• Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is a cognitive neuroscientist, expert on behavioral economics and decision making, and the CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts.
• He says there is a dual problem in the way we're dealing with the coronavirus — we are drastically underestimating the potential of the disease, while simultaneously allowing our actions to be driven by panic from our cognitive biases.
• Instead, Dr. Tsipursky urges companies to understand the true, real risks of COVID-19, and make decisions based on 'pessimistic realism.'
• He adds that this is an opportunity for companies to take advantage of being better informed and prepared than their competitors, and enact major changes to the way they do business.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicts the COVID-19 coronavirus will definitely develop into a widespread pandemic; it's a question of when, not if. With growing outbreaks of diagnosed cases in 34 states as of this writing and vastly larger numbers of undiagnosed cases, there's serious cause for concern. And we're working against ourselves in some essential ways: We are hard-wired with mental blindspots — cognitive biases — that make it more difficult for us to evaluate risk and make effective plans. 

For companies and businesses, that poses a challenge. The mainstream media and official health organizations have published tons of articles on how to prepare for the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. There's plenty of advice for companies as well, such as:

• Cross-train employees in case some get sick
• Prepare for event cancellations
• Encourage sick employees to stay home
• Perform additional cleaning
• Make a disease outbreak response plan in case there's an outbreak in your area

But these preparations are for disruptions due to a local outbreak, and they last for a couple of weeks at most. Is that enough?

Considering the facts and possibilities

Let's consider what we know about COVID-19:

• It's highly contagious. Each infected person on average infects 3-5 others, and the infection is doubling every 4-6 days.
• It's far more deadly than the flu, especially for older people. Those older over the age of 70 have a fatality rate of 8%.
• We won't have a vaccine until late 2021 — and that's if things go perfectly. More realistically, we may not have a vaccine until 2023-24.
• If we're moderately unlucky, the COVID-19 vaccine will be only as effective as the flu vaccine, reducing the chance of illness by 50%.
• If we're very lucky, the virus will burn out by the end of the year. With moderate luck, it will be a seasonal affliction and come back like the flu every year. With somewhat worse luck, it will just keep going, unaffected by seasons.

With that in mind, let's reassess the COVID-19 preparation guidance. The current guidance for both assumes a highly optimistic scenario, where we get very lucky. But that's not good advice: You can't predict luck, and you certainly can't predict good luck. It would be far more prudent to prepare for a scenario based not on optimism, but on realistic pessimism.

Blame our brains

We tend towards optimism because our brains themselves are wired this way. We suffer from many dangerous and deepseated judgment errors. Researchers in cognitive neuroscience and behavioral economics, like myself, call these cognitive biases. These mental blindspots result from a combination of our evolutionary background, and specific structural features in how our brains are wired. In the case of coronavirus, three cognitive biases are especially pernicious:

• Normalcy bias: Our brains assume things will keep going as they have been — normally. We evaluate the near-term future based on our short-term past experience. As a result, we drastically underestimate both the likelihood of a serious disruption occurring and the impact of one if it does occur.
• Planning fallacy: When we make plans, we naturally believe that the future will go according to plan. But that's a wrong-headed mental blindspot that results in us not preparing for contingencies and problems. We're not ready for both predictable challenges and unknown ones.
• Hyperbolic discounting: Last but not least, we suffer from the tendency to prioritize the short term, and undercount the importance of medium and long-term outcomes. This blind spot is especially bad for evaluating the potential long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Preparing for the realistic pessimistic scenario

It's not unrealistic to envision a more pessimistic future — where we aren't lucky, we're moderately unlucky. In this scenario, COVID-19 is not eradicated, but keeps on going. Perhaps it becomes like the flu, a seasonal affliction that lasts from September through March, which is somewhat tackled by a weakly effective vaccine that cuts the likelihood of infection in half.

To prepare, you need to make major changes to the way you do business — not emergency plans, but fundamental underlying transformations:

• Human-to-human contact: The most important changes address this factor. It's time to explore creative ways of changing your business model so you don't need to rely on human-to-human contact and you can be more virtual in serving your customers.
• Working from home: Forward-looking companies are already encouraging their workers to work remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Follow their lead.
• Networking: Business relies heavily on relationships and networking. Consider how to switch your relationship cultivation and management to virtual venues.
• Events: Shift your team meetings and even bigger corporate events to virtual forums. Instead of in-person conferences, conduct virtual ones.
• Supply chains: Prepare for major disruptions to your supply chains, and especially to your service providers.
• Travel: Anticipate a variety of travel disruptions and event cancellations.
• Social changes: Society will undergo a wide variety of social norm changes. Evaluate the extent to which your business model and staff will be impacted by such changes.
• Employees: Help your employees prepare much better at home than the current guidelines from the CDC and other health organizations suggest.
• Unknowns: Prepare for the unknown unknowns — or black swans— by reserving extra capital and other resources for unanticipated threats and other disruptions associated with COVID-19.

Taking all of these steps early will gain you a major competitive advantage. Be ready to use the consequences of this competitive advantage to seize market share from your competitors who are inadequately prepared for these transitions. Be ready to hire those highly-qualified employees who are let go in this environment by companies that put too much faith in official guidelines on how to prepare.

Of course, you'll want to adapt these broad guidelines to your own needs. Right now, you need to sit down and revise your strategic plans in a way that accounts for the cognitive biases associated with COVID-19. Do the same revision with major project plans. By taking these steps, you'll protect your business from the over-optimistic preparation guidelines of official health organizations, and from our deeply inadequate gut reactions in the face of slow-moving train wrecks.

Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is a cognitive neuroscientist and expert on behavioral economics and decision making. As CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts, he has consulted and coached hundreds of clients worldwide, including Aflac, IBM, Honda, and Wells Fargo. His academic career includes seven years as a professor at Ohio State University and dozens of peer-reviewed pieces published in leading academic journals. He's appeared in Fast Company, CBS News, CNBC, Inc., and elsewhere. He authored the bestselling The Truth-Seeker's Handbook, and his new book is "Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters." Learn more at disasteravoidanceexperts.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Gleb_Tsipursky. 

SEE ALSO: Fear of the coronavirus is driving more people to work from home. Here are the best US cities for remote workers.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Julia Wuench is the founder of The Authenticity Guide, a positive-psychology-based career and executive coaching firm that empowers individuals to harness their authenticity to improve life and work. 
• As companies prepare for the coronavirus outbreak, many are moving to work-from-home options.
• Wuench advised upping virtual communication tools and skills, including separating the internal and external tools you use for employees versus clients.
• Keep on-camera meetings short, but make sure your coworkers know what environment you're working in.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

With the growing threat from COVID-19 coronavirus, we're seeing more and more teams move to remote operations. This will inevitably cause disruptions in workflow, and may make people feel isolated from team members.

But, it doesn't have to be unmanageable. I've got six tips and tricks for you that you can immediately apply as you shift to a dispersed team dynamic. When you implement these strategies, you'll collaborate more effectively, feel more connected to your colleagues, and, most critically, keep the momentum going in your business when working remotely.

SEE ALSO: Apple, Google, and Amazon are among the largest global companies who have restricted travel or asked their employees to work remotely as a precaution against the novel coronavirus. Here's the full list.

NOW READ: Coronavirus will likely cause a massive hiring slowdown before the end of the first fiscal quarter, recruiting experts predict

1. Separate office communication from email with tools like Slack

When we're in an office, organic interactions between colleagues happen constantly. If you have a question, you'll walk into your boss' office or approach your colleague's cubicle. When you need a five-minute break, you might hang out in the breakroom over a snack.

While there's no true replacement for these in-person interactions in a virtual environment, you can create a digital office space. This should be a platform reserved only for internal team communication, not external or client-facing communication. I highly recommend Slack and project-management platforms like Monday.com or Trello.

The goal here is to divert internal communication away from that pesky email inbox. That way, colleagues don't have to wait 24 to 48 hours to get an email response from you for a quick question. You can prioritize team communication and feel more connected.

2. Use video collaboration tools

When you're working in a team environment that's remote, video communication is a perfect way to maintain connections with colleagues.

Karin Reed, founder of Speaker Dynamics, is an expert in on-camera communication. According to Reed, "Text and teleconference simply cannot compete with video when it comes to creating team cohesion."

"There might be some initial reluctance among team members," Reed added. "Know that the vast majority of people do not like how they look or sound on video. But the only way to get past that hump is to rip off the bandaid (or the duct tape you may have over your webcam) and start getting comfortable with seeing yourself in this environment."

Whenever you have video enabled, you'll find that your meetings are more productive and also feel more personal — and who doesn't want that?

3. Be inclusive of all team members, especially new ones

All too often, more junior or newer members of a team can feel left out in virtual settings. These individuals are less likely to have access to key resources and information, and run the risk of trailing behind when they're not thought of as the go-to person to call with a problem or question.

To combat this tendency, make a master list of all of your team members (and put their photos next to their names) and keep it in front of you while you're working each day. This will help you make more conscious decisions about allocating information and tasks. You can ask yourself, "Did I reach out to Susan today?" Make sure to have touch points with everyone on your team regularly.

4. Take a virtual tour of your home office

Helping people to visualize where you are working will help your remote colleagues to better understand the potential challenges or distractions that might exist.

If you've been forced to work remotely, you may not have the ideal environment for it. (Dogs that bark, roommates that also work from home, construction close by, etc.) But sharing those challenges with your teammates can help create empathy and build a deeper connection between colleagues. So don't be shy: Give your team a tour of your workspace! The next time your dog barks incessantly when the school bus drives by, you're sure to get laughs and understanding from your colleagues, rather than annoyance. 

5. Create a personal 'how to work from home' manual

Everyone has vastly different preferences when working remotely, and it's important to take these preferences into account when migrating to remote work.

In order to do this effectively, encourage each person to create a manual (not unlike a dishwasher instructional manual) for remote working preferences. This includes preferred communication styles, ideal working hours, boundaries, and personal time to be respected.

Luckily for you, The Authenticity Guide has put together an absolutely free manual for just this purpose. Sign up to receive our newsletter here and you'll get a free copy right then and there!

6. Keep on-camera meetings short

Video-enabled meetings are typically very focused: It's impossible to multitask when everyone can see what you're doing. While this is great for productivity, it can also be exhausting.

Video meetings should be kept to a maximum of one hour. Make sure you're giving everyone time to take breaks, turn off their video and audio, stretch their legs, or grab something to eat and drink.

And Reed has one last tip on that note: "Never eat on camera. No one can pull that off professionally!"

• As coronavirus spreads, more companies are asking employees to work from home.
• But working remotely requires certain skills like discipline and strong communication skills.
• Business Insider spoke with experts and career specialists to uncover the traits that make someone a successful remote worker.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Although working remotely can sound like a dream come true, the truth is that not everyone is cut out for it.

In an office setting, you likely have your manager or boss sitting nearby and regular in-person meetings and check-ins with them. But when you're several or even thousands of miles away, you need self-discipline to stay on track and meet your deadlines.

As more and more companies are allowing their employees to work remotely — there was a 159% increase in remote work between 2005 and 2017, according to a recent report— it's important for workers to consider the type of work environment that's best for them.

"Remote work is increasingly popular and it's natural for commute-stressed professionals to think working from home is the end of all their troubles," Brie Reynolds, senior career specialist at Remote.co, told Business Insider. "But to be successful working remotely, you have to be well suited to this way of working."

There are certain traits and skills that are essential to remote work, she said, from being openly communicative to being process-improvement oriented.

"The good news is that they're also traits you can build and strengthen, and they'll help you be a better professional regardless of where you work," she said.

Here, Reynolds and two other experts reveal traits you need to be an effective remote worker.

SEE ALSO: 9 remote jobs that let you travel around the world

DON'T MISS: My husband and I left our full-time jobs to travel the world for 6 months — and only spent $288 from our savings. Here's how we found remote work.

1. Remote workers should prioritize clear communication when emailing and messaging coworkers

"Good remote workers understand the importance of communicating clearly with their team in any medium they're using," Greg Caplan, CEO and cofounder of Remote Year, told Business Insider in an email. "It's much harder to swing by a coworker's desk to ask any questions they have about a request, so they make sure to include any relevant details and context along with any communications they send."

He said that at Remote Year, their top performers all share the same trait of being intentional and specific with all of their communications.

2. When working remotely, it's still important to have a morning routine

If you're struggling to get going in the mornings, it might help to create a routine, Tamika Pumphrey, career and leadership coach with Ama La Vida, told Business Insider in an email. 

"A major benefit of working from home is that you don't need to take time to do your full morning routine, including hair, makeup, and business casual attire," she said. "However, how we look can directly impact how we feel, and so without a routine of some sort, your mind can struggle to wake up and engage. Have some kind of morning routine, like changing clothes, taking a shower, or going for a walk around the block."

She said doing so can be incredibly effective in helping you get into work mode quickly and increase your productivity throughout the day.

3. Remote workers should make the most of organizational and productivity tools

"One of the most important qualities of a successful remote worker is organization," Pumphrey said. "With the increased flexibility and decreased structure, it is incredibly important to stay organized."

She said the best tool for success as a remote employee is the use of your calendar.

"Set small breaks throughout the day — five to 15 minutes — and a block of time at lunch — 30 minutes," Pumphrey said. "While these breaks are specifically to move away from your screen, carve out one or more larger blocks of time — 30 to 60 minutes — to ensure you can get work done versus getting sucked into back-to-back conference calls."

By blocking out breaks on your calendar, it arms you for a productive workday, as well as equips your team to connect with you when you can be most present, she said.

