The State of Higher Education

We were already headed for a crisis in education before COVID hit. But that crisis has accelerated like so many other things this year.

Dozens and potentially hundreds of small four-year colleges are likely to go under within the next year, and others in the next five years, according Frank Bruni, NY Times article (6/4/2020).

As the virus proliferates, so does online instruction, as it allows for learning in a safe environment at home, expanded enrollment, better access to financially strapped students and adults wanting continuing education.

The Era of the Remote Worker 

The era of the remote worker is here to stay. With it comes new responsibilities for all employers who are pivoting to remote work as a corporate strategy. In the last year, many have had to make the change from the office to working from home whether we had a home office or not.

Your Onboarding Process

Having a consistent onboarding process for new hires can make or break any employment relationship. In today’s new way of working, a personal, and well-designed remote onboarding process for new hires is more important than ever. Recent high growth industries that have taken off during the pandemic, such as grocery stores, manufacturing of pandemic-related products, pharmaceuticals, high-tech, digital platforms, and cloud-based services, and more rely on an effective online, on-boarding process. This is particularly important for employees working remotely at home.

Ergonomic Credentials are Like Alphabet Soup

Buyers of ergonomics services don’t necessarily understand the science of ergonomics, how people should work safely with good ergonomics, and what makes a good ergonomics consultant. The differences in evaluator education, training, and experiences impacts the quality of service provided, the fees charged and ultimately the results the buyer or employer will achieve. These days, ergonomic credentials and certifications are like a bowl of alphabet soup!

Are You a Goal Setter? 

Goals are meaningless without a plan that sets out how you will achieve them. If you want to achieve a certain goal, then you must build a path toward that goal. Goal-setting helps to prioritize your workload, build good habits so you can make every day count. 

Are You Living the Ergonomic Lifestyle?

Working from home can be hard on your mind and body. Prolonged, uninterrupted sitting for hours at the computer or laptop in all the wrong places takes its toll on you!

When the pandemic started and we had to shelter in place, I knew it was going to be important for people to have someone to answer questions about working at home with good ergonomics.

From that moment on, the Home Office Ergonomist was born! I'm the Home Office Ergonomist, aka Alison Heller-Ono PT, MSPT, CPE, and much more. 

What will our lives be like when the virus is gone? Nothing like before, because that is not how it works. You've heard the expression, "Gone, but not forgotten!"  Our old way of living and working will be different for sure. We have no choice but to change. 

I was recently inspired to think about the future of work from an article I read by the BBC Visual and Data Journalism Team called, "This is what coronavirus will do to our offices and homes." Let's design the future of work together!

The pandemic in America has deeply changed our work lives  Unfortunately, many people have become unemployed, others work tirelessly as they are essential to our daily lives. For those who are fortunate enough to continue to work most likely do so from home. 

COVID-19 has caused a significant and rapid paradigm shift which has resulted in rapid innovation and change in how we work, how we communicate and how we learn. It has thrust e-Learning into the forefront. 

This especially applies for remote workers. For this reason, e-Learning home-office ergonomics is an essential component of onboarding remote workers and training current workers! 

This country has been in a big “reset” lately! Everything has changed. To survive in our new economy, companies have had to become more mindful of the impact COVID-19 has had on their employees and customers. Companies thriving right now demonstrate agility, resilience, and a unifying purpose within their organizations and externally to their community. There is a significant emphasis on holistic wellbeing to include mental, physical, financial, and social wellness.