Archives 2022

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can cause serious problems for remote workers. However, there are safe and healthy ways to cope with SAD symptoms. With a clear understanding and its potential impact, remote workers can manage seasonal affective disorder. Plus, they can find the best ways to feel and perform their best at work and outside of it.

Now, let’s answer some of the biggest questions surrounding SAD and how to manage it.

What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

SAD is a form of depression that begins and ends around the same times each year. The disorder often occurs in winter and resolves in summer. But, it can affect individuals during any season.

The symptoms of SAD vary depending on the individual. Common SAD symptoms include:

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and hopelessness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Insomnia or sleeping too much
• Appetite changes
• Suicidal thoughts

SAD symptoms can crop up without notice. And they are unlikely to subside on their own.

If you experience SAD symptoms, consult with a doctor. From here, you can work with your doctor to determine the best course of action. This is one way remote workers can manage seasonal affective disorder.

Is Seasonal Affective Disorder Common Among Remote Workers?

Remote employees are prone to work-from-home fatigue and similar problems. These workers may find themselves alone for extended periods of time, particularly in winter.

Winter brings cold temperatures and limited sunlight. Remote workers who spend long periods of time indoors may have reduced exposure to sunlight. This can affect an individual’s internal clock and the production of serotonin and melatonin. These are the body’s “feel-good” hormones. The result: remote workers may feel more sluggish in winter. They may struggle to stay focused, feel great, and work at peak levels.

Is Seasonal Affective Disorder for Remote Workers Preventable?

SAD cannot be prevented, but it can be managed. Some of the best ways remote workers can manage SAD symptoms include:

• Use Light Therapy: Set up a phototherapy box in a workspace. This exposes remote workers to artificial light that can help them keep their circadian rhythm on track.
• Engage in Social Activities: Reach out to work colleagues, family members, and friends. Connect with these individuals virtually or in person. Then, you can enjoy fun activities together.
• Establish a Schedule: Make a work schedule and stick to it. In addition, ensure you have plenty of time to wind down at the end of the work day. Try to get seven to nine hours of sleep every night.

Consult with a doctor to receive a medical evaluation regarding any SAD symptoms. Your doctor can then offer a personalized treatment plan to help you manage your symptoms now and in the future.

Tired of Your Job? ABBTECH Can Help

If you feel exhausted and worn-out from your job, ABBTECH can assist. We offer job placement assistance to job seekers of all skill and experience levels. Our recruiters can keep you up to date on job openings. Browse our job board today!

Cybercriminals are targeting remote workers. Businesses must protect remote employees against cyberattacks. Otherwise, companies risk remote work security vulnerabilities. This could compromise business data and systems. If hackers exploit these vulnerabilities, a business, its employees, and its customers could suffer.

A recent study indicated 74% of businesses attributed cyberattacks to remote work technology vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, cybercriminals show no signs of slowing down. They are poised to launch attacks against remote employees. In addition, hackers will continue to explore ways to improve cyberattacks to penetrate business data and systems.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to protect remote workers against cyberattacks. However, there are several things you can do to limit cyber risk across your remote workforce. These include:

1. Establish a Plan

Conduct a cybersecurity audit. This lets you identify cyber risks and their potential impact on your business. From here, you can determine what steps to take to protect your remote workers against these risks.

Once you have a cybersecurity plan in place, keep it up to date. Review the plan regularly and identify any improvement areas. Search for ways to consistently enhance your plan. This enables you to protect your remote workers and helps against current and evolving cyber threats.

2. Provide Equipment to Remote Workers

Give your remote team the equipment it needs to succeed. Supply computers and other company-issued devices to your remote workers. Install security software on these devices. Verify remote workers update their devices frequently.

Teach remote employees how to use their work equipment as well. Confirm that workers know how to use this equipment correctly. Remain accessible to provide guidance or assistance with remote work equipment, too. This can help to protect remote employees against cyberattacks

3. Give Your Remote Workers a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Along with company-issued devices, provide your remote workers with a VPN. This network ensures remote workers can securely access business data and systems.

Also, verify that remote workers update their VPN login credentials often. Remote workers should use VPN passwords that contain a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.

