WORK FROM HOME

While some are eager to resume in-person work as things return to normal, many people have found that they prefer working remotely and want to keep it that way.

Many people have been working from home for over a year but as COVID restrictions are lifted, many Michigan residents are returning to work.

The job market and the opportunities available have changed dramatically during the COVID pandemic.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a news briefing Monday morning to provide an update on Michigan’s return-to-work guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic, as in-person work is now allowed to resume in the state.

Working from home has been a challenge for many parents over the past year amid the pandemic, dealing with constant interruptions from children who are also spending most of their time at home.

University of Michigan employees will start to make a gradual return to on-site work in the coming months.

The St. Clair County Health Department is recommending businesses to allow remote working, if at all possible, in response to the rising number of COVID-19 positive cases in the community. According to a press release, there have been 1,080 new cases since March 20, representing a 20.2% positivity rate. Social Distancing: Employees should maintain 6 feet physical distancing as work duties permit. Cohort Employees: Staff should work with a single cohort (group) if possible to limit potentialexposures. Send Sick Employees Home Immediately: Sick employees Sick employees should be tested for COVID-19 before returning and follow appropriate isolation or quarantine guidelines“Given the significant increase in cases, we must double down on our mitigation efforts”, said Dr. Annette Mercatante, medical health officer of the St. Clair County Health Department.

This image provided by General Motors shows the GM Logo. (General Motors via AP)DETROIT – General Motors plans to move around groups of salaried workers in Michigan to “increase collaboration” among its teams, the automaker announced Thursday. GM stressed its global headquarters will remain at the RenCen and it’s an “important element” of the automaker’s future. We are seeking to maintain the benefits of remote work, while also ensuring our teams get the benefit of in-person collaboration,” reads a statement from GM on Thursday. It has been more than a year now since GM asked thousands of employees to work from home, if possible, when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic swept the globe.

The share of Indeed's job postings that mention “remote work” or “work from home" reached 7% last month, up from just below 3% a year ago. But in some industries, the gains were far more dramatic, including those that haven't traditionally welcomed remote work. “Remote work has become much more accepted.”Ford is just the latest company to allow more work from home after the pandemic. Company executives overwhelmingly report that remote work has succeeded during the pandemic, according to research by consulting firm PwC. About 55% said they envision allowing continued remote work, according to the survey of 133 executives of mostly large companies.

But for others -- namely parents who have had to juggle their remote work and their children’s remote schooling and general care -- the circumstances are less than ideal. In some states, parents were willing to pay upward of $2,000 for time alone. AdWe want to hear from you: If you were able to secure a weeklong vacation for yourself, away from your family, where would you go? Whether you’re new to parenting or a seasoned vet, we recently launched our Kidding Around Newsletter to share with you parenting topics that you care most about. Check out, and maybe sign up for, our newest Newsletters right here.

So when realty service website ISoldMyHouse.com asked American parents what they would hypothetically pay for one week of rest and relaxation away from their family, Michigan’s average response was in the hundreds: $592, to be exact. On average, parents across the U.S. said they would be willing to pay $873 for a week away from their children and significant other. AdIn states like New Hampshire, Nevada and North Dakota, surveyed parents were willing to pay more than $1,000 to get away. Parents in West Virginia were willing to pay the most for a week of alone time, with the state’s responses averaging $2,448. We won’t be emailing you every week; you’ll only hear from us when there’s something to say.

David Arend, a physical therapist at Orthopaedic Rehab Specialists in Ann Arbor, said that even before the pandemic, people were becoming increasingly sedentary as our lives became more convenient. Physical therapist David Arend works with a patient at Orthopaedic Rehab Specialists Ann Arbor. (Orthopaedic Rehab Specialists)Make Moving a HabitFor many of us, working from home brought out our worst habits, like hunching over a laptop for hours without moving. Moving around and changing things up can also prevent the fatigue of everyday WFH activities, added Orthopaedic Rehab Specialists Outreach Coordinator Melissa Pohorence. For those with specific concerns about their aches and pains or WFH habits, Orthopaedic Rehab Specialists offers in-person and telehealth appointments.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – It’s a new year and Ann Arbor has received a new accolade as the fourth-best city for working from home. Money, a personal finance publication, looked at data from 1,720 cities and towns to find the top places for its Best Places to Work From Home list. Landing at fourth place, Ann Arbor was one of two Midwestern cities to make the cut. While only 44% of residents own their own homes, Tree Town had the second-lowest median home prices at $293,000. Money noted that prior to the pandemic, only 7% of the population worked from home.