4. It's crucial to find or create a space where you can focus on your work

"Whether it's a whole room, or just a nook, have a designated home office area," Pumphrey said. "This way, you're not clearing away daily household clutter — TV remotes, toys, and laundry — to create a place to focus on work when the time comes."

She said working in this set space sends a physical cue to your body to focus, and it's also a visual cue to everyone else in your household that work is your primary focus in that moment. 

Pumphrey also said to make sure you have the tools and technology you need to perform your job just as well as you would in the office, from high-speed internet to video conferencing capabilities.

5. Being able to develop a sense of structure outside of a traditional office environment is a key part of being a remote worker

Caplan said that remote work brings additional freedom, but also way more distractions. 

"To remain productive, effective remote workers need to be able to give themselves structure without the crutch of a standard office environment," he said.

6. Remote workers should avoid overanalyzing social cues while communicating with their team

Reynolds said that when working in a remote environment, there's little body language to read, and there are very few happenstance meetings where casual discussions can reinforce working relationships. 

"Have a positive mindset and assume the best of people," she said. "We've used the phrase 'assume mistake over malice' to guide our reaction to less-than-ideal happenings on the team," Reynolds said. "We assume we're all doing our best and that mistakes happen."

This way, instead of jumping to conclusions, she said, this helps to focus on fixing the mistake and learning from the experience as a team, rather than developing distrust or suspicion.

7. Separating yourself from distractions or other people around you while you're working is an important boundary to set

"Distractions are a major pitfall for productive remote work," Pumphrey said. "You will excel in this environment if you are able to manage distractions and remain focused on your work."

To this point, she said you can put your phone on silent and ask yourself: Do you really need all those alerts? And how many text messages truly require a response within 30 minutes?

"If fear of missing out keeps you tethered to your phone, try weaning yourself off slowly by putting your phone on airplane mode for just three hours," she said.

Pumphrey said other common distraction points may include kids, spouses, social media, and TV. She said it's important to remind family that just because you're at home doesn't mean you're available to talk and socialize.

"If the budget permits, get in-home care for young children so you are not wrestling with being a provider and being a parent every five minutes," she said. "If you are prone to social media or online shopping distractions, try giving yourself a time limit — 15 minutes once a workday — versus quitting cold turkey."

And when you notice yourself losing focus, Pumphrey said, take stock of what is distracting you and brainstorm solutions to get back on track.

"This will help you to maximize your 'on' hours and actually shut off when the workday is over," she said.

8. Welcome new methods of working and communicating, and offer your own suggestions to improve team productivity

"Good remote teams are always evolving and strengthening how they do their work," Reynolds said. "Whether it's changing which platform we use to communicate, or developing a new way of tracking progress on a given project, a remote team relies on each member to spot weaknesses in a process and offer suggestions to strengthen it." 

She said everyone has a unique vantage point, and it's crucial for people to share when they see something that needs improving.

9. Stay focused on completing tasks and projects despite differences like time zones or schedules

"In a remote environment, it's even more important to be proactive when working with your team to make sure things get done," Caplan said.

With time zone differences and the potential for miscommunication, things can fall between the cracks, he said, so a good remote worker gets out in front of things to make sure that no balls get dropped.

10. Cherish opportunities to connect with colleagues on a personal level

Pumphrey said that when you are physically together with work colleagues, it is a lot more natural to find time to connect with them on a personal level — over lunch, at a team outing, or just a quick chat in the elevator.

"These opportunities for connection don't just happen on their own when you are a remote employee, so you have to intentionally create them," she said. "You find time for non-work conversations. This can be as simple as taking the first five minutes of every meeting to check in personally with your colleagues as they're joining the call."

11. Be open to building your network beyond your remote workspace

Just because you are not physically working with people doesn't mean you get a pass on building your network, Pumphrey said.

"Get outside of your home office at least once a week," she said. "Whether it's a client lunch, networking coffee, or industry conference, be intentional about meeting new people. In addition to the benefits of social connection, and opportunities for learning and development, a recent LinkedIn study found that 85% of jobs were filled through networking."

• The country will experience a shortage of 3.4 million technical workers without four-year degrees, according to a new September 2019 report from the National Science Board.
• These jobs include web developers, maintenance workers, civil engineers, and medical information technicians.
• But four-year degree holders still out earn the rest of the workforce.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some of the country's most in-demand jobs don't require a college degree.

The country will experience a shortage of 3.4 million technical workers, or those in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), by 2022. A report from the National Science Board says there will be 1.3% more job openings for technical careers than people qualified to perform them. 

The news comes as CEOs like Tim Cook and Elon Musk question how much four-year colleges really train grads for a job. "I don't consider going to college evidence of exceptional ability," Musk said during a fireside chat on Monday at the Satellite 2020 conference. 

Musk said he never required Tesla job applicants to have college degrees. 

As the cost of college continues to rise and student loan debt tops $1.5 trillion, skipping a four-year degree can save families hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The majority of technical, non-four-year degree workers are in installation and maintenance (27%). Healthcare has 21% of these workers, construction 18%, and production 16%. The rest are in math, architecture, and other fields

But there are caveats to skipping college: while some jobs that only require an associate's degree pay six-figures, four-year degree holders still out earn dropouts on average. 

Here are 9 high-demand technical jobs in STEM you can get without a four-year degree, described by NSB: 

SEE ALSO: Openings for AI jobs have already increased by 44% in 2020. Here are the 6 fastest-growing jobs in the space.

General maintenance and repair workers earn $38,300 per year.

Job description: General maintenance and repair workers fix machines and mechanical equipment. They can also repair flooring, plumbing, and electrics.

Degree requirement: High school

Medical records and health information technicians earn $40,350 per year.

Job description: Health information technicians organize medical data both online and on paper. They must use classification systems to code and categorize patient information onto different databases. 

Degree requirement: Postsecondary nondegree award

Aerospace engineering and operations technicians earn $67,010 per year.

Job description: Aerospace engineering and operations technicians operate aircraft and spacecraft equipment. They run computer simulations, perform quality assurance, and operate advanced technology.

Degree requirement: Associate's degree

Civil engineering technicians make $52,580 per year.

Job description:Civil engineering technicians help civil engineers to plan, design, and build highways, bridges, and other infrastructure projects.

Degree requirement: Associate's degree

Web developers earn $69,430 per year.

Job description: Web developers create and design websites. 

Degree requirement: Associate's degree

Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians earn $36,690 per year.

Job description: Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians make devices such as dentures, eyeglasses, and prosthetics.

Degree requirement: High school

Environmental engineering technicians earn $50,560 per year.

Job description: Environmental engineering technicians carry out the plans that environmental engineers develop.

Degree requirement: Associate's degree

Medical assistants earn $33,610 per year.

Job description: Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. 

Degree requirement: Postsecondary nondegree award

Boilermakers earn $62,150 per year.

Job description: Boilermakers assemble, install, maintain, and repair boilers or other vessels that hold liquids and gases.

Degree requirement: High school

• An aging workforce is experiencing a higher number of fatal workplace injuries in recent years.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics released an article in its Monthly Labor Review that included a closer look at the aging workforce and fatal injuries at work.
• We ranked the occupations that had the largest numbers of fatal injuries among workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017 using data from that article.
• Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers and farmers made the top of the list with over 3,000 fatal workplace injuries for workers 55 and older between 2003 and 2017.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The American workforce is getting older, and a new report suggests that this could lead to more danger on the job for aging workers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics published an in-depth analysis of older workers' fatal injuries on the job over the years in its Monthly Labor Review at the end of January.

The report noted that Americans who are at least 55 years old are making up an increasing share of the labor force in recent years. As the number of American employees who are 55 and older has more than doubled since 1992, the earliest year for which BLS reported data on occupational injuries, the number of workplace fatalities among the cohort of older workers each year has also increased dramatically.

In 2018, the fatal injury rate was higher for employees in the 55-64 age group, at 4.3 fatal injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, and the 65 and older age group, at 9.6 per 100,000 workers, than all other age groups and the national average of 3.5.

Fatal injury rates for older workers have consistently been higher than the national average for years. For instance, in 2010 the fatal injury rate for workers in the 55-64 age group was 4.7 per 100,000 workers, and 11.9 for workers 65 and over, while the national average among all ages was 3.6.

Although fatal injury rates for the older age cohorts have not changed much over time, there has been an increase in the number of fatal injury cases of older workers as older Americans become a larger part of the workforce.

Meanwhile, the number of fatal injuries has been decreasing for younger workers. The authors of the BLS article wrote, "while workers overall saw their fatal occupational injuries decline by 17 percent from 1992 to 2017, older workers incurred 56 percent more fatal work injuries in 2017 than in 1992."

BLS reported that deaths among older workers made up 35% of all workplace fatal injuries in 2018, a 2 percentage point decrease from the record-high share the previous year. Of the 36 million workers age 55 and over employed in 2018, there were 1,863 cases of fatal injuries. This was similar to 2017 when there were 1,930 fatal workplace injuries among the 35 million older workers employed.

Transportation-related fatalities were the most common cause for work-related deaths for workers aged 55 and older; this was also was the main cause for overall workplace fatalities. Transportation incidents include roadway collisions, overturned vehicles, and other vehicle incidents.

Between 2003 and 2017, one in seven workers who were at least 55 years old and died from a workplace injury were farmers, according to the report. 

Among all occupations, the share of fatal injuries of older workers were higher in Midwestern states than in other regions of the country between 1992 and 2017. 

Read on to find the 21 occupations with the highest total estimated number of workplace fatalities for workers age 55 and older between 2003 and 2017 along with each occupation's share of fatal injuries among all such injuries for older workers, and descriptions of what the jobs entail from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). 

We also included a metric calculated by the BLS called "the propensity ratio" for each job. The ratio is the share of fatal injuries in that occupation among all fatal injuries for workers 55 and over, compared to that share for workers 54 and under between 2003 and 2017.

For instance, 16% of all workplace deaths among workers at least age 55 between 2003 and 2017 were among drivers of large trucks, while employees of the same occupation under 55 made up 14% of all work deaths for the younger age cohort during that period. Thus, the propensity ratio for large truck drivers age 55 and over is 16% divided by 14%, or around 1.2. A ratio of 1.0 means the share of workplace fatalities is the same among both age groups.

SEE ALSO: 3 million older Americans can't find high-paying jobs, and it has nothing to do with skills. Here's the one barrier they face that no one's addressing.

20 (tie). Driver/sales workers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 210

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 0.8

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 0.90%

What they do: Drive truck or other vehicle and sell or deliver goods, such as food products, including restaurant take-out items, or pick up or deliver items. 

20 (tie). Farmworkers: Farm, ranch, or aquacultural animals

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 210

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 0.9

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 0.90%

What they do: Attend to live farm, ranch, or aquacultural animals, such as feeding, herding, and grazing the animals.

19. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 226

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.0

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 0.96%

What they do: Operate power construction equipment, such as bulldozers or derricks.

18. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 229

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.2

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 0.98%

What they do: Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition.

17. Construction managers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 232

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.5

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 0.99%

What they do: Plan, direct, or coordinate construction and maintenance of structures, facilities, and systems activities. 

16. Fallers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 262

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.1

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.12%

What they do: Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.

15. Electricians

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 277

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 0.7

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.18%

What they do: Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. 

14. Security guards

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 282

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.0

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.20%

What they do: Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules.

13. Farmworkers and laborers: Crop, nursery, and greenhouse

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 289

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 0.7

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.23%

What they do: Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. 

12. Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 312

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.0

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.33%

What they do: Keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of an establishment in repair. 

10 (tie). Carpenters

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 328

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 0.8

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.40%

What they do: Construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood.

10 (tie). Taxi drivers and chauffeurs

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 328

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.3

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.40%

What they do: Drive automobiles, vans, or limousines to transport passengers.

9. Hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 350

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 0.6

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.49%

What they do: Manually move freight, stock, or other materials or perform other general labor.

8. Light truck or delivery services drivers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 384

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.1

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.63%

What they do: Drive a truck or van primarily to deliver or pick up merchandise or to deliver packages.

7. Commercial pilots

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 424

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.6

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.81%

What they do: Fly and navigate planes and aircrafts that require a Commercial Pilot certificate.

6. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 428

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.0

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 1.82%

What they do: Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. 

5. Construction laborers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 606

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 0.4

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 2.58%

What they do: May operate different tools and prepare construction sites, such as by digging trenches or cleaning up debris.

4. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 616

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.4

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 2.63%

What they do: Directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department. 

3. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 631

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.3

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 2.69%

What they do: Directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction or extraction workers.

2. Agricultural managers (farmers)

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 3,217

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 6.3

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 13.71%

What they do: Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms and other agricultural establishments.

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

Number of fatal injuries for workers age 55 and older from 2003-2017: 3,772

Propensity ratio for workers age 55 and older: 1.2

Share of fatalities of older workers from 2003-2017: 16.08%

What they do: Drive a tractor-trailer combination or a truck and may need to unload the truck.

• Michelle Schoenung is a freelance writer and translator who has been living in Italy for two decades.
• She lives in the heart of Lombardy, the region in Italy that first declared a 'red zone' due to the coronavirus outbreak.
• Her kids haven't been to school since late February— and on March 9, the prime minister of Italy imposed a national quarantine that restricts people to their homes except for necessity, work, and health reasons.
• Schoenung does not expect her kids to go back to school until early to mid-April. Until then, they're working on assignments online and doing projects while she juggles her own work deadlines — and her uncertainty at what's to come.
• She writes that Post-it notes have begun appearing all over Milan with the words "Tutto andrà bene" ("It will all be OK"), which helps give her a sense of hope.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

On February 22, 2020, I sent my two sons, ages 8 and 12, off to school. It was a seemingly mundane Friday that would end up being our last taste of normality for a while. 

