Home is where the work is

Home is where the work is

Home is where the work is- Tips to manage WFH

2020 has had a permanent impact on the way we work. Does this resonate with you?

We bring to you these tips curated from our coaches to help you navigate our ongoing work situation which would have shifted to home set-ups:

  • Setting boundaries at home- While a lot has been spoken about physical boundaries in setting up work areas, what is even more important is to set emotional boundaries. What this means is recognizing that it is a home office and at some point, our home and work lives will integrate and a standard 9 am-6 pm schedule may not be applicable in the new work arrangement. For workers with dependents at home – setting emotional boundaries about how one may be available while being unavailable could be important. Eg: Setting up a play schedule for the children which they can organize for themselves while we are ‘mentally’ away could be helpful and less distressing for a child who could otherwise interpret working parents as ‘unavailable parents’
  • Communicating mindfully: Mindfulness is an effective skill which can be applied in different areas of our work and personal life to bring attention, focus and efficiency. Understanding mindful communication while working from home takes on another twist as well. Being mindful of ‘intruding’ in your co-workers and subordinates’ homes is an important reality. It can be expressed in simple ways like being mindful of the timings for setting up connects – early morning or lunch times may not be most ideal; being mindful of those who choose to switch of their video from time to time – there could be a physical home location which they don’t want to expose in front of an entire team or they could not be ‘ready’ one of the days; team members may feel exposed or vulnerable when working from their personal environments and may take time to be their own self at work – we bring out a different persona when at work and when at home; being mindful while giving feedback to ensure respectful communication and allowing the recipient to feel safe even in difficult conversations.
  • Maintain a work schedule- A work schedule is different from your to do list, you can fill this up at the end of the day when you are just about to log out. Often times, you don’t realise where the time is going and why? This’ll help you keep a tab of the hours spent versus the returns- take a call on how you want to structure work then.
  • Constantly performing versus taking time to learn- An incredible revelation to have is realising that your work is not constantly about performing but taking that little space to learn something you have always wanted to learn. This can really help with the feeling of “drowning in work”. Take this learning to your team, get them talking, have an enriching discussion. This learning need not always come from structured ‘at work’ resources but learning from juggling life responsibilities can be equally meaningful and be cross pollinated at work.
  • Redefining break time: Most of the coachees who we work with have shared that they miss break times with colleagues due to work from home. The leisurely catch-up post lunch and corridor coffee conversations added to an element of sharing and bonding. It also contributed to the freshening up in between meetings or hard tasks. While virtual connects can still continue, it is important to physically ‘step away’ from work and this can be done through afternoon strolls around your home, a power nap or some offline work, away from screen time.
  • Afterwork hours- Something that many people struggle with is “what after work?” With little or no access to social spaces, it’s a constant struggle to keep yourself engaged. Setting clear idea of what your after-work hour will look like helps you power through the day. Perhaps reading a really interesting book or planning a really hearty dinner, maybe catch up on a really exciting digital series. It can be a strong motivator for you to set that clear cut time for yourself.

Have you had such experiences while working from home? Do you already use any of tips listed here? Would you want something like this curated for your team? Reach out to us for a discussion.

We would love to hear from you!  If you have any feedback about this blog, please send it to learning@humandynamic.com.   

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