When the pandemic hit many of us had to pivot immediately and create offices in whatever corner of our house we could find. Now, many months in, you may be like me, looking around and realizing... this place is a mess. For help, we turn to Lauren Combs, a professional organizer and the owner of Neat Method Detroit to get her advice on how to make our at-home offices and classrooms work for us.

ANN ARBOR – Is a curious toddler taking over a Twitter handle the epitome of parents working from home during a pandemic? The incident happened Dec. 19 when said toddler apparently got ahold of their parent’s iPad and sent out a tweet of absolute gibberish. (University of Michigan)Followers seemed to flow with it, coming up with clever responses until U-M provided one of their own. - UMSocial — University of Michigan (@UMich) December 19, 2020The replies were just as good as U-M’s response. We’re guessing this parent now has their iPad far out of view of their toddler at this point.

DETROIT – With so many people looking for work, scam artists are turning to posting fake job opportunities in hopes of taking advantage of people desperate for a job and money. The Better Business Bureau is urging residents to pay attention to job postings online. You can report a complaint to the Better Business Bureau here. Michigan’s attorney general outlined four specific types of COVID-19 vaccine scams circulating in the state and explained how they’re targeting residents. Gretchen Whitmer to warn Michiganders about scammers looking to capitalize on the COVID-19 vaccine excitement.

ANN ARBOR – Starting Wednesday, the Washtenaw County government will be closing its non-essential services in compliance with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' order that all offices that have the ability to work remotely should do so for a period of three weeks in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. “We are still in the midst of a global pandemic," Washtenaw County Administrator Gregory Dill said in a message to county staff on Monday. “Washtenaw County is following the lead of our governor and of our state and local health departments," Jason Morgan, Chair of the Board of Commissioners said in a statement. When we all work together, Washtenaw County wins. Not forever, but for now, so that we can help reduce the upward trend of positive Covid-19 cases in our county, in Michigan and all over the country.”Related reading:

Going to school is an exercise in accountability, not only for the school, but for the parent and the student. READ: Digital divide: How some Michigan students are being left behindThere are thousands of students struggling to stay connected in Wayne County. A teacher in the Wayne-Westland district is going above and beyond to make sure her students stay connected in any way she can. Sandy Wade has been working with her tech staff to make sure more students can stay connected and is trouble-shooting students who have tech issues. Like so many other teachers, Wade is determined to not lose a single student.

That’s why the Wayne-Westland Community Schools District has found a unique way to get its children to school while staying at home. On another day, at another time in history, school buses would be bringing children to school, but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the school buses in Westland are delivering school to the children. The Wayne-Westland district has about 10,000 students learning remotely. In the mornings, 21 buses are deployed to various communities in the Wayne-Westland Community Schools district and, during school hours, the buses beome beacons for technology. The Wayne-Westland Community School District has the big yellow bus hotspot program funded through the rest of the year and, if needed, will find additional funding next year.

WESTLAND, Mich. – It’s a challenge that has been playing out in several school districts with so many students needing devices for remote learning. The supply chain hasn’t been able to keep up, so one school district is pulling together to answer the call for help. For the Arnold family, the first days of virtual learning have been tough as they’ve been sharing one computer between the three of them. There are a variety of reasons households do not have the devices they need in order for children to learn at home. The District isn’t done as it still has grade levels with children who don’t have devices to call their own, but this is an example of the hard work school districts are putting in to to get children educated amid the pandemic.

Working home from home has its unique challenges and that is something Blaine Fowler, host of The Blaine Fowler Morning Show" on 96.3 WDVD, can personally attest to. He and his co-host Lauren Crocker have been putting out a live show every morning from their respective homes. Blaine told Tati Amare and Jason Carr all about the challenges he has been facing while giving a glimpse of his at-home studio. He also shared what it is like having his family members become his new co-workers and gave us look at the family thats moved into his backyard. To see Blaines new furry neighbors, watch the video above.