I live just north of Milan in a leafy suburb with my family. I came to Italy in 2000 for "an adventure," and I am still here two decades later working as a freelance writer and translator. That Friday, as I washed cereal bowls, I turned on the news to catch the morning's headlines before sitting down to my computer. There were somber reports of a confirmed case of coronavirus in a town about an hour south of me. By mid-morning, the number of cases seemed to be multiplying by the minute. I started to feel uneasy. I'd heard that the coronavirus was "just a flu," but both of my kids have asthma, so anything with a potentially harmful respiratory component is a cause for concern.  

Unlike other European countries, Italy took action quickly, showing uncharacteristic efficiency in testing for the virus around the clock. By Sunday, it was clear that the outbreak was quickly spreading throughout the entire region of Lombardy. The decision was made on Sunday to close the schools throughout the region for one week. 

SEE ALSO: I left my home in Wuhan for a weeklong beach vacation with my son and husband. Now we can't get back in — and we're giving up on trying.

READ MORE: China's unprecedented quarantine of 11 million people in Wuhan is 3 weeks old. Here's what it's like in the isolated city.

The first week at home

We weren't prepared for that first week of the kids being home. I had a very big deadline so I was able to have the kids spend some time during the day at their grandparents' house in a nearby town. By the second week, as the virus plowed through the region undeterred, it was decided to keep schools closed another week. I questioned whether it was wise for the kids (potential asymptomatic carriers) to spend time with their nonni, who are in a more vulnerable demographic, as people over age 65 were being asked to stay home. Schoolwork began trickling in via an online service called Edubox, and the kids' days were filled with homework, watching TV, playing on devices, and bickering. Parents were making jokes like, "If school is out another week, moms will band together to cure the coronavirus." 

Despite these attempts at levity, I was becoming fearful. The government was giving us mixed messages. Though we were told how contagious the virus was and how it could be a death blow to Italy's large elderly population, Milan began promoting its #milanononsiferma (Milan Doesn't Stop) campaign, complete with slick promotional video with drone-friendly shots of the skyline along with montages of laughing hipsters enjoying drinks at the bar and smiling families holding hands in the park. So was this an epidemic, or were we supposed to be going about our normal lives while washing our hands a lot?

Soon it became clear this was serious

By the end of the second week, it was apparent that the situation was growing dire. Amid griping about homework on one of the class chat groups, one mother weighed in with, "Sorry I haven't been on the group chat much. I am a doctor in the hospital. We are running out of beds and respirators in intensive care so could you all wash your hands and stay home? Please don't put me in a position of having to deny the last respirator to one of your loved ones!" 

The first week, I had allowed my older son to see his friends in the piazza for a couple hours one afternoon, but upon realizing how serious the situation was, I limited our outings. However, I noticed that many Italians were not following orders. We took a long walk around the block one day, which was an approved activity. I had my dwindling supply of hand sanitizer at the ready, and I wouldn't even let the kids touch railings or collect rocks. The local playground was teeming with kids, their grandparents (clearly over the age of 65) sitting on benches swapping gossip with neighbors.  Nearby, a mother and father enjoyed spritzes in the sun at the snack bar, their toddler eating potato chips directly off of the picnic table, a newborn parked next to them snoozing sockless in a pram. The basketball courts overflowed with teenaged boys, and a baton-twirling squad was having an informal practice session on an overgrown patch of grass along the bike path leading into Milan. It could have been any given Sunday in the neighborhood, but it was actually a Wednesday and we were supposed to be on lockdown, staying far away from one another. 

In week three, our whole region was declared a "red zone"

Some of the kids' school assignments also left me scratching my head (figuratively speaking, of course). One of my son's teachers assigned a movie to watch, which was hard to find online so it was suggested that one family check it out from the local library and the kids could "pass it around." However, all libraries were closed, and if the point was for us to limit contact, should we really be passing a germ-infested DVD around? My younger son was asked to build a bowling set out of empty toilet paper rolls, which was a less than appealing idea given the circumstances.  

As week three approached, all of Lombardy was declared a "red zone" and we were ordered to stay in our homes and only leave to buy essentials like groceries and medicine. The next day, the restrictions were extended throughout the entire country of Italy. 

I couldn't keep watching the news

I've stopped watching the news because it makes me feel helpless, but I know the current numbers are terrifying, and we are far from "hitting the peak" of all of this. I do not fear getting the virus (though I would not relish having it either) as much as I worry about any of us needing to go to a hospital, be it for a virus, a broken bone, or an asthma attack. 

The kids' schools are finally holding video lessons and their days have a bit more of a routine, which allows me to be slightly more productive. I have moments where I feel I should also be "teaching" them something, so we've done projects like build a planter and trellis for the garden. Spending so much time with me at home has also been a boon for their English, as their schooling and friendships are almost exclusively in Italian. 

What's to come

I can't think about this in big-picture terms yet. This is obviously a huge economic hit for Italy, and it will also affect my family greatly from a financial standpoint, but my focus now is on keeping us healthy and doing our part to not spread this horrible virus. 

Post-it notes have begun appearing all over Milan with the words "Tutto andrà bene" ("It will all be OK"). We are still in the midst of a great deal of uncertainty, but those small colorful notes on park benches and historic palazzi are helping give me a sense of hope that even if Milan has been forced to stop — catchy hashtags and snazzy videos notwithstanding — the city will come back to life once again some day, and we will go on, if a little bruised and worse for the wear.

Michelle Schoenung is an American journalist and translator who has been based in Milan since 2000.

• Microsoft has advised most employees to work from home until March 25, unless their job requires them to be on-site.
• Microsoft declined to say which employees that exception covers, but an email reviewed by Business Insider reveals the employees asked to go to work include field sales people and those who run the Microsoft Industry Experience Center and Executive Business Center.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As the number of coronavirus cases soars in the state of Washington, Microsoft has asked employees to work from home until March 25. But there is an exception: anyone who has a job that requires the person to be physically present.

Microsoft declined to specify who that exception covers, but an email reviewed by Business Insider reveals it includes field sales people, those who man Microsoft's brand new, 20,000-square-foot Industry Experience Center (IEC) opened near the headquarters in October as well as its Executive Business Center (EBC), a conference room and tech demo hall on campus. Those sites are remaining open, according to the email sent to employees late last week from Judson Althoff and Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice presidents in the sales organization.

The email explains that both of these centers are considered a "business-critical function" for the company because this is where sales people host customers. These centers are chock-full of demos of Microsoft technology.

So all IEC employees and EBC employees who are feeling healthy — as well as speakers and Microsoft account sales teams who have scheduled onsite visits with customers — have been told that those meetings are to continue uninterrupted, and employees should report for work as expected.

"While we have followed guidance of health authorities in encouraging people who can work from home to do so, we remain very much open for business," Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw tells Business Insider. "As we've shared with our employees, we will continue business critical operations at our Redmond campus. This includes our EBC, where we showcase Microsoft's latest products and services to existing and potential customers. Of course, we are taking a number of precautionary measures, but as I said, open for business."

These facilities are not open to the public, so only scheduled customer visits will take place. Given how tech conferences have been cancelled in mass these past few months, keeping these private facilities open leaves an option for sales people who want face-to-face time with customers. 

Microsoft has closed its general visitor's center on campus, which also showcases Microsoft technology but is open to the public, the company confirmed.

Microsoft revealed last week that two of its employees contracted COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Another email reviewed by Business Insider, sent Monday by Microsoft Executive Vice President Kurt DelBene, didn't provide any updates about coronavirus cases but said Microsoft's senior leadership team is meeting "at least daily" to discuss how to handle the situation.

Some employees criticized Microsoft's initial response to the outbreak, which simply advised employees to talk to their managers about concerns or working from home. The company soon after advised most employees to work from home a few days, and soon after that extended the guidance to ask employees to work remotely until March 25.

Are you an insider with insight to share? Contact Julie Bort via email at jbort@businessinsider.com or on encrypted chat app Signal at (970) 430-6112 (no PR inquiries, please). Open DMs on Twitter @Julie188. Contact Ashley Stewart via email at astewart@businessinsider.com, message her on Twitter @ashannstew, or send her a secure message through Signal at 425-344-8242.

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Today it was announced that the World Health Organization declares the coronavirus a pandemic.
• COVID-19 is spreading throughout the United States, with over 1,000 cases and 31 deaths.
• In order to contain the disease, China quarantined 50 million people, 30% of companies shut down temporarily, and many people worked remotely.
• Employers in the US must be proactive to help contain the disease by remaining up to date on accurate information, communicating regularly with staff, and maintaining a clean office space.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

The number of people affected by coronavirus, today declared by the World Health Organization a pandemic, in the United States is climbing — over 1,000 individuals have tested positive and 31 people have died. Fear is spreading even faster. Amazon sold out of Purell hand sanitizer, several large-scale conferences and festivals have been called off, and the stock markets have been uncomfortably volatile.

So far, there are over 121,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout the world and 4,373 have died from it. As of now, the large majority of these cases and fatalities are in China, where the outbreak began.

In an effort to contain the outbreak, China quarantined almost 50 million people. And of 1,000 Chinese companies recently surveyed by research firm China Beige Book, around 33% shut down temporarily, and another third required their employees to work remotely.

With each day, there are a few more cases in the US. If you're in a leadership position at your company, it doesn't hurt to be proactive and take every reasonable measure you can now to prevent further spread of the disease.

Here's how to keep your team updated about the outbreak and maintain as clean and healthy a workspace as possible.

Where to get the most accurate information about COVID-19

Quite quickly, "coronavirus" has pervaded vocabularies across the world. But though it may be a new term to many of us, it's been around for decades.

"A coronavirus is a common type of virus that can infect your respiratory tract," explained Dr. Manesh Trivedi, director of infectious disease at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. "Almost everyone gets a coronavirus infection at least once in their life."

Originally detected in humans in the 1960s, there are seven different types, with the one currently making headlines recently being identified as the seventh. It's official name is SARS-CoV-2, and it causes coronavirus disease 2019 (or COVID-19). 

As a leader at your organization, you can help keep hysteria at bay and slow the spread of the disease by communicating only the most accurate updates and minimizing the spread of misinformation among your team. 

It's also critical that you're up to date with affected areas, as your contingency plan will be vastly different if there's an outbreak in your community. Also, pay attention to travel bans so you can make adjustments to work trips and provide guidance on personal travel and self-quarantine.

No matter what you may see in the headlines, always revert back to these two reliable sources: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The World Health Organization (WHO).

While details are still developing about the virus, here's what we know so far.

How to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your office

It's strongly believed that COVID-19 originated with animal-to-person contact (in this case, the animal was likely a bat). But experts now know that it can spread between people, too. 

When someone who's infected with COVID-19 sneezes or coughs, droplets exit their nose and mouth and eventually land on another surface. Should an uninfected individual touch the affected surfaces, then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth, they can catch COVID-19.

There's also the potential that, if you stand close enough to someone with the virus, you could inhale the droplets and become infected.

Knowing this, it's your responsibility to make sure the space your employees work in every day is as sanitary as possible (unless, of course, you're already a fully remote company).

"Conduct regular disinfecting of workspaces, shared spaces such as break rooms and cafeterias, and frequently touched items like doorknobs, countertops, refrigerators, microwaves," said Jennifer Ho, vice president of human resources at Ascentis, an HR software firm. It's also worth giving your phone a regular cleaning as well.

Disinfecting high-touch areas should occur at least daily, though given the severity of the situation, doing it a few more times a day isn't a bad idea. The Center for Biocide Chemistries provides an extensive list of cleaning products that will fight the virus. (Good news: There are a lot more options than Purell.)

Ho also recommended limiting the number of vendor and client visits to the office, rescheduling the meetings you have or conducting them virtually. Inform your contacts that you're operating out of an abundance and caution, so in-person meetings will be limited until the situation improves, then provide them with the option of a virtual chat or rescheduling.

Ultimately, the less people coming in and out of the office, the better. You might also consider refraining from shaking hands with clients (if you still meet with them face-to-face) and instead opting for a kind wave or elbow bump.

In addition, any employee returning from travel to an area in which the virus is spreading (even if they just have a layover in one of those spots) should self-quarantine in their home for 14 days. 

What signs and symptoms of COVID-19 to keep an eye on — and what to do if you think an employee might have the coronavirus

COVID-19 presents similarly to pneumonia. The most common — and often earliest — symptom is a fever. Patients can also develop fatigue, muscle pain, a dry cough, and shortness of breath. 

With that being said, someone could have coronavirus and never show any symptoms at all.

If you suspect you have coronavirus, Dr. Trivedi advised calling your healthcare provider first — same goes for encouraging your employees to take similar steps should they present these symptoms. The first step should not be to go to the emergency room. You risk infecting everyone else there — doctors, nurses, patients, and family members. 

In general, if someone has symptoms similar to the flu or pneumonia, encourage them to stay home for four to five days after the initial onset (this is when you're most contagious), if not the full 14-day quarantine.

How to communicate with your employees about coronavirus to quell fears and concerns

The health and safety of your employees should be a top priority. They are, after all, your most valuable asset. And when there's a new virus rapidly spreading throughout the country, communicating with your employees about it is non-negotiable. 

"In times of crisis," shared Bryan Harris, a director at communications firm Jackson Spalding, "it's more important than ever that leaders display conviction and clarity. Leadership may not know what's around the corner, but employees want to have faith that the person leading them is ready when the time comes." 

