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5 Ways working moms can achieve work-life balance

Life as a working mom can be very challenging, especially now that most are still working remotely, and the lines between work and home are blurred. Each mom is different, and each workplace must cater to individual needs to ensure work-life balance.

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Life as a working mom can be very challenging, especially now that most are still working remotely, and the lines between work and home are blurred. Each mom is different, and each workplace must cater to individual needs to ensure work-life balance. 

Yani Hornilla-Donato, Canva Philippines’ Country Manager, Chrissie Peria, Copy Lead for Canva’s Template Design Team, and Christine Reyes, Creative Lead for Canva’s Elements Team, share how they have found balance between work and home, and how workplaces can create the best environment for moms.

1. Learn to set boundaries

As Canva Philippines’ Country Manager, Yani is passionate about growing the team in Manila. She loves to share creative ways to connect Canva with Filipinos and help people communicate visually.

Based on her experience as a new mom, Yani talks about the importance of communication, while also being intentional in setting goals, empowering teams, and setting boundaries. 

There are simple ways to establish boundaries—physically, mentally, and socially. Yani said,“Setup a workstation at home. A place where you can focus and send a signal to other people that you are working. Ideally, create a separate workspace from your place of rest.”

Yani has placed a hard stop to the end of her working day. “I start early, so I can finish by 4 in the afternoon. 5:00 pm and beyond is dedicated for my family, especially my new baby. I want to be present, take care of her, and witness her milestones. And definitely no work on weekends! Except for emergencies,” she added.

In a work from home set-up, it’s become difficult for some to switch off from work. “I make it a point to spend time catching up with people and sincerely asking them, ‘How are you?’. I’m also a huge fan of birthdays, so whenever I can, I try to orchestrate really fun online birthdays for people at work,” said Yani.

Canva has been featured in the Top 3 Best Workplaces in the Philippines for two years in a row, according to Great Place to Work, and Yani is proud of the culture that the team has established. 

2. Schedule leave and rest to spend time with family

Canva wants to help moms find balance between being a present mother, and also thriving at work. The company has increased the number of maternity days for its employees every year.  

“We have a generous leave package that affords all of us time off. We also try to extend flexibility wherever possible, especially for moms who need to adjust their schedules at home,” Yani added.

Chrissie, the Copy Lead for Canva’s Template Design Team, and responsible for populating Canva’s library with the wonderful templates, shared how Canva helped everyone settle into the remote working setup during the pandemic. Initiatives include giving allowances to improve workspaces at home, providing food and utility provisions, and hosting health and wellness virtual events to help employees cope.

3. Find your pack, nurture a culture of support and understanding

It is important to find a good support system and be open to your managers and wider team about your needs. This way they can support and understand you better. 

Christine, the Creative Lead for the Elements Team in Canva Manila, works with a team of creatives to produce graphic elements. One of the challenges she faces as a mom is being able to spend time with her family with a clear head.

“It took a while for me to completely let go of the habit of checking my work email and Slack beyond 4:00 pm, but I’ve learnt to be successful in that aspect. My leads always assure me that nothing will break even if I don’t answer everything after 4:00 pm,” Christine said.

At Canva, teams check on each other, have regular social calls and are quick to pick-up another person’s load if they need support. “Everyone is so understanding — children barging in on calls are greeted with smiles and small talk, dogs and cats get paraded on screen, and crowing roosters in the background are brushed off with giggles and no judgement,” Chrissie shared.

“We have Internal Coaching available for everyone too. This is especially helpful for moms who are going through tough things, and need or want a coach to offer guidance,” Yani said.

4. Share the fun work culture with your family

Canva’s Vibe Team is built on creating a work environment where everyone is empowered to do their best work and give back to the community.

Pre-pandemic Canva used to have Family Days, as well as events during special occasions like Halloween, when employees would bring their kids along to the Manila office to play. The Vibe team also hands out Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) presents and holds special events at the office. 

“With our new working arrangements, our celebrations have shifted online. And while we’re not together physically, they’re just as heartwarming. We all aim to be good humans, and a force for good in a world that’s facing challenging times. And I’m lucky enough to be surrounded and supported by these wonderfully good people,” Chrissie shared.

