers must learn to set specific office hours so they won’t work when they should be resting.

If it’s hard to set up specific office hours, remote workers should try setting up specific times to rest and relax. Gamers can set up specific times to play games and set up online lobbies to play with co-workers and even treat it as a team-building activity. Avid readers should allot time to read some new books. As long as remote workers can relax after work

Set Up an Office Space

Setting up specific work hours may be difficult no matter what people do if they don’t have a dedicated workspace at home. A dedicated space meant only for office work can work wonders on one’s psychology and influence one to be more productive.

Besides focusing more on work, remote workers can also get their minds to focus on things apart from work after they leave their dedicated workspace. Setting up a separate office space is arguably easier for former office workers who were assigned their workstations and had to bring them home to use since they won’t need to use their own computers for work.

Take Time Off

Work from home burnout is arguably the same as regular work burnout. They’re both because of workplace stress. Stepping away from work from time to time is possible today, as long as no new lockdown restrictions are set in place.

Traveling was hard during the first days and months of the pandemic because of lockdowns, so WFH burnouts were more common at the time. Anyone still working from home now that most people have a choice whether to work in the office or at home because lockdowns were lifted can make up for lost time and file vacation leaves. Freelancers can even pause from accepting new work to prepare for their well-deserved vacations.

Of course, staycations are still good if people can stop themselves from working.

Get a Hobby

Working all day, all week, and all month will lead to someone getting burnt out easily, so remote workers will need to do other activities to enjoy their free time. Hobbies are excellent since people can use some of their hard-earned money for whatever they’re passionate about.

Remote workers should think about learning new skills, learning a new art, joining sports teams, gaming with friends, and any other activity to give themselves other things to do.

Notify the Team that You’re Getting Burnt Out

Anyone can easily experience burnout from work due to their workloads, and it’s not exactly theirs or their manager’s fault why this is. It is, however, the employee’s fault if they don’t notify their co-workers and superiors about their dilemma. Telling the team that they’re experiencing burnout can allow for better collaboration to redistribute workload and even possibly allow for encouragements from other members.

Telling others about burnout might also allow other people to open up. Several people from a single team can get burnt out, and their feelings are valid. Receiving support and getting approved for leave are among the benefits of informing the team that you’re feeling burnt out.

This won’t likely be an option for freelancers, but they can tell their regular clients that they might need to take a break due to burnout.

Conclusion

Burnout affects productivity and willingness to work and function normally, so remote workers will need to learn how to overcome it. Those who didn’t have a choice can be forgiven since working remote might not be for them, but those who chose to work virtually will need to learn it to be successful.

Because many international businesses hire a virtual assistant Philippines, Filipino VAs will need to learn how to overcome WFH burnout. Any Filipina who wants to try getting a fulfilling career as a dedicated virtual assistant should consider joining OVA Virtual’s team.

Sources:

https://www.vistage.com/research-center/personal-development/work-life-balance/20210407-burnout/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurelfarrer/2020/05/29/the-dangerous-reality-of-wfh-burnout-and-how-to-treat-it/?sh=79e0a6252487

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Remote work has created plenty of new job opportunities for regular employees, freelancers, and virtual assistants while also offering more family time and lower expenses since people no longer need to travel to work. These offers are attractive for many people who want to save as much money as possible while also having more personal time, but not everyone will particularly like it since some prefer to work on-site.

Not everyone will want to continue working from home, so a hybrid work setup will work well for both parties. The idea of hybrid work is currently trending these days as more remote work trends appeared as the Great Resignation happened. Rishita Jones, Transformation & Change Consultant, accurately describes The Great Resignation as “not about people wanting more flexibility or higher pay. The Great Resignation is about people seeking meaning and purpose in their lives, of which work is a big part of.”

The Great Resignation effectively showed the reason why remote work is currently trending and why the idea of hybrid work setups is also trending.

Increased Productivity and Employee Satisfaction

A hybrid work model is a flexible work model, especially when compared to either on-site work or remote work. The flexibility of a hybrid work model allows employees to feel more empowered to make the most of their strengths, whether they’ll be working from home or the office. Some people need to work in an environment suitable for their work-related needs, while others can work better at home.