Here are some tips for communicating with your staff about COVID-19. 

Source any information you share from the CDC and WHO

The primary mission of these two reputable organizations is to protect the public's health, so you can be sure that anything you read on there is backed by a team of experts who are monitoring the situation very closely.

Identify one person or team to own COVID-19 communications

This will minimize the risk of mixed messages and let employees know exactly who they can go to with questions.

"Someone within the company should be designated as the single source of information to monitor guidance from the CDC and recommend what should be communicated to employees and when," said Dr. David Gregg, chief medical officer for employee wellness company StayWell. Harris suggests putting together a small group of leaders — a task force of sorts — who'll work closely with executive leadership and HR to guide internal communications and decisions. You don't necessarily want to dump the entire onus on, say, your marketing team.

Leverage the company website or intranet to share updates

It's easier to create a page that you can update frequently than it is to continuously send emails. Of course, if you have an urgent announcement, reaching your team via email is fine (just make sure to put that update on the intranet, too).

Don't use permanent methods of communicating unless it's something that's set in stone

For reminders about proper hand-washing methods, a flyer above the bathroom sink is fine. But since this is still a developing situation, most things will be in flux, so it's better to communicate about them on your intranet or via email. 

Continuously promote preventative practices, including proper hand-washing techniques, sneezing into your elbow, working from home, and taking sick time

Your staff likely has heard about general hygiene practices before — to avoid seeming like you're teaching a child how to wash their hands or sneeze politely, consider sending around guidelines from WHO or the CDC, saying something along the lines of:

"Hi team: As you likely already know, washing your hands is incredibly important, especially with the current outbreak of coronavirus. Please take a few moments to review the attached guidelines from the World Health Organization. We'll also be posting a few of these around the office."

You could also opt to hang them up around in obvious spaces without saying anything.

When it comes to encouraging employees to stay home, you may need to revisit your work-from-home and sick-leave policies. Broadcast these changes widely and clearly — what exactly are they, and how long are they in effect?

"Understand that some people, especially hourly or low-wage workers, come to work when they're not feeling well because they depend on the income," explained Harris. "Communicate genuine concern for your people and show them you're willing to work with them in the face of a difficult situation."

This messaging could look something like: 

"All: As per usual, our general guideline is to remain home when you're sick so you can rest up and prevent spreading whatever you have to others. This is even more important with the coronavirus outbreak. If you exhibit symptoms, please reach out to your healthcare provider and do not come to the office. We understand you might have concerns about taking sick time. Please know that we want to work with you to alleviate these concerns. You can reach out to [HR contact person's name] to discuss a possible course of action should you become sick." 

Of course, "there's no one-size-fits-all approach because no two organizations are the same," explained Harris. "Communicate in whatever method best fits yours."

If your employees are used to a certain way of receiving information from you (like on chat or during weekly all-hands meetings), stick with that method. It's okay to add additional modes on top of that, but if you divert completely from what's already working, some people might not get critical messages. 

Decreasing the rate of the coronavirus outbreak requires collective action. If you're leading a team of people, that means there are extra precautions you should be taking — as soon as possible.

SEE ALSO: Singapore's number of coronavirus cases is one of the highest reported outside of China, and its effect has companies, workers, and small business owners on edge

READ MORE: 4 tips to make a team's sudden switch to remote work successful if coronavirus panic is shutting your office and forcing everyone to stay home

Join the conversation about this story »

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• The novel coronavirus outbreak was officially labeled a pandemic by the WHO on Wednesday, after spreading to over 100 countries and infecting over 121,000 people.
• Business Insider used data from the US Labor Department to look at what occupations could be hit the hardest by a broader outbreak.
• In addition to medical professionals and first responders, many service workers like couriers and fast-food workers could be impacted by the new illness.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, was officially labeled a pandemic by the WHO on Wednesday, after spreading to over 100 countries and infecting over 121,000 people around the world.

The virus has reached the United States, with over 1,000 cases confirmed and 31 deaths so far. The ongoing spread of the virus has triggered fears of an economic downturn, with US stocks tumbling more than 15% over the last several weeks. 

We took a look at what occupations in the US could be most affected by a broader coronavirus spread, based on how much risk they have of being exposed to illnesses like the coronavirus.

The Labor Department's O*NET database includes ratings for hundreds of occupations for dozens of work characteristics, activities, and skills. We took a look at various factors that could make a particular occupation more susceptible to a breakout of a highly infectious illness: Risk of exposure to diseases and infections, physical proximity to other people, direct contact with the public, and freedom to make decisions like being able to stay home if they or their family members are ill.

Medical professionals and first responders are likely to be on the front lines in any major disease outbreak. But in addition to those groups, service and transportation workers could also be at risk of contracting or spreading an epidemic virus.

SEE ALSO: I survived swine flu as a teenager and it taught me one crucial lesson about life during an epidemic: Don't panic

Medical professionals

Medical professionals like acute care nurses, family and general practitioners, respiratory therapists, and several other specializations dominate the top of O*NET's list of jobs with frequent exposure to disease and infections. Medical professionals also tend to work in very close proximity to other people, increasing exposure risk.

People who work in hospitals or other medical settings would likely face a lot of exposure to the coronavirus in the event of a wider outbreak. According to The Los Angeles Times, over 3,000 healthcare workers in China have been infected with the novel virus, and it's possible a similar spread could happen in the US.

First responders

Firefighters, emergency medical technicians, ambulance drivers, and police officers are likely to be on the front lines of an outbreak.

Like medical professionals, first responders tend to have a high risk of exposure to disease and infections, according to O*NET. Police officers, firefighters, and EMTs are also high on O*NET's list of jobs that involve working directly with the public, again reinforcing the idea that they interact directly with lots of people every day.

Service workers

The people who make and serve food, deliver goods, and keep retail stores open could face serious impacts from a coronavirus outbreak. 

Couriers and messengers appear relatively high on O*NET's list of occupations that face exposure to disease and infections.

Barbers, fast food workers, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and manicurists all work in close physical proximity to their customers and colleagues.

Retail salespersons, concierges, restaurant servers, and cashiers all work directly with the public, putting them into potential exposure with those infected with the coronavirus.

Service workers and small businesses in Asian countries that have already been hit hard by the new illness have already seen this kind of economic pain. 

Jobs without a lot of flexibility

Several big global companies are taking precautions against the new coronavirus, including encouraging their employees to work from home to mitigate any spread of the illness.

But not all jobs have that degree of flexibility.

Marissa Baker, an assistant professor at the University of Washington Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences department, told Business Insider that workers who may not have options to work from home, or who are paid hourly, will have to face tough decisions. "Do I stay home if I feel ill, or go into work so I can have a paycheck? What do I do if my child's school is closed, and I can't afford to stay off work?" she said.

Baker also noted that many jobs lack extensive paid sick leave, forcing tough decisions for workers deciding whether or not they should go to the hospital if they're feeling ill.  

In a 2018 paper estimating disease and injury risks for the workforce of the Pacific Northwest, Baker and her colleagues included a measure of how much freedom workers have to make decisions as a proxy for the above considerations.

Many of the service sector jobs previously mentioned, like restaurant servers and fast food workers, as well as several other blue-collar occupations like non-airplane transportation attendants and textile workers, show up very low on O*NET's ranking of decision-making.

While it's not a perfect measure of workplace flexibility, workers in these types of occupations may be facing the types of risks that Baker noted, and might not have the resources or support from their employers needed in the face of an epidemic.

Airline personnel

Airplanes are enclosed spaces with tightly packed people, and thus represent a workplace that could contribute to the spread of something like the coronavirus. The airline industry has begun to brace for a slowdown in the event of a more widespread outbreak.

Flight attendants and airline pilots work in very close physical proximity to other people, according to O*NET. Flight attendants also appear pretty high up on the list of jobs with a risk of exposure to diseases and infections.

Actors, dancers, and other performers

According to O*NET, choreographers, dancers, actors, and singers all tend to work in close proximity to their colleagues. That sets up conditions where a highly infectious illness like the coronavirus could quickly spread through a workplace.

Occupations like these also involve lots of contact with the broader public, again increasing the risk of exposure.

• Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, has been married to his wife Priscilla Chan since 2012.
• The couple met in line for the bathroom at a college frat party in 2003, and have since had two kids together and given millions to philanthropy.
• Here's everything you need to know about Zuckerberg and Chan's 17-year-long relationship, and how the couple spends their time when the CEO isn't running Facebook.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg may not have gotten an undergrad degree out of Harvard, but he has his time at the university to thank for his wife, Priscilla Chan.

The couple met in 2003 at a frat party, and tied the knot in 2012, one day after Facebook's IPO.

In the span of their relationship, Zuckerberg has continued to run Facebook as the couple founded the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, pledged millions to philanthropy efforts, started a family, and traveled on vacations abroad all while buying up big properties in California, Lake Tahoe, and Hawaii.

Here's everything you need to know about the Zuckerbergs, who have been together for nearly 17 years and have two children together:

SEE ALSO: The WHO turned to TikTok to spread information about coronavirus, but the platform is already filled with memes and dark humor about the outbreak

Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg met in line for the bathroom at a Harvard University party in 2003. Zuckerberg's fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, was hosting a party and Chan, a sophomore student from the Boston area, was there.

Source: The New Yorker

"He was this nerdy guy who was just a little bit out there," Chan told The New Yorker. "I remember he had these beer glasses that said 'pound include beer dot H.' It’s a tag for C++. It’s like college humor but with a nerdy, computer-science appeal."

Source: The New Yorker

Chan said that when she first met Zuckerberg, she thought he might get kicked out of school for a prank he pulled: the hot-or-not website ranking the attractiveness of students on campus, called "Facemash," that Zuckerberg notoriously created in his sophomore year at Harvard.

Source: Business Insider

Zuckerberg was also expecting to get kicked out of Harvard when he met Chan. In his 2017 commencement address at Harvard, Zuckerberg said his opening line to Chan was: "I'm going to get kicked out in three days, so we need to go on a date quickly."

Source: Vox

"Without Facemash, I wouldn’t have met Priscilla," Zuckerberg said in his Harvard commencement address. “She’s the most important person in my life, so you could say it was the most important thing I built in my time here.”

Source: Vox

When Zuckerberg took Chan out for the first time, he told her he'd "rather go on a date with [her] than finish his take-home midterm," Chan said in an interview with the Today Show in 2014. "The type-A first child in me was appalled."

Source: Today Show

Chan was one of the first people to join Facebook, on February 5, 2004.

Zuckerberg officially dropped out of Harvard in the fall of 2005, after his sophomore year, to focus on building Facebook. He moved out to Palo Alto, California, where Facebook opened its first office.

Source: Harvard Crimson

Perhaps the most telling sign of their long relationship is that Chan knew Zuckerberg before hoodies became his clothing of choice. "There is the black fleece period, the red puma period, the short-lived white coat period and the really soft green thing period," she commented on a photo of Zuckerberg in 2006.

In 2007, Chan graduated from Harvard, and Zuckerberg was there to celebrate. Chan then followed him to California, and entered medical school at the University of California, San Francisco in 2008. She rented an apartment near Golden Gate Park, where Zuckerberg would visit her most weekends.

Early on in their relationship, Chan set some strict ground rules because Zuckerberg was so busy with Facebook. Chan required one date per week, and a minimum of 100 minutes of alone time per week not at Facebook.

Source: Wall Street Journal

"They walk in the park, go rowing (he insists that they go in separate boats and race), play bocce or the board game the Settlers of Catan. Sundays are reserved for Asian cuisine," the New Yorker wrote about the couple in 2010.

Source: The New Yorker

Chan has been there through all the ups and downs. Here, she helped Zuckerberg take photos of himself for a BusinessWeek story in 2005.

Chan was also there when Zuckerberg turned down multiple buyout offers, including a $1 billion offer from Yahoo in 2006. Chan told the New Yorker in 2010 that time period was the most stressed out she'd seen Zuckerberg.

"I remember we had a huge conversation over the Yahoo! deal," Chan told the New Yorker. "We try to stick pretty close to what our goals are and what we believe and what we enjoy doing in life—just simple things."

While still a med student at UCSF, Chan moved in September 2010 into Zuckerberg's rented house in the College Terrace neighborhood of Palo Alto. He announced the news, of course, on Facebook.

"Priscilla Chan is moving in this weekend," Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. "Now we have 2x everything, so if you need any household appliances, dishes, glasses, etc please come by and take them before we give them away."

Source: New York Times

Zuckerberg and Chan then bought a five-bedroom home for $7 million in Palo Alto's Crescent Park neighborhood in May 2011, and tricked out the house with a "custom-made artificially intelligent assistant." Zuckerberg then bought the four homes surrounding the residence the following year for $43 million to allow him to expand his property.

Source: Business Insider

In March 2011, Chan and Zuckerberg adopted an excessively woolly Puli they named Beast.

That same month, the couple finally made their relationship Facebook official.

In May 2012, Zuckerberg and Chan tied the knot in a surprise wedding ceremony just days after Chan graduated from med school and Zuckerberg took his company public.

The couple told the 100 guests they invited that the event was a surprise graduation party for Chan, then treated their guests to a wedding ceremony in the backyard of the couple's Palo Alto house.

Source: CNN Money, Washington Post

The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in Rome, Italy, but had a pretty casual vacation. They were spotted eating McDonald's for a meal while abroad.

Source: Business Insider

Not long after returning from their honeymoon, Zuckerberg purchased a townhouse in San Francisco's Dolores Heights neighborhood for $10 million. He spent an additional $1.6 million to remodel the place.

