Working remotely: In a time of crisis - or not
With COVID-19 making waves at the start of 2020 many organisations are scrambling to accommodate their employees working from home. The technology exists but not every organisation is set-up to effectively manage employees working remotely.
Technology aside - working from home can also create challenges for teams in terms of:
communication
motivation
accountability
There's also the problem of social interaction and isolation for the employees themselves.
For many people, going to work is important to them, they like to chat with colleagues over coffee. Work gets them out of the house and doing something. There's also the issue of creating a routine and the discipline to work when there’s no-one else around to see what is on your screen, what time did you start, finish, eat lunch etc.
So as a person who regularly works from home and who has also done some research (much of which is anecdotal) I have the following to share.
Get into a routine
For me working from home means I can be flexible and each day can be fluid. This can also create problems when tasks have to be done.
I know from years of experience in an actual office environment I am at my most effective in the morning. The later the day gets the more I struggle to complete tasks. So as far as I can, I try to be at my desk by eight am and this leads to my most productive mornings.
Then if I have cleared my to do list by lunchtime, in the afternoon I can be more relaxed and really just focus on time with my children or critical tasks that pop up.
I also find that the mornings I exercise I am more likely to be at my desk by eight am. Once I’m at my desk I’m pretty good about staying there until I have completed my work...or it’s lunchtime which leads me to another point. I also try to keep consistent hours.
I also try to keep consistent hours. I have lunch about 12:30 and I have an alarm that tells me to go back to work.
When you’re by yourself and there are no urgent priorities it’s too easy to stay on the couch and surf the internet, watch tv, or in my case, read a book.
Hence the alarms.I also have cutoff times in the evening. I’ll sit and work till five pm if it’s important but not critical, eight pm if it’s critical. After eight then only urgent and critical work is done.
These are my boundaries and they’re important to me. Obviously everyone is different, but think about what is important to you and set up hours and a routine that suits you.
Use technology
I cannot stress enough that technology can be a great help or a great hindrance when trying to work from home.
The good - find what works for you and work with it!
Using Google Keep helps me to set myself regular tasks and the reminder function helps me to get things done. As said earlier, I set myself alarms to keep myself on track, it’s too easy to slip into:
long lunch breaks
late starts
social media rabbit holes
An alarm/notification can help to at least nudge you back in the right direction.
One thing that I have just started to trial and so far is working very well is to calendar my day. I work as a consultant, so I have different activities with different organisations which means I need to manage my time and priorities carefully. I also have some volunteer commitments that I want to do, but I have to make sure they don’t interfere with my paid work.
When discussing this issue with a friend she was curious to know why I didn’t set times for these tasks - so this week I have been doing so. It is working so well I’m cranky with myself that I didn’t do this earlier!
I have a reminder at the end of my work day to set-up my calendar for the next day. I then prioritize my day and add the list of tasks I need to do. During the day I get a reminder when I need to shift activities. I can then either adjust my timings or wrap up and move on.
The bonus here is that at the end of the week I can see how much time I spent doing what task.
Moving forward I am hopeful this will help me to prioritise paid work over volunteer work and not cram my deadlines.
The bad - don’t let it become a distraction
The only way I can get a task done is to focus on it.
I have started to shut off/block all notifications on my pc and I turn my phone over until I have completed a task. If I'm messaging people then I’ll let them know that I have a call or a task deadline that needs my attention.
This helps me to manage my own distractions
Set-up a clear space to work
I hate clutter and so one thing I work on is keeping my office space clear and tidy. I try to finish my day with a quick tidy up. Pens and notebooks are put in back their space and there is nothing left out of place once I have finished my day. This has two benefits for me.
One, I can easily and quickly put my hand on whatever I need whenever I need it. There’s nothing worse than being on a conference call and not being able to find a sticky note or a highlighter.
Two, my work space is more comfortable and not a distraction. I feel calmer and more productive when I have a clear and clutter free space to work in. It helps me to focus on the fact that I am working, not here to play on the computer.
