5 Ways To Sustain Working From Home Successfully
Companies need to understand that the current working from home situation and remote working are not the same thing.
Remote working is often planned or a chosen life decision. What we have been currently thrown into due to the pandemic is not the same thing. When you add into the mix children and home schooling.
The working from home scenario for some is a nightmare!
And, parents may be compensating by waking up extra early or working late at night to get in some productive work time.
As a long-term strategy, this is completely unsustainable and could possibly lead to burnout.
When you consider home and work they are two entirely different ecosystems.Work is designed for just that. It has an ecosystem that supports work.
When you look at home, which originally was designed for individuals, a safe space or haven to live which may not be set up to work in.and now, these two worlds have collided.
There are a couple of things that companies need to consider when having conversations with employees about working from home long term.
5 Ways To Sustain Working From Home Successfully
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Everything Begins With A Conversation being empathetic, authentic and open all begins with genuine honest conversation. Speak openly about your workload and productivity. It is unrealistic to be expected to get as much work done as you would normally.
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Manage Expectations Telling your children you are at work and not to disturb you not unless there is an emergency is easier said than done and of course dependent on their ages. However, managing other people’s expectations is part of mindset and makes working from home a more of a success.
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Physical Space defining your physical space where you work is key to productivity. If you don’t have a designated office space this results in constant disruptions. Companies should provide you with the right equipment to at least facilitate home working more productively.
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Microsteps Chunk up your time to increase productivity. We underestimate the power of creating boundaries to create a structure. Focused energy on specific tasks will only happen once you manage your diary and this means having to manage other people’s expectations, which can often be to say NO!
- Managing The Transition it can be a lonely experience moving from an office with colleagues, where you had daily water cooler or kitchen conversations and spontaneous banter, to being at home all day by yourself or with your family. It is really important to be intentional to build and maintain your work connections. Schedule some time every day to reach out to either a friend or a colleague.