Source: Business Insider

Zuckerberg and Chan have enjoyed several low-key trips to Hawaii, but they made a name for themselves in October 2014. The couple purchased two properties in Kauai spreading over 750 acres for more than $100 million, in order to "preserv[e] its natural beauty."

Source: Business Insider

Chan finished her medical residency, with a specialty in pediatrics, in June 2015. She then went on to work as a pediatrician at San Francisco General Hospital.

Source: CNN Money

In July 2015, Zuckerberg announced on Facebook that Chan was pregnant. The couple had been trying for years, but Chan suffered three miscarriages along the way. "It's a lonely experience," Zuckerberg wrote.

"We hope that sharing our experience will give more people the same hope we felt and will help more people feel comfortable sharing their stories as well," Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook.

Chan gave birth to a baby girl in December 2015, and the couple named her Max — short for Maxima.

Source: Business Insider

To celebrate the birth of their daughter, the couple also announced the launch of a new company called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The couple pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook shares through the organization. Chan left her role as a pediatrician to run the organization full-time.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative launched with a mission for "advancing human potential and promoting equality."

Source: Business Insider, Quartz

Chan left her role as a pediatrician to run the organization full-time.

Source: Business Insider, Quartz

The couple announced in 2016 they would invest $3 billion of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's funds into research for curing the world's diseases. Their goal is to cure all diseases in the lifetime of their daughter, Max, who was 10 months old at the time.

Source: Business Insider

Together, the couple have given hundreds of millions to charity. They announced in 2015 they were signing onto the Giving Pledge, a commitment made by billionaires to give away more than half of their wealth during their lifetimes or in their wills.

"We will spend our lives working to make sure future generations have the greatest opportunities possible," the couple wrote in a letter.

Source: Giving Pledge

Chan and Zuckerberg have also made efforts to support education on both coasts. The Facebook CEO made a $100 million investment back in 2010 into the struggling school system in Newark, New Jersey, but the effort ultimately failed. In 2015, Chan and Zuckerberg launched "The Primary School" in Palo Alto for students in low-income areas.

Source: Business Insider

The couple also donated $75 million in 2015 to a San Francisco public hospital, which was then renamed the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. The hospital — whose day-to-day operations the Facebook CEO has no impact on — has been criticized in recent years for blindsiding patients with large emergency-room bills.

Source: Business Insider

Meanwhile, Priscilla and Chan welcomed the birth of their second daughter in August 2017, who they named — appropriately — August. Zuckerberg took two months off work for paternity leave after August's birth.

Source: Business Insider

Zuckerberg and Chan have also traveled the world together. Early on in their relationship, they agreed to vacation for two weeks every year overseas. They've taken trips to Dubai, Mumbai and China, where they visit Chan's family. Zuckerberg spent years learning Mandarin from Chan.

Source: New York Times, NBC News

Zuckerberg and Chan took a trip in 2016 to Rome, where they met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. Zuckerberg gave the pope a miniature model of a Facebook solar-powered drone.

Source: Business Insider

Zuckerberg used over $1 million in Facebook funds for personal travel in 2018, making it his most expensive year yet. While in Europe in May 2019, he posted about celebrating his seventh wedding anniversary with Priscilla Chan at the Parthenon in Athens.

Source: Business Insider

Zuckerberg and Chan added to their property repertoire in the winter of 2018 by secretly dropping $59 million to purchase two waterfront estates in Lake Tahoe. Together, the two properties have 600 feet of private waterfront access.

Source: Business Insider

But property isn't the only thing that Zuckerberg and Chan have put millions into. Security and personal protection for Zuckerberg and his family spiked to $20 million in 2018, although Facebook foots the bill.

Source: Business Insider

Chan and Zuckerberg haven't been shy recently about connecting with political figures. Both of them reportedly recommended staffers to hire to the presidential campaign of Pete Buttigieg, the former presidential candidate.

Source: Bloomberg

Zuckerberg and Chan offered a rare glimpse inside their home on CBS' morning show in December 2019. Their Palo Alto house is only one of 10 properties the couple owns.

Source: Business Insider

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has formed a "COVID-19 task force" that aims to quadruple the testing abilities of labs in the Bay Area. The organization hopes to have machines ready by March 16.

Source: Business Insider

Additional reporting from Alyson Shontell.

• Bain & Company is known to be one of the best places to work. The firm has earned spots on both national workplace rankings and diversity awards.
• With 58 offices in 37 countries, the firm plans to welcome 600 consultant hires and the largest class of 200 associate interns this year, the company told Business Insider. 
• Keith Bevans, the firm's recruitment head, shared some insights on how Bain approaches hiring and promotions.
• Bevans encourages candidates to not only demonstrate empathy during interviews but also have a clear career vision of where they see themselves down the line. 
• Click here for more BI Prime stories. 

Keith Bevans knows what it's like to succeed at Bain. He moved from an entry-level consultant role, to partner, and now recruitment head.

When Bevans joined Bain as an associate consultant in 1996, he had just completed his master's degree in engineering at MIT. He briefly left the firm in 2000 to pursue an MBA degree at Harvard Business School and rejoined in 2002 as a managing partner at the consultancy's Chicago office.

"Our recruiting system, the careers portion of our website, the social media feeds for recruiting — those types of things all fall in my role," he said. "I've given a lot of thought to the career path and what people need to do to get to the next stage of their career at Bain or how they should think about that, the universities, other opportunities available to them."

Bain frequently lands the top spot on national workplace rankings such as Glassdoor's Employee Choice Awards (the firm has been in the top four for the last 12 years). It has also earned diversity honors from Mogul and Human Rights Campaign for being one of the most inclusive companies.

Throughout the Bevans's 23-year tenure at Bain, he's taken on leadership positions on the firm's promotion committee and diversity and inclusion initiatives. Bevans recruits for MBA and PhD-level candidates from all industries.  

Bevans said the company plans to welcome 600 full-time hires and 200 interns this year. New hires with an MBA degree can expect a $165,000 base salary or a $32,000 compensation for a 10-week long internship.

Business Insider caught up with Bevans to discuss exactly how to get hired at the consultancy.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Bain will pay for your MBA

Weng Cheong: You mentioned that you worked at Bain then went to Harvard Business School for an MBA. If you already had your foot into the door into consulting, why leave the firm for business school? 

Keith Bevans: My goal was always about finding the right path after MIT that would get me back to business school. And while I was in college, I heard about consulting as an industry and met some people that seem to be doing really cool things. Honestly, the biggest attraction for me to consulting was that they sent a lot of people back to business school and pay for it. That was very compelling, relative to the engineering jobs that wanted me to go back part-time much further into my career.

And so I came into Bain knowing that I was going to go back to business school. I think what's more interesting is that my plan was to go to school, come back due to commitment and then go back into industry. But at every step of the journey, Bain has been a better answer for my career goals than the hundreds of phone calls I've gotten to take other roles.

Hiring managers look for people with problem-solving skills and empathy

Cheong: How do you assess candidates? 

Bevans: For one thing, there are a lot of commonalities regardless of the level you're coming in at Bain. You have to be a strong problem solver, and you have to be somebody who demonstrates empathy and gritty skills and can basically build those types of connections with clients.

Somebody who we think can give and receive coaching, and value the development of themselves as well as their team's. We want people who think about not just winning as an individual, but winning as a team to stand out in the process.

Know why you want to work at Bain  

Cheong: How can candidates stand out in the process? 

Bevans: To me, the first thing is knowing the clarity of your career vision. I think a lot of people out there don't know what they want to do with their lives and can't really focus on anything. Somewhere along the way their mentors tell them, "Well if you don't know what you want to do, you should do consulting because they do a little bit of everything." That turns out to not only be terrible career advice because it doesn't force you to be as introspective as you should be, but it's also not the most compelling reason somebody can make as to why they should be hired. "I'm not sure what I want, but you guys really don't seem to care so I want to work for you."

That isn't really a winning sales pitch. For me, understanding the journey you're on for your career and how Bain fits into that journey is step one. Step two is understanding the value proposition of Bain and how it's different than other consulting options that you consider.  We work with our clients to get really great results — that's what we're about. We might publish papers and win awards. But at the end of the day, we are maniacally focused on doing right by our clients. 

Diversity and inclusion goes far beyond hiring practices 

Cheong: You mentioned your involvement with the company's diversity efforts. How are you diversifying your hires?

Bevans: We have six diversity affinity groups that focus on different aspects within diversity. But the way we approach diversity — it's not solely for the members of those affiliated groups. Our diversity groups are focused on recruiting, mentoring, coaching feedback, pro bono work, external advocacy, and generating intellectual property.

Where it gets interesting is how that actually manifests itself. For example, Blacks at Bain and Latinos at Bain are focused primarily on four different areas. One is to significantly increase Black and Latinx talent at Bain, two is strengthening our community within and beyond Bain, three is developing successful diverse leaders, and four is fostering a culture for inclusion at Bain.

In February, all the offices across North America were doing different events for Black History month. We often do cuisine events, where we will have Caribbean foods, African foods, and Southern food. We also did a group discussion on podcasts. We do it because it creates the type of environment where people can bring their whole selves and best selves to work. It creates an environment where people from very different backgrounds can come in and thrive regardless of their backgrounds. We're proud of the success we've seen, but we also realize there's a lot of work to get done. 

Unlike other consulting firms, you don't get your specialization right away

Cheong: So I understand that there are different divisions within consulting. Do you recruit by placing candidates in certain departments right away or do you evaluate these candidates first and figure out their fit later? 

Bevans: Yeah. The people we bring in 99% of the time, we bring them in as general manager consultants, which means we don't expect you to specialize right away in your career. We don't expect you to pick a practice area in your first year. And that is  different than some firms where you can come in and say, "Look, I really want to do retail and I want to join your retail practice." 

At Bain, we actually want you to see a lot of different industries. Overtime, especially once you're a first or second year manager, you'll affiliate more closely with a practice area and build on it. That's not to say you won't be an expert early in your career. You'll be an expert probably in two or three different areas after a few years at Bain, but we're not going to keep you exclusively to a practice area right up front. You join Bain and overtime, you specialize. 

Cheong: So is finding your specialization is how you get promoted? 

Bevans: The way to think about this is — earlier in your career, we're looking at your progress in three main dimensions: Problem-solving skills, communication skills, and team skills. And we have a pretty robust set of sub-components.

These three areas are where you need to show proficiency at each stage of your career, and when you show the proficiency in all those areas at a level for promotion, you get promoted. That doesn't mean that you get promoted on a fixed timeline. Your specialization becomes more important the more senior you get. If you're an associate consultant trying to get promoted to senior associate consultant, I wouldn't be promoting you because you're an expert in a particular industry. I'd be promoting you because you've proven to be a very capable analyst that can oftentimes run independently on complicated work streams, communicate with equity clients effectively, and be a leader on the team.

As you get promoted to partner, that's where your expertise becomes very relevant in the unique expertise and the skills that you bring into the three practice areas we discussed. 

Your success at Bain is measured based on three main areas, and that determines your chances for a promotion

Cheong: How do you determine who is ready for a promotion? 

Bevans: Firms certainly look at utilization and billable hours, and all the other metrics. For us, we're looking at people who continue to grow in all the three areas. Are they growing in the problem-solving dimension? One is understanding their work stream and driving their work stream. As they get more senior, they're now managing people with competitive work streams and they'll be managing a whole project or multiple projects before they know it.

Success in problem solving is about increasing complexity and increasing the breadth of the problem that you're solving. A junior person on the team might be working on a manufacturing facility case to improve the inbound and outbound logistics. But a more senior person on the team might be managing two or three associate consultants across multiple facilities. A more senior person might actually be looking at the entire manufacturing network and trying to get that to full potential — it would be a transformation case for a client. We have a pretty well-defined criteria for what it means to show that you're ready for promotion on the problem-solving side. But the same is true in client and communication skills and team skills. We need to see you demonstrate that you're ready for the next level. 

Bain hires with the intent to fill their leadership pipeline

Cheong: Why do you invest in young professionals right out of college or business school?

Bevans: We've been on a 16% growth rate each year for 20 years. We also tend to hire people and develop them to be our leadership team members.

When I'm on campus and I'm recruiting bachelor degree students or I'm on an MBA campus recruiting MBA students, I'm thinking about their potential to be leaders at Bain. From a promotion standpoint, it's a very rigorous job and you have to be very committed to doing it well. For us, I hire every single person looking at their potential to be a future member of the leadership team and I work like hell to get them there. It's nice to say we have industry-leading growth from a business standpoint, but for me what that means is that we are delivering the value proposition to our employees, which is we are hiring people with phenomenal potential and and realizing that potential because they're the leadership of the firm today.

What our growth means to me is that I'm hiring really great people, but I'm investing in them like crazy. We wouldn't be able to grow anywhere near the way that we've grown for the last 20 years. That takes you back full circle to us being the best place to work and all of those things and having great training and great diversity. We all have a mutually aligned goal. I want you to come here and be successful because your success helps the business. It becomes a virtuous cycle for us. 

SEE ALSO: The first year at Bain is like 'training for the Navy SEALs.' Here's how to be successful at the consulting firm, according to a recruitment director and a former employee

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• Google is recommending nearly all of its hundreds of thousands of employees and staffers around the globe work from home due to COVID-19.
• The coronavirus outbreak has forced the California tech company to put new restrictions around routines at company offices and to take steps to protect its workforce.
• Workers told Business Insider they were largely positive about the steps Google has taken. One said "nobody could be more prepared."
• The biggest impact for many Googlers is the loss of the company's famous free lunches.
• The remote-work order means workers are now having to cook and provide food for themselves.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Coronavirus is causing chaos for businesses around the globe — and even Google's legendary free lunches have been affected.

