A house plant fanatic earned Husker Home Office of the Week honors for Joy Eakin.
An operations manager in NUtech Ventures, Eakin has gathered more house plants into her office than ever before so she is surrounded by nature.
“What could be more peaceful and productive,” Eakin said.
The Husker Home Office of the Week award was launched April 10 to showcase how faculty and staff have adjusted to working from home as part of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s response to COVID-19.
The award repeats weekly until employees return to campus. Details on how to enter are below.
Read on for Eakin’s takes on how working from home is progressing and a few tips for other faculty and staff to consider.
Why does this space work for you?
My living room works great as a home office because I feel comfortable and calm here, and I have plenty of space to spread out my things when needed, even though I tidied up hugely for this picture. I have tons of natural light coming in on three sides and a great view out my front window, looking at the tulips and the trees.
What tips for a successful work-from-home day do you have for fellow employees?
I’m a big routine person, and this has become even more important for me since working from home full-time. I encourage everyone to find a couple of times in their day to regularly pause for some kind of self-care, such as a 10-minute meditation first thing in the morning, a brief, brisk walk at lunchtime, or a two-minute dance party any time!
What is your favorite item in your home office?
Hands down, my cats, sadly not pictured, but they’ve made their fair share of appearances on Zoom calls.
What do you miss most about your campus space?
To be honest, my personal campus office ain’t got nothin’ on my home office space (i.e. no cats) However, since I’m lucky enough to work at the Nebraska Innovation Campus, I do have the luxury of being located just above the Mill Coffee and Bistro. While my monthly budget has appreciated the break from this all-too-tempting den of caffeine, I really do miss access to their great coffee and snacks, as well as holding an occasional meeting in their lovely surroundings. Whenever we return to work at the Innovation Campus, I look forward to getting to see what progress has been made on the new building going up there, as well as catching up with the friendly baristas, custodians, and other folks I get to bump into in the hallways.
What is something you’ve learned working from home that you hope to integrate when you return to campus?
Our team has a standing virtual happy hour together every week. While not everyone can be there every time, it’s great to know there’s a consistent chance to catch up with colleagues and friends if we want. Our team has always been pretty social like this, and we especially love to share food and drinks together. So really this is a good habit that we incorporated from “normal” life into our remote-work lives, though now it’s even more regular than ever.
To be considered for the honor, submit photos of your custom space via email to tfedderson@unl.edu along with answers to the the questions below. The award winner will be notified on each Thursday, with their space appearing in the Friday edition of Nebraska Today. For more information, send email to tfedderson@unl.edu.
Entries for the “Husker Home Office of the Week” must include your name, university position, home department, phone number (for contact, if necessary), years employed on campus, home address (to mail the award), and answers to at least three of these five questions:
- Why does this space work for you?
- What tips for a successful work-from-home day do you have for fellow employees?
- What is your favorite item in the home office space?
- What do you miss most about your campus space?
- Is there any process/concept/idea that you’ve experienced working from home that you hope to integrate when we return to campus?