4. Offer Cybersecurity Awareness Training

Provide cybersecurity awareness training to your remote workers. The training can teach these workers about cybersecurity. It offers insights into different types of cyberattacks and their potential impact. Plus, it gives remote workers opportunities to share any cybersecurity concerns and questions.

Review your cybersecurity awareness training and update it as needed. Your training should address all cyber threats your remote workers face. And it should help them guard against myriad security dangers.

The Bottom Line on Protecting Your Remote Workers Against Cyberattacks

Cybercriminals will capitalize on any opportunity to attack remote workers. With a proactive approach to cybersecurity, your remote employees can guard against cyberattacks. They can also help you avoid costly and time-intensive data breaches. Finally, if you want to hire remote workers, ABBTECH can help. We can put you in touch with quality job candidates who can help your business in a variety of areas. To learn more, please contact us today.

You work diligently to find your dream job. Yet despite your best efforts, you consistently fall short of finding your ideal role. Below are 10 reasons you’re not getting hired.

Ultimately, there are many reasons why businesses won’t hire you. Here are the most common reasons why businesses move past job candidates, along with tips to help you secure your dream job.

1. You Use the Same Resume and Cover Letter in Every Job Application.

Tailor your resume and cover letter to the job you want to land. Use these materials to show a potential employer why you’re the best candidate for a role. 

2. Your Resume Is Poorly Formatted.

Read through your resume and any other application materials before you submit them to a potential employer. Verify your application materials are easy to read on a computer and mobile device. And correct any formatting and grammatical issues right away.

3. You’re Applying for Jobs That Don’t Align with Your Skills and Experience.

Review a job posting carefully. Apply only if you have the skills and experience outlined in the job posting.

4. You Have Applied for Only a Few Jobs.

Search on LinkedIn and other job websites for career opportunities. In addition, you can partner with a professional staffing agency that can put you in touch with top companies in your industry.

5. You Don’t Have a Professional Network.

Connect with past work colleagues on LinkedIn and other social networks. Continue to expand your professional network over time. To do so, you can engage in industry discussions online. You can also attend virtual and in-person networking events.

6. You’re Not Prepared for Job Interviews.

Take each job interview seriously. Oftentimes, it helps to prepare a list of questions for your interviewer. Consider what your interviewer will ask during the meeting as well. The more you prepare for your interview, the more likely it becomes you can make a positive impression.

7. You Lack Interview Skills.

Approach each interview with poise and composure. Listen to what your interviewer has to say and respond accordingly. Do not interrupt your interviewer when he or she speaks. Instead, think about each interview question and provide a thoughtful response. And at the end of your interview, thank your interviewer for their time. Send a thank-you email to your interviewer within 24 hours of your meeting, too.

8. You Look Like Every Other Job Candidate.

Consider what makes you different from other job candidates. You can highlight your unique attributes on your resume and in an interview. This can help you stand out from the crowd.

9. You Have a Negative Outlook.

Maintain a positive outlook as you search for jobs. It can be tough to find your dream job. But positivity is contagious. If you come across as a positive person to a prospective employer, you may boost your chances of landing a job with their company.

10. Your Professional References Were Not Prepared.

Confirm your professional references are comfortable with speaking out on your behalf. Notify your references if a potential employer will contact them. This ensures your references can plan ahead and are not caught by surprise.

Get Help During Your Job Search

ABBTECH can take the guesswork out of your job search. We can help you find a great job that meets your expectations. Explore our job board today!

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is ongoing and you need to navigate hiring with vaccine mandates in place. Regardless, your business remains persistent. You are doing everything in your power to keep your company running with speed and precision. At the same time, you are navigating hiring talent and complying with COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

When it comes to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. That way, your business can maintain a safe and productive work environment.

Meanwhile, as you seek out talent, you must consider vaccine mandates as well. Here are tips to help you navigate hiring with vaccine mandates.

1. Be Upfront and Honest

Tell job candidates about your company’s vaccine mandates. Candidates will then know what to expect if they pursue a job at your business.

Remember, not all candidates will agree with your business’ vaccine mandates. However, if you are upfront and honest with candidates from the get-go, you can ensure they can make an informed decision about whether to pursue a job at your company.