The spread of the deadly viral outbreak has prompted the majority of its hundreds of thousands of workers to work remotely, cutting them off from the company's lavish complimentary food options and reducing the variety for those still in offices.

At one of its North American offices recently, an employee standing in line for food complained to his colleagues that their employer should make up to its workers financially for the reduced food options. "We should be compensated for not having the usual selection," he said, according to a kitchen staffer who heard them.

The comment prompted eye-rolls from the culinary workers who heard it. "Dang near broke my jaw keeping a straight face," the staffer said.

Google has been proactive in its response to the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, which has sickened more than 118,000 people around the world and killed more than 4,200. Over the past few weeks the company, like many others, has progressively locked down its workforce and offices, and taken escalating steps to protect workers from the threat.

Business Insider spoke to four current workers at the company, who were largely positive about the steps Google is taking, and hailed its technical and organizational readiness for a period of unprecedented uncertainty in the global economy — barring certain worries about food.

Google, which has around 119,000 employees and a similar number of contract workers, is now recommending that all employees in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa work remotely if they are able to because of the outbreak. It previously barred all of its employees from traveling internationally for work after an employee in its Zurich office tested positive for the coronavirus.

A Google spokesperson declined to comment on specific support being offered to staff, saying it can vary by location and may change over time.

In a statement, the Google spokesperson said the company was taking steps to protect workers who do need to continue to go to the offices: "To serve our users and keep our products running, some work, performed by Google employees, temporary staff and vendors alike, can only be done by people physically present at offices. We're taking all necessary and recommended precautions, including increased sanitization and social distancing, a public health best practice."

'Nobody could be more prepared'

"We've been preparing for weeks, with company-wide communications daily, sometimes multiple times a day," a Canadian employee said. "Bottom line: nobody could be more prepared or execute on such a massive scale like this except Google."

Google has run office shutdown drills in Tokyo and Seattle, they added, and the company is providing employees who need them special kits for working from home — including a loaner computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Another employee from in the US hailed Google's prep, though questioned whether some of it was overkill. "I do think the company is prepared ... Everything I've read on the disease tells me we don't need to go into mass shutdown mode but we are prepared for it. It seems like there has a been a great steady stream of updates and behind the scenes work," they said.

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There has been greater uncertainty about the status of Google's contract, part-time, and temporary workers and vendors — who collectively make up around half of the company's total workforce. 

It wasn't initially clear, for example, what the work-from-home orders would mean for contract shift workers like cleaners and cooks, but Google has since said that these workers will continue to be paid full wages even if they're working reduced hours. "Morale is high and upbeat," the kitchen staffer said. "Not looking forward to scrubbing down the cafes from top to bottom, but no one ever looks forward to that."

There has been similar uncertainty around the status of Google's other contract staffers, some of whom complained that they were not being offered sick leave by the contract firms that directly employ them. Google has now said it is creating a new fund to provide sick pay benefits to all contract workers, but this hasn't fully alleviated complaints. Some contract technical workers have still not received approval to access the Google computer network remotely, meaning that they can't work from home and need to continue to commute into their offices daily, one worker said.

'Losing free food is a blow'

And then there's the free lunches.

Food remains a topic of frequent discussion among Google's newly remote workers, some of whom are irked about having to cook and prepare food themselves, sources said — but people don't seem to be freaking out about it.

"Losing free food is a blow," one employee said. "I don't personally stock a fridge so it drastically alters my life in that sense and budget. Being single me and some coworkers tend towards the strategy of eating out when we don't work. Cooking for one sucks."

"The biggest fear Googlers have in all this is not having access to free food," the Canadian employee said. "I'm only slightly kidding. But real concerns are super minimal." 

And the kitchen staffer added that most Google employees are entirely pleasant, and thank the culinary workers for their help. "I'd harp on the naysayers, but it's par for the course in this industry... not everyone can be pleased."

Do you work at Google or Alphabet? How is the coronavirus outbreak affecting your workplace? Contact this reporter using a nonwork device via encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-650-636-6268), encrypted email (robaeprice@protonmail.com), standard email (rprice@businessinsider.com), Telegram/Wickr/WeChat (robaeprice), or Twitter DM (@robaeprice). PR pitches by standard email only, please.

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• Employees at Shopify, the e-commerce platform, are among hundreds of thousands who have been ordered to work from home amid efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
• A source familiar with the matter told Business Insider that Shopify has given its employees $1,000 each to furnish their home set-ups with whatever equipment needed to work remotely.
• Employees were also told they are allowed to take home any office equipment, including computer monitors, they need to do their jobs.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Employees of e-commerce platform Shopify are getting $1,000 each to buy what they need to work from home amid growing efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Shopify has directed all employees— who total more than 5,000 people in 11 different countries— to work from home starting March 16. According to a source familiar with the matter, the e-commerce platform has given each of its employees a stipend to pay for any office equipment they need to set up a workspace for remote work.

More and more employees around the world have been ordered to work from home as COVID-19, the coronavirus disease, continues to spread. More than 125,000 people have now tested positive for the disease, which the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic Wednesday.

Shopify, a Canada-based company, announced Wednesday on Twitter that its employees would work from home starting March 16 to "play a part in reducing the spread of the virus."

Spotify did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment. It's unclear if whether the $1,000 amount is a bonus employees will see in their paychecks, or whether workers will need to expense the items they purchase.

The person familiar with the matter told Business Insider that Shopify employees are also allowed to bring home whatever equipment they need to take from the office in order to do their jobs remotely. 

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Shopify is not alone among major tech companies in telling employees to work remotely. Business Insider reported Wednesday that Google has now recommended nearly all of its 100,000 employees worldwide work from home. Spotify, the Sweden-based music streaming platform, has instructed its employees to work remotely for at least two weeks. Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Twitter have all asked their employees in the Seattle and Silicon Valley areas to do the same.

Major events that bring together hoards and crowds have been canceled around the world. Massive tech conferences like Mobile World Congress and SXSW been nixed. President Trump also announced Wednesday night that all travel to the US from Europe, except for the UK, would be suspended for the next 30 days.

SEE ALSO: Googlers are jolted by life without free lunch as hundreds of thousands work from home — but insiders say 'nobody could be more prepared' than their company for COVID-19

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NOW WATCH: Jeff Bezos reportedly just spent $165 million on a Beverly Hills estate — here are all the ways the world's richest man makes and spends his money

• Melissa Petro is a freelance writer living in a tiny, roughly 500-square-foot apartment in New York City with her husband and their two small kids. 
• The apartment boasts no natural light, is poorly ventilated, and in some places is literally crumbling, but the rent-controlled price has been hard to give up.
• Petro follows a few key rules to work from home successfully: She follows a strict schedule, saves chores for outside working hours, and takes advantage of "third spaces" like coffee shops.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Documented cases of COVID-19 are on the rise, and we've all been advised to "cancel everything." For some people, the idea of social distancing and working from home may not sound that unpleasant. Others with less hospitable living environments and tiny coworkers — aka children compelled to skip school and daycare — may not know how to begin. 

As a freelance writer, I'm well accustomed to negotiating the challenges of working from home. My decrepit, shotgun-style one-bedroom in New York City boasts no natural light, is poorly ventilated, and in some places the ceiling is literally crumbling. But when I was single and just starting out as a freelancer, this rent-controlled space was a blessing. The price was so right that when my now-husband and I first moved in together, we made do rather than looking together for an apartment that would more reasonably accommodate two grown human beings, two dogs and our then-hypothetical children. 

Now that those hypothetical children have manifested into a toddler and a newborn, our cozy home feels a lot like a clown car. And yet somehow, I still manage to work from home. Here's how.

SEE ALSO: I didn't take maternity leave as a self-employed worker, and I regret it

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Create a dedicated space

In most New York City apartments, spaces play double duty, and ours is no exception: The kitchen doubles as a storage space. The bedroom, which barely fits a full-sized bed, is also our nursery. The living room becomes everything else. In the living room, we watch TV, eat dinner and entertain. It's our children's playroom and my home gym. 

It's also my "home office." My desk, which is barely the size of a postage stamp, serves as a place to sit and work. More importantly, it's where I can safely leave piles of papers related to whatever I'm working on without fear they'll get moved. If it's on mommy's desk, even the toddler knows not to touch it. 

Beyond functionality, it's the one small space in my apartment that still belongs to me. In my little corner, I've hung pictures and postcards and surrounded myself with books and other items as inspiration. 

Make a schedule

The key to working from home is taking your work day just as seriously as if you went into the office. I get dressed in the morning and I go to work just like anyone else, starting my day around the same time each morning and — with the exception of a lunch break — remaining focused until I "punch out." Focus is especially important in small spaces and when you have kids.

To keep myself honest and on task, I plot out my days in Google Calendar, deciding sometimes as far as a week in advance how I'll divide my time. Between writing assignments, appointments with students and other administrative duties, my days are busy. I stick to a schedule. And, for the most part, so do my kids. Like most work-at-home parents, I get the majority of my work done when the kids are napping.

But don't be rigid

Of course — as any fellow work-from-home parent knows — kids are unpredictable. There's always a nap strike on the same day I have a time-sensitive assignment due. 

When this happens, I've learned to go easy on myself. A truly family-friendly workplace ought to be understanding, especially during times of extenuating circumstances.

A challenge of working from home — particularly in a small space — is that you're surrounded by distraction. In addition to the children, there are dishes to do and laundry to fold and a million other chores in your sight line more easily forgotten if you worked from an office. 

To avoid procrastinating, I do chores before or after working hours, just like employees with traditional jobs — or else I'll put these tasks on my calendar (such as time to exercise). That said, it sometimes makes more sense to go for a mid-morning run or have an impromptu phone call with a friend in the middle of the day. That's the benefit of working from home. 

Take advantage of third spaces

Our "home" is more than the four walls that surround us: It's our fire escape, our stoop, our block. It's the park three blocks away, and our favorite brunch spot. It's the grocery store, and the gym. Living together in a tiny one-bedroom, my family has learned to take advantage of third spaces in our neighborhood. Most afternoons, you'll see me hard at work on my computer at my local cafe, my son napping beside me in a stroller and the newborn strapped to my chest. 

With the coronavirus, a lot of these places may become off limits — but not all of them. As the days get warmer, you can take your work to the park. I will often write on my phone while I walk the dogs or push a stroller.

Don't panic. Stretch out, and enjoy some fresh air. Then, get back to work.

• Amazon is steadily building an advertising business that competes with Google and Facebook.
• Amazon's ad business is expected to make $17.6 billion in 2020, according to financial services firm Cowen.
• Amazon is increasingly rolling out new ad video and search formats and measurement tools to win budgets from big brands.
• At the same time, Amazon's ad business is experiencing a number of growing pains like proving to advertisers that its platform can increase brand awareness and loyalty.
• Business Insider has pulled together all of our recent coverage chronicling Amazon's advertising business. You can read most of these stories by subscribing to BI Prime.

Amazon is increasingly taking on Facebook and Google for digital advertising dollars. Here's the latest on what we know about the company's moves to turn advertising into a larger revenue stream.

Amazon's leadership

• Advertising is Amazon's fastest-growing business and is expected to surpass $17 billion this year. Here are the 19 top insiders leading the charge.

How to get a job at Amazon

• Amazon is known for its ruthless interviewing process. We talked to insiders about how to get a job there.
• Amazon insiders explain the company's unique 'loop' interview system and how it's the ultimate test of whether someone will be a cultural fit

Competing with Google, Facebook and Walmart

Relationships with agencies

New ad formats and measurement tools

Amazon's move into private labels

• Amazon's private-label business is on a tear and rival marketers are racing to stay a step ahead of its tactics
• Many of Amazon's exclusive products look just like other brands you know and love — see them side by side
• Warren's plan to fight big tech directly threatens one of Amazon's most successful businesses

Influencer marketing

• Amazon is now paying influencers big commissions to sell its products. We got a leaked document that shows how it all works.
• Amazon wants to build an army of influencers to help sell products. We got an inside look at how much people are making.
• Amazon is paying influencers big commissions to sell its products, and it's open to anyone. Here's how to sign up.
• Meet the influencer agency that is helping Amazon merchants break free of the e-commerce giant

Moving into New York

• Amazon decided to shut down HQ2 in New York but advertisers see no sign of the e-commerce giant slowing down its attack on Madison Avenue
• Amazon is coming for Madison Avenue's talent, and it could be another blow to embattled agencies and ad-tech companies

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why hydrogen cars will be Tesla's biggest threat

• Amy Morin is a psychotherapist, licensed clinical social worker, mental strength coach, and international bestselling author.
• Over half of all Americans struggle with anxiety, and many face difficulty finding ways to cope. 
• While a little anxiety can be healthy, Morin says that high anxiety can prevent you from performing well at work and cause tension in your personal life.
• Here are seven things she recommends cutting down on or cutting out completely.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Despite the many conveniences of modern-day life, not to mention the invention of anti-anxiety medication, anxiety levels still continue to soar. In fact, a 2018 survey conducted by the American Psychiatric Association found that over half of all Americans struggle with anxiety. And almost 40% of Americans said that they are more anxious now than the year before.

While a little anxiety is normal and healthy (its purpose is to keep you safe from danger), too much of it can take a toll on your life. If your anxiety gets too high, it may even interfere with your ability to function. It's estimated that one in fice Americans may have a full-blown anxiety disorder.