Creating a clear space to work helps me to move from home mode to work mode.
Yes it may just be a matter of rolling out of bed and walking four steps to my desk, but I move zones and I find this helps me to switch on and off from each activity.
Have coffee with friends
After a few months of working from home I found myself getting lonely. I started to make an effort to catch-up with my friends and colleagues for a coffee or lunch.
This really helped me to feel less lonely but it also helped to structure my day. For me, the more I have to do, the more organised I am.
Having a lunch appointment means I am more likely to have a productive morning. I want to get through my to do list so I can relax and enjoy the lunch.
With social distancing measures now in place this may not be possible physically but that doesn't mean you can't do it virtually.
Set-up a coffee break and make it video conference instead. Get your coffee, turn on your camera and chat away!
This will also work with any tipple of your choice so block those mental health breaks into your calendars!
Turn on your video during conference calls
I always make sure that I turn on my camera during a conference call. This is for two reasons.
Firstly, I am seen and am able to see people so it’s more like actual work.
Secondly, I have to get dressed and make an effort to be presentable.
As I said previously, I mostly work from home so I could spend the entire week in my pajamas or active wear. Having a conference call ensures that I’ll do my hair, put on nicer clothes (at least from the top up) this helps me to feel more professional on the call.
Side note; it also means I’m very aware of how tidy and neat my bookshelf is. It’s in my video background so having it look neat, tidy and clutter free is super important to me.
By turning on our videos we get face to face connection with each other and this allows for better connections. Maintaining connection with our team when we are working by ourselves is important for our mental health. If we start to feel isolated then we need to look at how we can improve those connections we already have. Which leads into the next point.
Allow time to chat about non-work items
When on a conference call, especially if it’s a team meeting, always make time for a chat and check-in with each other. This can be done either as people join the call or table it into the agenda for the end of the call. This helps those with a higher social need to feel part of the team and helps them to feel connected with their peers. It only needs to be for 5 to 7 minutes of the call but if videos are on and people are chatting, it is really good for morale.
Have an objective and an agenda
Just because we are not in the office doesn't mean that the call can just happen with no fixed objective or agenda. If a meeting is required then make sure everyone knows:
Why is the call occurring?
What is the objective and agenda?
Stick to the agreed time allotted for the call
By doing this everyone can be confident that the meeting is important and that they can finish the call in time to either join another call or get on with their tasks.
Set-up team social events (if you can)
This is similar to allowing time to chat but more focused on team morale and motivation. We need to connect regularly with each other in real life (IRL).
Connections matter and we need to connect with each other in a face to face environment. Having a monthly social activity will help to build and cement those foundations.
If you are unable to do this type of activity in real life because of quarantine then look at creative ways that you can connect with each other in a non-work type of way.
For example you could do a Friday night drinks conference call.
Check-in with each other
One way to help maintain connections when you can't meet in person is to set-up non work based activities and chats.
If you have a pet show them to your team during an appropriate moment such as the beginning or end of a call. This can often lighten everyone's mood.
Make micro-connections
When my husband was working away from Singapore for an extended period of time we had a family chat group that allowed us to share photos and keep in contact on a regular basis. These small but regular contacts helped us to feel connected and was a way to share the little things.
We also played online games as a team. This helped to give us a shared purpose and a fun activity to help stay connected.
Ask a buddy to hold you accountable!
This can be the hardest one to do. Recently I have been struggling to do what I needed to do. I spoke with my Sunday Cycling Posse and I asked them to help me.
I have no boss except me and I’m a bit of a softy, so I always give myself extensions...By reaching out and asking my buddies to hold me accountable, I am much more likely to finish those non-urgent, non-paid activities that I plan to do but don’t.
So if you struggle to work from home because you find it difficult to sit down and work, ask someone you trust to follow-up with you. A few nudges here and there and it’s amazing what you can achieve!