2. Do Not Ask a Job Candidate About Their Vaccination Status

Explain your company’s vaccine mandates to a job candidate. Conversely, do not ask a candidate to share their vaccination status.

Businesses are subject to federal and state penalties if they discriminate against job candidates based on medical conditions. Thus, if you request a candidate’s vaccination status and ultimately do not hire him or her, you may face a discrimination lawsuit and other legal ramifications.

3. Update Your Vaccine Mandates As Needed 

Monitor the pandemic closely. To date, Omicron and other coronavirus variants have developed during the pandemic. And these variants have forced many businesses to reconsider their vaccine mandates. 

If you need to revise your vaccine mandates, do so immediately. Ensure your workers are updated on new vaccine mandates you implement. Moreover, provide job candidates with the most up-to-date mandates.

4. Make Vaccination a Condition of Employment

When in doubt, make vaccination a requirement for all workers. This eliminates potential “gray area” that can crop up due to inconsistent vaccine requirements across your business.

Comparatively, if you forgo making vaccination a condition of employment, be ready to explain your rationale to employees and job seekers. People may have questions and concerns about your company’s decision to not require its workers to be vaccinated. As such, you should plan ahead on how to respond to these concerns and questions.

Keep Your Hiring Process Simple

Businesses appear likely to continue to use vaccine mandates in the foreseeable future. With a proactive approach to vaccine mandates, your business can minimize their impact on your hiring process.

Of course, if you need help with hiring, ABBTECH can assist. We are a professional staffing agency that takes the guesswork out of the hiring process.

Our team can put you in touch with top IT talent. In addition, we make it simple to attract and recruit quality IT job candidates any time you choose. To learn more about our IT recruitment services, please contact us today.

Your business considers every opportunity to maximize its growth. Now may be a good time to upskill your workforce. That way, you can teach your workers how to optimize their productivity and efficiency. Plus, you can foster a culture of education and engagement.

What Is Upskilling, and Why Is It Important?

Upskilling involves helping workers take their current skills to new heights. It emphasizes training that employees can use to become better than ever before at their current jobs. 

Ultimately, upskilling represents the future of work. It helps businesses avoid the costs of searching for and onboarding new employees. Instead, companies can provide training to help their current personnel advance their skill sets. This ensures workers are consistently well-equipped to perform at peak levels.    

Furthermore, upskilling can help a business bolster its employee engagement, retention, and satisfaction levels. Workers can complete upskilling programs to learn how to perform their best. From here, they can become masters of their craft. This can lead to a positive work environment in which every employee can contribute to a business’ success. At the same time, it can help a company distinguish itself from the competition. A company can even use upskilling to attract and recruit top talent moving forward.

How to Upskill Your Workforce

1. Prioritize Continuous Learning and Development

Offer online courses, workshops, and other training materials to your employees. Provide educational programs to workers throughout the year. In doing so, your workers will have no trouble keeping their skill sets up to date.

2. Promote Peer-to-Peer Coaching

Let your employees learn from one another. With peer-to-peer coaching, employees can work with each other on team projects. Meanwhile, workers can help their peers enhance their skill sets and develop new skills. Moreover, workers can foster relationships that can help them become key contributors across your business.

3. Expand Workers’ Job Responsibilities

Increase a worker’s job responsibilities as he or she bolsters their skill set. As an employee’s skill set grows, this worker can move closer to achieving their career goals.

4. Rotate Work Responsibilities

Give workers opportunities to rotate positions. For instance, an employee can perform one role during a certain work shift and another during a different shift. This enables the employee to become well-versed in different business areas. And it allows this worker to develop a diverse skill set.

5. Track Your Upskilling Results

Get employee feedback regarding your upskilling initiatives. You can conduct employee questionnaires and surveys to find out if these initiatives hit the mark with your workforce. Next, you can revamp your upskilling initiatives as needed.

The Bottom Line on Upskilling Your Workforce

Upskilling can benefit your company and its workforce. Get started with upskilling initiatives today. If you want to add top IT talent, ABBTECH can assist. We know the ins and outs of IT talent recruitment and can connect your business with quality job candidates at any time. For more information, contact us today.