High anxiety may require professional intervention, but individuals with lower levels of anxiety may find relief by making a few small lifestyle changes. Here are seven things everyone can cut out of their life to reduce anxiety.

SEE ALSO: 10 ways mentally strong people remain stable when it feels like their world is crumbling, according to a therapist

DON'T MISS: 7 things that mentally strong people don't waste time doing, according to a psychotherapist

1. Sleeping with your smartphone in your room

Most people scroll through social media before they fall asleep and depend on their smartphone's alarm to wake them. Many even reach over to check their social media feeds when they wake up during the night.

And while it may seem convenient to sleep with your smartphone next to you, having your digital devices close by is likely fueling your anxiety.

A 2018 study published by Computers in Human Behavior found that people who gave up sleeping with their smartphones in their bedrooms decreased anxiety within one week. In addition to having less anxiety, participants said that they felt happier, slept better, and felt their relationships improved. Almost 94% of participants said they planned to continue keeping their smartphones out of their bedrooms at night after the study ended.

2. Watching the news

Studies consistently show that watching the news raises our anxiety. This makes sense given that most news stations report the bad news — catastrophic events, tragic accidents, and economic disasters are among the norm.

And these days, it's hard to escape the news. In addition to newspapers and TV news, we're bombarded with the latest stories on social media throughout the day, and our inboxes get flooded with newsletters mentioning the latest doom and gloom.

And perhaps the most discouraging part of all is that your anxiety levels might stay high long after you stop watching the news. A 2007 study published in the International Journal of Televised Medicine found that participants' anxiety levels remained high after watching the news even when they were engaged in an activity meant to distract them. Participants who engaged in an active relaxation strategy — like progressive muscle relaxation—were able to calm themselves. But of course, most of us don't turn to relaxation strategies after we consume news.

3. Caffeine

Caffeine and anxiety can be a vicious cycle. Anxiety can impact your ability to sleep. To help you stay awake during the day, you may depend on coffee or energy drinks.

Studies show that caffeine increases anxiety. Not only might you feel more anxious after consuming caffeine, but you also might have more difficulty sleeping at night. The cycle often repeats itself.

Of course, it's hard to cut back on caffeine if you've become psychologically or even physically dependent on it. You may need to reduce your intake slowly if you're a heavy caffeine consumer.

4. Alcohol

Anxiety and alcohol use can also be a two-way street. You might turn to alcohol to help you cope with stress when you're in an anxiety-provoking social situation. But alcohol can increase your anxiety in the long-term.

Many studies have linked anxiety with alcohol, and it's clear that individuals with anxiety disorders are at a higher risk of developing substance abuse issues. One study found that alcohol dependence is almost four times higher in individuals who use alcohol to cope with anxiety.

Reducing — or eliminating — alcohol altogether might seem like a tough proposition, but it could greatly decrease your anxiety in the long-term. Don't be afraid to seek professional help. Anxiety is one of the most treatable yet undertreated psychiatric conditions.

5. TV before bed

While you might think a few minutes of TV help you unwind before bed, watching a show at bedtime affects your sleep in the opposite way.

Studies show that the light emitted from a TV (or any digital screen) interferes with your circadian rhythms. Your body produces melatonin when it's dark as your brain prepares your body for sleep. Watching TV interferes with that process. It can delay your REM sleep — which causes many people to feel anxious.

It may also leave you feeling more tired the next day, which in turn may cause you to depend more on caffeine to stay awake, which can fuel your anxiety.

6. Commiserating with your friends

You might feel that complaining to your friends or family members helps you release pent-up feelings of frustration. But studies show that you don't need to "vent" your frustration. In fact, complaining is likely to make you feel worse rather than better.

When you encounter stressful events, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. Studies show that complaining about an event amplifies the release of cortisol — especially in women. Increased cortisol can have damaging effects on the body, including headaches, high blood pressure, chest pain, and difficulty sleeping — all of which can amplify your anxiety.

So rather than dwell on your problems, your time is much better spent searching for solutions. Active problem-solving may relieve your anxiety, while talking about your problems is more likely to keep you stuck in a perpetual state of anxiety.

7. Buying things you can't afford

When asked about their biggest source of anxiety, most Americans say they worry most about bills— and their inability to pay them.

While some people are likely struggling to meet their basic needs, many others find themselves deeply in debt due to living above their means.

Social media has brought the desire to "keep up with the Joneses" to a whole new level. It only takes a few minutes of scrolling through Instagram to feel like everyone else has things you want. And online shopping makes it easier than ever to buy things you can't really afford.

A little "retail therapy" may make you feel good for a minute. But it backfires in the long-term when you can't afford to pay your bills.

• Bethany George traveled to Vietnam with her fiance, Casey, for two weeks.
• On their way home to their apartment in New York City, they had a one-hour layover in South Korea, a country that became a level three travel advisory zone the day before they returned to the US.
• Both Casey and Bethany's jobs advised them to self-quarantine for 14 days.
• They ordered groceries online, did regular stretches, and tried to not only binge watch TV during the two weeks.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Casey and I collectively breathed a sigh of relief when we walked into our one-bedroom apartment after our 13-hour connecting flight from Seoul, South Korea. We had the most amazing vacation in Vietnam for the past two weeks — but there's nothing like the feeling of returning home.

Little did we know that feeling of euphoria would soon turn into exasperation. 

The day before we returned, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised its travel advisory for South Korea to level three. Level three is the highest level, and warns people to avoid nonessential travel to the country, or to self-quarantine for 14 days if they have been there in the recent days. We were only in a South Korean airport for one hour during a layover between Ho Chi Minh City and New York City, so we didn't think we were a risk to others. 

When we were back at work, New York City offices started to mandate CDC recommendations. I told human resources I had only been in South Korea for an hour, but they didn't want to take any chances. Better safe than sorry! 

I immediately felt scared and guilt-ridden that I had already gone into my office and risked exposing my coworkers. Even though I thought our chances of actually having the virus were low, we knew we had to take the quarantine seriously. But we also had to keep our sanity. 

So the quarantine began!

SEE ALSO: I survived swine flu as a teenager and it taught me one crucial lesson about life during a pandemic: Don't panic

NOW READ: I'm an expat in Italy whose kids have been out of school for weeks. This is how we're handling the lockdown and terrifying uncertainty of what's ahead.

Day 1

Our first full day of quarantine together was a Friday. After setting up our home office, we ordered groceries online to be delivered to our apartment. We made sure to get a good assortment of perishable and nonperishable food to last us two weeks.

We also got a  thermometer to monitor our temperatures. Making sure we observed our symptoms was especially important, since we had possibly exposed our coworkers.

Day 2 and 3

Then we checked our alcohol reserves. Remember, we had just returned from a two week vacation together … the last thing we expected was to then be stuck with each other for a 14 day quarantine. Talk about a true test of a relationship! 

Day two of quarantine was a Saturday. On a day we were hoping to reunite with our friends, we were stuck inside. So we decided to rearrange and deep clean our apartment. Casey came up with a whole new vision for our snack cupboard while I went to town on some stubborn soap scum in the shower. Later that night, we got creative in the kitchen and made a fancy steak dinner.

The next day, we started a reality TV show on Netflix, "Love Is Blind."And we also finished the aforementioned reality TV show.

Day 4 and the first full work week

Our first Monday of quarantine we decided to bring some of our usual routines into our new workplace. This included getting up early and doing a little bit of yoga before sitting on the couch all day. We also decided to dress in usual business casual clothing to get in the right mindset. 

The work week from home

We also decided to dress in usual business casual clothing to get in the right mindset.

Taking breaks throughout the week

Over the next couple of days, we realized that scheduling regular breaks helped time go by faster. We would eat lunch at the same time, and have a self-mandated mid-afternoon tea break. Luckily our apartment has a little balcony so we would go out to get some fresh air a few times a day.

The monotony of it all

Our evenings started to get a little monotonous. We got sick of watching TV shows and movies. Our friend's all said being stuck inside watching TV would be a dream but we told them it's not all it's cracked up to be.

One night we did our taxes. Another night we went through a Jeopardy themed calendar. 

The halfway point

I was really missing my friends and family, so every evening I picked a new victim to amuse me via FaceTime. Everyone seemed to agree they wouldn't mind a quarantine for 14 days … but if they only knew what it actually felt like on day eight.

That's when it really started to get to us. 

The home stretch

During the last few days of the quarantine, things started to get worse. We stopped dressing like professionals and started to get less inventive for passing the time.

More importantly, we got dangerously low on toilet paper (thank you Amazon Prime for two-day delivery). I felt tired all the time and my eyes had permanent bags under them from starting at my computer and the TV for so many days in a row.

Day 10

Even when I would go out on the balcony to get some fresh air, the sun started to hit differently!  

We decided to check in with our doctor, and he advised that if we weren't showing any symptoms at all after 10 days from being in South Korea, then we could start leaving our apartment again. On our 10th day, we went for a long walk outside and started to feel just a little bit better.

Day 12

On our 12th day, we went out for breakfast!

It was a sunny morning and our last day of working from home. As soon as we stepped outside, we both felt so much better. We paused in a sunny patch on the sidewalk and took it all in. Sitting at a bustling cafe again felt good — we were back! 

Seeing other people

Both of us still had no symptoms, so even though it had only been 12 days, our doctor said we were safe to see our friends.

It was now the weekend, so both of us made several plans — separately — with our friends. Our relationship hadn't really suffered, but after 26 days of just the two of us, we were ready for some time apart. 

The end of the quarantine ... kind of

On Sunday, I was preparing for going back to work when Casey got an email from his office. They told everyone to work from home on Monday to gauge whether or not the office could operate if the city told businesses to go remote. I thought the poor guy was going to have a meltdown.

Self-quarantining is definitely not the "chillaxing," television-watching heaven that people imagine it to be. I think having the ability to leave your apartment is what makes choosing not to leave the apartment feel that much better. But if you are stuck inside, make sure you have enough toilet paper.

• Many workers, including all of Insider Inc., are being told to work from home as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe.
• Working remotely is an adjustment. One of our editors says it can take 3-6 months to get the hang of it.
• But there are a few universal truths about how to do it productively and stay sane. Six of our top editorial leaders who have worked remotely for years reveal their best tips on how to crush your job while out of the office.
• Their advice: Set yourself up for success by using the right tools and creating the right work environment. Get dressed, over-communicate with your colleagues, prioritize your tasks, take some breaks, and produce results.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Employees around the world are being told to work remotely in the wake of coronavirus. But going from a buzzing office to quiet solitude is an adjustment.

"It won't be easy, so don't be too hard on yourself," says Zach Tracer, Business Insider's healthcare editor. Tracer has managed a team of five reporters remotely for over a year. "When I started working from home, people told me it can take three to six months to adjust. I think that's pretty accurate."

While many remote jobs are different, there are some universal ways to set yourself up for success.

Business Insider has a number of editorial leaders who have worked from home for years. They are some of our most productive employees, reaching more readers and subscribers with their stories and  breaking more news than many of their media rivals.

Six of them provided their best advice on how to get ahead without being in the same room as their colleagues:

• Julie Bort, Chief Tech Correspondent (Based in Boulder, CO. Has been working remote for over a decade)
• Hayley Peterson, Chief Retail Correspondent (Based in Richmond, VA, has been working remote for a few years)
• Zach Tracer, Healthcare Editor (has been working remotely from Philadelphia, PA for over a year)
• Cork Gaines, Sports Editor (based in Texas, has been managing a team of reporters for 8 years)
• Dave Smith, Front Page Editor (based in Toronto since 2017)
• Debbie Strong, Sr. Contributors and Freelance Editor (oversees a team where 60% of the full-time employees are remote, in addition to all the remote freelancers and contributors)

I circulated their advice to our newsroom earlier. I've adapted and shared it below.

Wishing you all a healthy, safe and productive remote working experience.

1. Set yourself up for success with the right tech and work environment.

What makes a productive home or remote office?

Have a place in your house where you work, and another where you relax.

Hayley Peterson recommends not working on a couch, where you might feel sleepy. Everyone recommended working at a desk or a table.

Work from a place that boosts your mood and has great natural light.

Everyone spoke about sitting some place with lots of natural light. Debbie Strong, our senior contributors and freelance editor, gets flowers every week for her table to make her environment feel fresh. Buy or make some great coffee. If you're not in a self-quarantine situation or an area that needs to prevent the spread of coronavirus, work remotely from a coffee shop once per week in fact, to change your scenery and feel connected to the outside world.

Figure out the tech and tools you need.

As a newsroom, Business Insider uses a few productivity tools to stay in touch while remote:

• Slack, for instant communications
• Gmail and Google Calendar, for the obvious.
• Google Hangouts for video conferencing with our teams around the world.

Dave Smith uses his TV as a second monitor via Apple TV + AirPlay. 

Cork Gaines has the home office of your dreams, complete with bottles of whiskey and sports memorabilia. It includes:

• A MacBook with an external widescreen monitor. 
• An external microphone that helps with meetings. 
• Cork *built* a second computer, a PC, which does most of his video recording.
• He has Philips Hue lightbulbs to control the lighting, which helps with meeting atmosphere.
• He uses an iPad during video meetings, in addition to his laptop where the actual conference is pulled up, so he can take notes without switching screens.
• When he's feeling restless, he has a standing table with an exercise bike that fits under it to turn it into an exercise desk. 

2. Get dressed

You think working from home means pjs, sweats, and not leaving bed? Wrong!

Tracer, our healthcare editor, wakes up at 6:30, showers, and puts on "real" clothes.