5. Find your motivation; become a “Force for Good”

“Being a force for good” is one of Canva’s core values. The company works towards a world that isn’t just good for a small few, but one that’s good for everyone. Like most startups, life at Canva is very fast paced and everyone gives their best to adapt and react to the needs of their users.

“Everyone is encouraged to contribute and help improve the product and the user experience. It’s pretty fulfilling, knowing that you had a direct hand in something that makes someone’s life easier,” Chrissie shared. The biggest thing to love about what I do, is how my work empowers people on a daily basis. Writing is something that comes naturally to me, but it’s not the case for everyone. So knowing that I can use my skills to make others’ lives easier is motivating,” she added.

All moms are different, and we want to celebrate each one of them. Show your love and appreciation to your mom, mommy, mama, nanay or inay with Canva’s Mother’s Day templates. ⁣You can also find Filipino templates by changing the language settings to Tagalog and search for the term “ina”.

For more information about Canva, visit https://www.canva.com/

Strategies

‘Ugh, not that song!’ Background music impacts employees

When background music at a workplace is out of sync with what workers need to do their jobs, it can affect their energy, mood – and even performance.

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Have you ever gone to a store or a restaurant where the music was so annoying that you walked right out? Now imagine what it must be like for the employees.

In a study, researchers found that when background music at a workplace is out of sync with what workers need to do their jobs, it can affect their energy, mood – and even performance.

“Music that doesn’t fit what an employee needs to feel energized, manage emotions, and focus on task can have a real negative impact,” said Kathleen Keeler, co-lead author of the study and assistant professor of management and human resources at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. “We found that a music misfit can lead employees to feel more fatigued, have trouble focusing, and not really enjoy being at work. And that in turns prompts them to engage in behaviors that can harm the organization.”

The problem is worse for people who have difficulty screening out background noise from their environment, the study found.

It is an understudied issue, Keeler said.  About 13.5 million people work in occupations where background music is common. But the music is often chosen with only customers in mind.

“It is a mistake for managers to assume that music doesn’t affect employees,” Keeler said.

The study was published online in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

Study in focus

The researchers conducted two studies. One study involved 166 full-time workers who participated online. Before they began, participants rated how much they needed four features of music: volume, speed, complexity and emotional intensity. The participants then listened to one of two playlists while they conducted a creativity task.

One playlist was upbeat, happy pop music with moderate complexity. The other was slower, more somber music played at a lower volume.

After completing the task, participants rated how much the music they heard fit their needs for volume, speed, complexity and emotional intensity.

Results in focus

The findings showed participants experienced a negative impact if the characteristics of the playlist they listened to was out of sync with what they said they needed. Those who had a music misfit showed a decrease in pleasant feelings and emotions and also more cognitive depletion – a feeling of mental exhaustion, Keeler said.

The problem was particularly acute for people referred to as non-screeners. “Stimulus screening” is the ability to focus on one sensory input at a time. Non-screeners have difficulty doing that and – in this case – were unable to ignore the music in the background while they concentrated on their task.

“The bad effects of music misfit are worse for those who are non-screeners,” Keeler said. “They have difficulty blocking out the music and so they feel less positive emotion and feel more depleted after listening to the music that was out of sync with what they needed.”

The second study was a real-world sample of 68 workers in health care offices, retail stores and dining halls where background music was a feature of their everyday work life. Participants completed three email surveys every day for three weeks about their musical needs, the music they heard, their moods, cognitive depletion and various actions at work.

The findings confirmed results of the first study and added another wrinkle: Music misfit had an impact on job performance.  Participants were more likely to act in ways that hurt the company – and less likely to do positive things – on days when they felt out of sync with the music they heard.

Music affects actions

Negative actions could include working more slowly, talking negatively about the workplace with other employees, and pilfering office supplies. Positive actions included helping a fellow worker on a project that was outside their direct responsibilities.

“It can affect the bottom line of companies if their employees are not being productive because they are being drained and distracted by the music they hear all day,” Keeler said. “Their performance suffers.”

The results suggest that employers need to take into consideration the musical wants and needs of their employees.

“Employers should try to strike a balance between making sure their music appeals to both customers and employees, because this is not a trivial matter,” Keeler said.  “If their employees aren’t happy, that is not going to be good for the business.”

