Blog | Means Advisor
13Mar 2020

One solution for COVID -19

Work from home without losing your sanity

 

As coronavirus continues to spread throughout the country, companies are asking employees to work remotely to help control contagion. At first, working from home might seem like a dream: no commute, no distracting co-workers and think of all those chores you'll be able to sneak in!

But after the novelty wears off, things get real. It can be lonely. Your home suddenly feels a lot smaller. And there's no real end to your work day.

 

Here are some tips to stay well-balanced:

 

Take a break

 

Let's be honest: You don't work eight hours straight in the office. There are coffee breaks, lunch walks and chats with co-workers that give some respite from work. Just because you are working from home doesn't mean you aren't entitled to the same breathers.

Hitting the pause button throughout the work day can be a boon to productivity.

 

Get structured, but not too much

It will take a little time to get into your groove working from a different environment. If you were the office worker who liked to bounce around from your desk to a conference room table to a private meeting room to get your work done, don't feel like you have to limit yourself to one spot in your house, advised Rabin.

But be thoughtful about where you choose to work and make sure to match the environment to the type of work you are doing, suggested Morgenstern. For instance, find a quiet area to work for some deep thinking, while sitting outside on your patio might work to respond to emails and other housekeeping-type tasks.

And make sure to designate some places as work-free zones.

 

Repurpose your commute

A major perk of working from home is ditching the commute. But that doesn't mean your work day can start earlier.

 

 

 

Set very clear boundaries

"Working from home doesn't mean you are working more hours. Be clear with your manager and coworkers of your schedule and stick to it.

And when your work day ends, put away your work equipment and change into your evening or lounge clothes to help signal the shift to personal time.

You also have to be clear with the other members of your household who might be wanting your attention during the workday. This could be particularly challenging if schools close.

"Create some structure to the day and designate play and work time while organizing space into work and play areas. You have to impose some order."

 

Show your face

 

When possible, use video over the standard conference call to help create more interactions and avoid loneliness.

Three times a week all the employees at 15Five, whether they work from home or are in the office, get on a video call, for an all-hands meeting.

 

Force social collisions

Working from home means no popping into your colleague's office to chat or running into someone on your way to the bathroom and discussing weekend plans.But social interaction can still happen from home -- you just have to be more proactive. Set up regular check-ins with your team or manager that allows you to not only provide progress updates, but also sort through any problems or brainstorm ideas.

Use FaceTime, Zoom and other video tools during meetings or just to chat with coworkers to help avoid loneliness. At 15Five, there are two Slack channels that provide a discussion space for workers.

One is more formal where people discuss what they are working on and other business-related subjects while the other one, called "water-cooler," is more casual, where people post more personal messages and funny images.