Because the flexible work model works for both on-site and remote workers, businesses can easily hire a virtual assistant or freelancer should they need additional employees. They won’t need to invest in additional on-site employees and the other associated costs, including the necessary equipment, training, and others. Business owners can read more about this in our past article on why businesses are losing money not having a remote workforce.

Businesses can benefit from increased productivity and employee satisfaction by allowing full-time employees, freelancers, virtual assistants, and other employees to work in their desired environments and have a better work-life balance.

Improved Collaboration and Relationships

Online collaboration is an easy and innovative approach to collaboration, but it doesn’t replace the in-person collaboration experience. The Gartner 2021 Hybrid Work Employee survey showed that more than 70 percent of HR professionals were more concerned about employee collaboration in 2021 than when before the pandemic began.

Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index has also shown that 73% of their employees want greater freedom when working from home while, at the same time, 67% feel that face-to-face conversations are more helpful in solving problems than emails and mobile communication.

Fortunately, a hybrid work model allows for face-to-face communication between team members, or at least some team members. Allowing remote workers to continue working from home and only going to the office to attend certain meetings still results in better communication while retaining the benefits of having a remote workforce. Some of these employees may not be able to attend these meetings if they’re out of the country, but there’s likely no problem if they’re freelancers and virtual assistants who aren’t necessarily handling key projects.

Happier Employees

Giving people the freedom to choose whether to work at home or in the office impacts the employees’ happiness. Not everyone is happy to work from home, but some people still prefer working remotely, so being able to choose effectively caters to every employee’s preference.

Remote work has its disadvantages, namely isolation, that hybrid work can mitigate. Suppose all the employees of a particular company want to work on-site and they still need additional personnel but are having difficulty looking for on-site workers. In that case, they can rely on VA companies in the Philippines to provide virtual assistants to fill their ranks while keeping their existing employees happy.

The Future is Likely Flexible and Hybrid

We’ve already talked about the future of remote work in one of our past articles and how remote work has forever changed how people work and that a hybrid workplace culture is possible. We may or may not be wrong in assuming that more people will pick remote work, but we are sure that hybrid work has a high likelihood of being the future.

A hybrid work model easily offers the best solution for businesses to retain talent and for young workers to overcome their initial challenges with remote work. Having a remote workforce and eventually adopting a hybrid work setup has multiple benefits for business owners, like reducing expenditures. They should consider these instead of simply returning to how things were before.

Even having a hybrid workforce of regular on-site employees and remote virtual assistants and freelancers is still a viable compromise for traditional business owners. The only problem is that creating a successful hybrid workplace will require careful preparation and planning, which high-quality virtual assistant services can help with.

Businesses must consider relying on a virtual assistant company in the Philippines to receive talent at a low price and be ensured that they receive quality services. OVA Virtual can help business owners receive the best VA services and succeed in their industry. Hybrid work is currently trending because of the reasons above, and businesses must be prepared if that were the case or lag behind the competition.

Sources:

https://www.where.team/blog/hybrid-workplace-trends

https://www.workinsync.io/5-reasons-why-the-hybrid-workplace-is-here-to-stay

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work

https://billieapp.io/2021/10/12/the-benefits-of-a-hybrid-work-model-and-why-its-here-to-stay/

The post Why are Hybrid Work Setups Trending? appeared first on OVA VIRTUAL.

Despite the growing popularity of virtual assistants, many businesses still have reservations about employing VAs. Some businesses may see VAs as an added expense, while many others see them as a cost-effective means of increasing personnel. COVID forced many companies to limit their operations and shift to remote work settings, and virtual assistants have helped businesses survive during the pandemic. VAs are still important today, and it’s already been proven that they can help businesses function even with a limited budget, like what happened during the early days of the pandemic.

If businesses have reservations about going remote, there’s a big chance that they’re also unlikely to hire virtual assistants to supplement their workforce. Such decisions will cost businesses money, and there’s a good chance that businesses are actually losing money by not having a remote workforce.

Remote work and virtual assistant services are cost-effective for many different reasons, including the following:

Businesses Need to Pay for Real Estate and Utility Expenses

When a business doesn’t have a remote workforce, they will have to pay for real estate costs, utilities, office furniture, office equipment, etc., to continue working on site. The average cost per employee is around $18,000 per year, and going remote and eliminating the need for a physical office will significantly reduce these costs. Businesses will only need to pay for an employee’s salary and benefits when going remote; paying for laptops and the necessary tools also doesn’t necessarily add too many expenditures compared to when they also had to pay for office utilities and cleaning services.

