Shoveling Out: Will Winter Weather Effect Your Productivity at Work?

With below freezing temperatures in many places throughout the U.S. (and the first Monday in the New Year) many people are thankful for a snow day. Another day to kick back, relax, and not have to go into work, right?!

For most of us, not being able to get to the office is no longer an excuse to take the day off. Unless your power is out, you can still get work done from home. To many, this comes as somewhat of a relief, it’s a great time to ease back into the work routine, catch up, and get ready to kick butt in 2014!

There are tools today that make working remotely, on a snow day, simple and potentially exciting. When an organization properly utilizes their knowledge base, a lot of valuable work can be produced. Just imagine, a day of no interruptions, no one stopping by your desk to chat – knocking you off track. Instead, you’re spending time getting items marked off of your to-do list.

That said, communication can be a challenge when you are working remotely. The traditional way to communicate with a team member is in person, by email, or phone. Email can be overwhelming, especially when ‘reply all’ is an option. Getting phone calls can just be a nuisance. Being able to post what would usually communicated via email or phone into a knowledge base cuts down on redundancy and gives everyone access to the same valuable knowledge. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Since you aren’t in the office with your colleagues you can’t just pop your head into their cube and get a question answered. Instead, search for an answer to your question in a knowledge base, and if you can’t find it, post your question be answered by an expert in your organization. It’s a great way to get a quick answer to a question and ensure that it will be easily accessible for future use.

We learn best from familiar faces, so within your knowledge base you should have the ability to recommend content to other users, share content directly via email and other networks, and choose to follow specific members. These capabilities allow for engagement within your organization which might not be possible to obtain otherwise. Especially on a snow day when you’re working remotely. You might even come to appreciate a coworker you hadn’t before your interaction inside the knowledge base.

Don’t let the frigid weather keep you from being productive in the new year. Get a jumpstart on your work while collaborating with your colleagues from afar. It’ll make for a fun and productive day.