Strong, a mother to three boys, wakes up at 5:45 to feed her baby then gets caught up on news for the day and also gets dressed. "No sweats or PJs here!" she says.

Gaines wakes up at 5:30 to meditate, does some journaling, and then gets dressed.

When you work from home, you still have a job. So act like it, down to having a morning routine and looking/smelling human.

3. Make a to-do list – even a few errands.

Strong sends a to-do list to herself over Slack every evening for the following morning.

Tracer uses a paper checklist as well as Google Calendar to stay on track.

Dave Smith, our front page editor, outlines a plan for the day, including errands, to make sure he stays on schedule.

4. Over communicate

Be very present over slack, calls, and text – whatever your company uses to communicate. Respond to questions quickly. Schedule meetings with teammates just like you would in the office, ideally over video conference, such as Zoom or a Google hangout.

Over communicate what you're doing and if you're a manager, what you expect from your team.

"I have check-ins with each member of my team at least weekly by video chat (Google Hangout), and we also do our team meeting in a Google Hangout," Tracer says. "Everyone on my team has my cell, and I have theirs, in case we need to get in touch quickly. They all know they can call me at any time and shouldn't hesitate to slack or call if the want to chat something through."

Julie Bort, our chief correspondent, will send a message to her editors every morning with her game plan for the day. If she is spending the day reaching out to sources, for example, she lets them know that so they don't wonder why she hasn't filed a story.

It's the same thing you'd do if you had a doctor's appointment scheduled: give your boss a heads up rather than just not show up for work.

Constant communication builds trust between managers and their reports, which is critical for successful remote working.

5. Don't go dark and try to sneak off, even if you're going to the gym (which your boss might even encourage). Trust is important.

Tracer says it well: 

"I trust my team to get work done, and this isn't about monitoring where they are all the time. If someone wants to go to a yoga class (or grab a coffee with a friend midday), that's fine, as long as 1) they get their work done and 2) I know where people are, and what resources we have available in case news breaks."

6. Use the solitude to help you focus. But don't forget to get up and take breaks.

Working remotely can help you focus. There are no chatty coworkers, alluring kitchens, or big meetings to distract you.

You can also make tons of phone calls without needing to book a conference room or worrying you'll bother colleagues.

"I think I can get a lot more done from home," says Tracer. "There are fewer distractions."

In fact,  you may find you're so productive that it becomes problematic.

Hayley Peterson, our chief retail correspondent, sets timers to remind herself to stretch her legs .

"One of the hardest things about working from home for me is that it's easy to fall into a routine where I don't take breaks because there are so few distractions, compared to an office full of coworkers," she says.

"In an office, I don't have to think about this as consciously because a quick conversation with a coworker on the way to the kitchen can suffice as a mental refresher. It is really hard to force myself to step away when work is crazy. Even just a 5-minute break goes a long way in preventing burnout."

7. Combat loneliness with background noise — or even a pet, like a dog.

Each remote worker brought up loneliness as an issue. 

Solutions ranged from creating background noise that requires little to no attention – such as a news channel on at low volume, a Spotify playlist, or even a Twitch stream, used by our tech-enthusiast editor Dave Smith.

If you'll be remote for a long time, you might want to consider a pet if you have the time and resources for one. Tracer swears by having his dog as a companion and a perpetual walking-break reminder.

8. The best way to prove you're working hard from home: produce results.

"There's this weird misconception that working from home is the same as not working," Julie Bort says. "But not working means you wouldn't have a job for long."

She's right! You need to be productive no matter where you work, and get results.

Dave Smith agrees. "My work speaks for itself," he says. "Producing tangible results is the best way to let people know you're actually working while remote." 

• Few companies have halted hiring amid the coronavirus outbreak — but recruiting experts say that might change.
• Though the US added more than 270,000 jobs in February, staffing firms lost about 20% in value over the last month, according to Staffing Industry Analysts.
• Experts say there might be a "delayed reaction" to coronavirus' impact on hiring, and layoffs and hiring freezes will increase if the virus doesn't slow down.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The coronavirus spread has halted travel, trading, and maybe soon hiring.

Coronavirus, which first spread from China in late December, has infected more than 100,000 people so far and spread to every continent except Antarctica. Although most cases are still in China, the outbreak upended business around the world, leading to a stock market plunge, countless work-from-home mandates, and many colleges and universities switching to remote classes.

In response, United Airlines announced it would freeze hiring until the virus stops spreading, and firms including Google and Facebook have limited on-site job interviews. The staffing industry as a whole has plummeted, as stock prices of major firms like Robert Half and ManpowerGroup dropped by more than 7% this week.

Shares in the largest staffing firms lost about 20% in value over the last month due to coronavirus, Staffing Industry Analysts reported. 

Half of companies say coronavirus won't impact hiring beyond in-person interviews, according to a survey of 210 companies by recruitment non-profit Talent Board. But experts predicted that if the virus isn't controlled, hiring will slow and there will be layoffs — causing a major shakeup in the recruiting and staffing industry.

Coronavirus could cause a recruiting slowdown, or worse

The US added 273,000 new jobs in February, even with coronavirus fears rising — but experts said the good times won't last for long.

Job.com, which processes 2.5 million job postings a month, found no change in hiring or open positions in February from coronavirus. But that might be a "delayed reaction," said Arran Stewart, co-founder of Job.com. 

"If you speak to me in 6 weeks, I'm pretty confident there's gonna be a slowdown," Stewart told Business Insider. "There's an element of fear and safety and just economic slowdown that will all play [a role as] factors toward the way people hire."

Kevin Grossman, an HR industry veteran and president of Talent Board, said the impact on hiring has so far been moderate and concentrated in Asia. As travel, hospitality, and retail continue to take hits from less consumer spending, Grossman predicted, hiring will slow and recruiting teams will get laid off.

Still, coronavirus may not cause wide-scale unemployment. Julia Pollak, the lead economist at job marketplace ZipRecruiter, said she expects public sector hiring to make up for lost jobs, citing to the Census 2020 hiring.

"In other words," Pollak told Business Insider, "The job market had serious momentum heading into the crisis, and will get a well-timed lifeboat in the form of Census hiring."

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Paul Constant is a writer at Civic Ventures, a cofounder of the Seattle Review of Books, and a frequent cohost of the "Pitchfork Economics" podcast with Nick Hanauer.
• He writes that the Trump administration has done more to try and protect Wall Street from coronavirus than Main Street — where ordinary Americans own businesses and work.
• He's in Seattle, one of the hardest-hit regions, and has seen firsthand how businesses are suffering.
• He says a middle-out stimulus that prioritized low- and middle-income Americans would pay for itself. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

At this relatively early stage in the coronavirus outbreak, one thing should be abundantly clear to everyone: The Trump administration has done more to try to protect Wall Street from the negative effects of COVID-19 than it has to protect Main Street. 

President Trump has done virtually nothing to help ordinary Americans since coronavirus started spreading. In fact, he's actively harmed our outbreak response on multiple levels. He's more worried about the public relations impact of the outbreak than he is about the lives of infected Americans. He's spreading disinformation about matters of public health. And he long ago slashed the federal government's pandemic response teams as part of his destructive trickle-down agenda.

Compare that to what Trump has done to help his wealthy friends. Just one week ago, Trump was pitching the idea of a tax break for big businesses to help save the economy from a coronavirus-inspired tailspin, and the Federal Reserve slashed rates in a futile attempt to keep the stock market afloat. Neither of these ideas worked, of course  —  the stock market is declining at levels unseen since the crash of 2008  —  but they do clearly identify the Trump administration's priorities. 

Just this week, the Trump administration announced that they would meet with Wall Street leaders in an effort to calm the turbulent markets, at the same time that the White House is barely beginning to consider relief and recovery efforts for ordinary Americans. 

I've been thinking a lot about what a good national response to the coronavirus outbreak would look like. Of course, we should institute a healthy wealth tax in order to get our public health and scientific research sectors back up to fighting weight. Other nations have provided testing and public health activity that makes America's response look pathetic in comparison.

But our workers and our entrepreneurs are suffering right now. Everyday Americans can't make ends meet, and the businesses that they've invested their life savings into are going to die without some sort of intervention. 

From here on the ground in Seattle  —  the hardest-hit region in the American coronavirus outbreak so far  —  I can tell you that Trump's top-down economic response has it all backwards. My fellow Seattleites aren't worried about their 401Ks at the moment: they're worried about their next paychecks, or whether their small businesses can survive another few weeks of social distancing and self-quarantine.

Many Seattleites aren't leaving the house except for essential supply runs, and as a result, bookstores and movie theaters and restaurants are empty. I've seen multiple local entrepreneurs state on social media in the last week that if the region continues to suffer under the shadow of pandemic for much longer, they might go out of business. (Some silver lining: In other parts of the country, workers aren't sure how they're going to pay rent if they can't get to work, but at least Democratic leadership in Washington State recently passed a good paid sick leave law, so that's less of an issue here.)

In 2008, when a mortgage bubble imperiled America's largest banks, the federal government came together in a bipartisan effort to prop up the economy with taxpayer money. The stimulus package is largely considered to have curbed the Great Recession, lessening its impact on everyone. But that stimulus money never really trickled down to the average American. Our wages stayed stagnant in the years after the Great Recession, slowing the recovery down by throttling consumer spending across the economic spectrum.

The coronavirus, then, offers us a unique opportunity — a chance to correct one of the biggest economic errors of the last fifteen years. We can restore the economy, improve our communities, and generate wealth for everyone.

It's time for a middle-out stimulus that prioritizes Main Street over Wall Street.  

We know that the American economy is powered by consumer demand. That's why communities like Seattle which raised their minimum wage have seen their local economies grow: when more people have more money to spend, it's good for everyone — that money circulates in the community, from business to business, creating more jobs and more wealth for everyone. 

If the coronavirus causes a recession, that could create a negative feedback loop: small businesses around the country will close, laying off workers who will then not have any money to spend in their communities, leading to more business closures. Giant banks have proven that they're unable or unwilling to generate this kind of small-business growth, and giant employers like Boeing have proven that they're terrible neighbors. 

So it's time for a stimulus that puts individual Americans first, encouraging growth on Main Street that will buoy the entire economy — including Wall Street. The fantastic thing about a middle-out stimulus is that it's not an either/or proposition; the markets are largely informed by stability and consumer demand, so a stimulus package for low- and middle-income people would naturally help Wall Street stabilize by building economic stability from the ground up.

I don't have the policy for a middle-out stimulus in my hand right now. It's something that we'd need to quickly hash out in the next few weeks. But I can tell you that a few good organizations have been working on relief policies that would help soothe the pain of the coronavirus slowdown. 

The Economic Opportunity Institute has called for worker protections:

Congress should infuse money into state workers comp and unemployment funds, especially in the hardest hit states, so that these existing systems can provide benefits to all quarantined workers and those forced to work reduced hours (through short-time compensation). The federal government should also immediately increase funding for food stamps, housing, and utilities assistance, and suspend restrictions on access. A temporary reduction in federal payroll taxes would provide a little extra cash for both workers and businesses.

Our friends at Working Washington are asking you to sign on to a letter demanding that Washington state lawmakers institute four simple relief policies:

1. Preservation of medical benefits.
2. Moratorium on evictions.
3. Prevent utility shut-offs.
4. Emergency income assistance.

And House Democrats are working on legislation demanding paid sick leave for Americans struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus outbreak.

It's obvious that we also need to offer low-interest loans and easy-to-access grants for struggling small businesses, as well as make loans available for people looking to start a business in the days after the outbreak. 

And I'd also include freelance and gig economy workers in that grouping of small business owners. Here in Seattle, for instance, self-employed artists were dealt a huge blow when the coronavirus shut down the Emerald City Comic Con, which was scheduled for this coming weekend. Shoppers at the four-day convention provided up to a third of those artists' annual income — and as self-employed businesspeople, they should enjoy at least the same level of security that the oil and shale industry is demanding from the Trump administration. 

And here's where the wails and gasps and moans chime in: "That kind of a stimulus package would cost billions! How on earth are you going to pay for it?"

First of all, I'm not particularly interested in the answer to that question. While Trump and his administration were trying to sell their corporate tax cuts to the American people, they promised that the cuts would pay for themselves. The benefits of the cuts would trickle down to the American people, they promised, in the form of higher wages and better jobs. 

None of that happened. The corporate tax cuts didn't create jobs. They didn't pay for themselves. Instead, corporations and wealthy Americans kept all the money.

A Main Street Stimulus Package, though, would absolutely pay for itself. With more money in their pockets, people would spend that money in their local communities. Business owners would invest in improvements. Competitors would open businesses to get a share of that increased consumer demand. And profits would trickle up the supply chain to the same corporations who failed to share their tax-cut wealth with us three years ago. Everyone benefits.

But as it happens, I do have an elegant solution for How We'll Pay for It: Just ask Congress to revoke the Trump tax cuts, and then devote the increased tax revenue to employers of small businesses and entrepreneurs. We could be talking about trillions of dollars in stimulus money, depending on how long the program lasts.

The important thing is that we can't allow the Trump White House to pull off a second tax scam — or, worse, a wholesale gift of billions in taxpayer dollars to the same people who squandered stimulus money last time. Instead, we need to treat this outbreak as an opportunity — a chance to give the American people a shot to rebuild this country from the ground up. Wall Street had their shot at fixing the economy. Now it's Main Street's turn.

SEE ALSO: Right now, the hottest economic battles are over the minimum wage and income inequality. But in 10 years we could be fighting over data inequality.

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