Depending on virtual assistant services first before hiring regular staff will also allow small businesses to save up on expenses. Virtual assistants don’t charge for employee benefits and other costs related to hiring regular employees besides their hourly or per project wage. VAs will also come equipped with their own tools and equipment, further reducing the costs of hiring an employee.

Businesses Usually Spend on Food for the Office

Businesses will usually provide employees with food in the break room as employee benefits. Regular employees will typically enjoy coffee, snacks, and the occasional lunch or dinner at the office. Besides such benefits, office meetings will often need snacks and stocking up for these will cost businesses as the costs stack up.

Remote workers don’t need to be given food since they’ll just buy it themselves. Not having to restock an on-site cafeteria will allow small businesses to save on money that they can allot for other expenses.

Regular On-Site Employees are More Expensive than VAs

Neglecting virtual assistants will keep businesses from having the benefits of an affordable workforce. Regular employees typically cost more than virtual assistants because of the following expenditures:

• Hourly wage
• Tax payments
• Employee benefits
• Vacation and sick leaves
• Appropriate equipment
• Training

Virtual assistants, however, only need to be paid their wage through one of the following options:

• By the hour
• Per project
• Per task
• Through a subscription plan

Individual VAs and freelancers will typically charge by the hour or per project, with some of them offering a set number of services and charging a set amount based on that, not the time they spend working. Relying on a virtual assistant company in the Philippines will require businesses to pay based on a subscription plan.

Apart from not paying VAs as much as regular employees, virtual assistants are also more affordable because they pay for their own expenses, including their equipment and taxes. Businesses also won’t have to train VAs to the same extent as regular employees when hiring experienced Filipina virtual assistants instead of rookies.

A study by Glassdoor showed that the average company spends about $4,000 when hiring a new employee thanks to recruiting teams, background checks, interviews, and onboard training costs. If a small business has a regular on-site workforce, they can opt to hire virtual assistants as additional personnel for the time being to effectively have more employees at a lower cost. Outsourcing work to a virtual assistant will undoubtedly cut costs, especially when the VA is from a reputable VA company.

Many Small Businesses Spend Too Much Time on Administrative and Repetitive Tasks

Many small businesses spend too much time on administrative tasks, and hiring full-time employees is too expensive. Outsourcing the tasks to virtual assistants allows small businesses to save costs while having their admin tasks handled by competent staff.

Businesses will also have repetitive work that regular employees won’t enjoy doing, especially when they’ll have to be diverted from other tasks, mainly core processes. Hiring reliable virtual assistants to do repetitive tasks like managing a database, making calls, scheduling interviews, and other repetitive tasks will allow the regular employees to stay productive on other more important tasks.

Others will handle administrative and repetitive tasks, but it’ll also be done at a lower cost than hiring full-time employees. Businesses can also hire virtual assistants only to take care of any possible task backlogs then let them go after the project.

Conclusion

Whether a remote workforce comprises primarily of regular employees or virtual assistants, a remote workforce is beneficial to businesses. Remote workers can effectively save a small business money by reducing their operational expenses while hiring VAs will also reduce hiring costs.

Businesses sticking to having an on-site workforce are losing money and should heavily consider switching to a remote setup. Also, instead of immediately hiring new employees, businesses should consider to hire a virtual assistant first as a more cost-effective option. Virtual assistants can also outperform office workers, so hiring VAs should also be considered for such a reason.

OVA Virtual can help provide the best virtual assistant services for different businesses. Hire a virtual assistant today and benefit from the high-quality virtual assistant services of one of the most reputable VA companies in the Philippines.

Sources:

https://www.squarefishinc.com/10-ways-virtual-assistants-can-save-you-money/

https://www.streetdirectory.com/etoday/-wuweof.html

https://vavavirtual.com/2020/05/26/how-you-can-save-money-with-a-virtual-assistant/

https://getdivvy.com/blog/does-working-remote-save-money/

https://www.lano.io/en/blog/can-a-company-actually-save-money-with-remote-work/

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