Employers can also ensure there are places in the workplace where employees can escape the music during their breaks. In addition, they could invest in earbuds using smart technology that allows wearers to hear conversations from customers while screening out some background noises, including music.

And while this was not a focus of this study, the results also suggest that workers may be happier and more productive if they are allowed to listen to their own music when appropriate.

Let them listen to their music

“I know some managers are reluctant to allow employees to listen to their own music, but our research suggests that there are a lot of benefits, including productivity, engagement and well-being,” she said.

Harshad Puranik of the University of Illinois-Chicago was co-lead author.  Other co-authors were Yue Wang of the University of Illinois-Chicago, and Jingfeng Yin of The Hong Kong, Polytechnic University.

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Strategies

Crucial electrical safety advice for customers 

Before getting started on outdoor projects, it is important to be aware of the electrical safety hazards you may encounter.

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Spring is about to arrive, and the longer days will inspire business owners to get outdoor projects underway. But before getting started, it is important to be aware of the electrical safety hazards you may encounter.

“Starting on outdoor projects is a great way to welcome the warmer weather, but it’s crucial to be aware of potential electrical hazards at home,” said Tim Frankenberg, fire safety engineer for the St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation. “A little prevention goes a long way in keeping your family safe.”

The St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation recommended four electrical safety hazards to avoid this spring:

Electric equipment near water

Water and electricity don’t mix, so a great rule of thumb is to keep electric equipment at least 10 feet away from wet areas. You should also plug into ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), which are designed to shut off the power as needed to prevent a shock. These are typically found in kitchens, bathrooms, garages and outdoors. It is highly encouraged that GFCIs are tested monthly. 

Underground utilities

You can disrupt utility service, including electric, natural gas and more, and even put your life in danger by failing to have underground utility lines clearly marked before digging. Plan the simple do-it-yourself projects that may seem small, including planting trees or installing a mailbox.

Overhead power lines

Stay clear of power lines and wires when trimming vegetation, raising ladders and performing outdoor home maintenance. Always assess your surroundings while trimming or working in your yard or simply call a certified professional to safely handle the work. Remain at least 10 feet away from any overhead power line near your home. 

Indoor electrical cords and electronics for outdoors

Before plugging into an exterior electrical socket, double-check that your cords, lights or fans are rated for outdoor use. Look for labels on packaging that clearly mark them as suitable for outdoor use. Also, avoid running cords through door or window openings where they can be damaged, and pair them with GFCIs instead. 

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Strategies

How your business can cut costs related to plumbing

Business owners should take proactive measures to identify and fix plumbing leaks heading into the warmer months.

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Business owners should take proactive measures to identify and fix plumbing leaks heading into the warmer months.

“Warmer temperatures are headed our way as spring begins to take hold,” Levi Torres of High 5 Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric said. “Pretty soon, air conditioners will stay on a little longer and energy bills will begin to rise. One of the best ways to offset those costs is to check your plumbing for any leaks that could be increasing water usage.”

According to the EPA, people wastes nearly 10,000 gallons of water every year due to unknown leaks in the home, offices, et cetera. In addition, 10% of establishments waste 90 gallons or more per day.

To help your business cut costs related to plumbing, the experts at High 5 recommend the following tips to help recognize plumbing leaks:

  • Check the flapper in the toilet periodically to ensure it isn’t old or worn out. This can cause the toilet to silently leak thousands of gallons of water a year or cause it to flush on its own. Replacing the flapper can be an easy, cost-effective way to prevent toilet leaks.
  • Inspect the washers and gaskets on your faucets. Old washers can be a primary culprit for leaky faucets, causing a home to waste more than 3,000 gallons per year.
  • Check the showerhead for frequent dripping after usage. A showerhead that drips 10 times per minute can waste over 500 gallons per year. Simply tightening the connection or replacing the showerhead can be a cheap option to prevent leaks.

“While some simple leaks can be prevented by replacing small parts, it’s always important to call a licensed plumber if you suspect you have major leaks inside your home,” said Torres. “Leaks behind a wall or with a water heater can be much more complicated and need professional attention. If left untreated, they can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. Never leave a leak left untreated.”

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