In recent years we have seen more and more companies start to shift their teams to remote or hybrid remote. In fact, it seems like there are hundreds of newer companies who never even owned office space. LinkedIn is filled with posts about WHY work from home opportunities are best for their employees, but did anybody really believe them? Many were hesitant to allow their teams to have remote opportunities. Would it hurt production? Would they be napping during the day or watching TV?
Back in March everyone was hit with a shock (or maybe not, if you kept up with the looming COVID-19 news at the time) when we were forced into “Stay at Home” orders around the nation. What happened to those set up for remote work? It was an easy transition with technology and VPNs for those, not to mention company trust. But what about for those who were not set up? For many it took weeks to get everyone functioning from their kitchen tables.
Here we are, months later, and it is hard to envision how this will change office use in the future. We have seen news of Twitter going fully remote forever, and other big companies announcing their will offer the same or at least through 2021. There have been numerous articles written and tons of research done on the benefit of this flexibility. What do you think?
A little disclaimer before diving into my feelings on this: I am an introvert. Some may find full-time remote work to be isolating, but I find I thrive in it. I am competitive, so I can self-motivate and know I will never allow myself to get behind in work.
Pre-COVID, we were allowed one remote day a week at my company. This allowed me to use my lunch break to take the dog on a long walk, fold the laundry, or go to the gym. Some days, I just used it to relax on the couch with a good book and decompress. I felt those days really helped my mental health and allowed me to feel a little more caught up in life – we all know that feeling of always being one step behind! I can start my morning with my fresh coffee, a healthy breakfast, and a calmer start without the rush of the commute. These little things are huge for me, and I find having it daily has really helped my focus on work. Being in a good mental health space has allowed me to really keep motivated in my career.
Has the COVID Stay at Home order changed your view on remote work? Do you like the flexibility or prefer the office? Have you seen changes in your team or coworkers from this switch? What does it look like for you in terms of work life balance?
It was very easy for our company to transition to full remote work, as we had been used to at least one day a week working from home. I figured this was the case for everyone. However, I know it was a struggle for my dad to transition to remote work as he has historically worked on a dinosaur of a desktop computer. The company wasn’t equipped to switch to remote work and it took weeks for them to get my dad a well operating laptop computer.
Personally, I’ve always enjoyed the separation between office and home, especially living in close quarters with my partner and our dog. It took some time to get used to full remote work but I’m adapted at this point. I would say they both have their pros and cons. One con about full remote work is the lack of in-person communication with coworkers and having to do virtual meetings. Personally, I like face to face interaction for meetings - I find them more productive.
Agreed - I know people who need the interaction for motivation or even just their mental health, so it’s hard to develop a clear cut definition of which is better. It seems both will always have their pros and cons like you said, and I completely agree with both sides.
Working from home can be extremely isolating. Especially during a pandemic when you truly are stuck inside your home, it’s so important to create a clear line between work and personal life. When that line gets blurred and you lose the differentiation, I think that’s a huge negative factor in people’s work and production, as well as their mental health. I luckily have the space to have created a desk for myself, and keeping away from the couch or the living room area has been a positive move for me. I am still able to view the living room as a place of relaxation after work to decompress, and the kitchen table has become my make shift office. I get up in the morning, get ready and dressed with fresh coffee as I would for a normal work day. These things have helped me maintain a routine and split between work and personal.
Does anyone else have tips or tricks on how to do it successfully? Office vs the rest of home? Breaks throughout the day? Managing personal and work?
Great topic! I think working from home is different for everyone depending on their job and personality among other things. Some companies have had more of a challenging time adapting to this than others (ie. call centers/customer service centers), but largely I think it has worked out well and opened some eyes to those who were previously against the idea of it. I agree with you that we may start seeing some companies downsize office space to save money because of how seamless the transition has been. Personally, I have enjoyed it, but I know there are a lot of people out there who need that human interaction. It can take some time to get used to the remote working, but I do feel like it can increase productivity as well.
Yes! I have some tips. I’ve been working from home for almost 6 years now. Here are some of my best tips:
• Set up your work area the best you can. Invest in that second (or third!) monitor if you can or the stand-up work desk you’ve always wanted. Get the right tools for the right job! This will be motivating and will help do your job as efficiently as possible.
• Set up an environment you want to work in. This will be different for everyone. I have all sorts of mood lighting in my office, flowers, fun pictures on the walls and a cozy place for others to sit (like my dog).
• Get up and get ready every single day no matter how much you don’t feel like it. Exercise first if you are a morning person. This will get your day started out right. (This will also help in case someone surprises you with a Zoom meeting with cameras on!)
• Set up your non-working hours with a lot of human interaction. Since this is missing during the day, you will need to fill this need somehow.
• Start a little earlier and finish a little later so you can take mini breaks throughout the day. These mini breaks will help your piece of mind. Use these mini breaks wisely!
• Give yourself time to get used to this new way of working. You will get good at the work/life balance eventually. It will be easier for some people. I just try to always keep in mind that I committed to be available to the team and I want to honor that commitment.
Those are my tips! Does anyone have any other tips they’d like to share?
Wow! Great conversations! Tammy, I especially like your working at home tips!!
My very first job out of college was fully remote so I had to learn from the gecko how to be a hard worker from home. As it turns out, I loved/love it. I understand why it may not work for everyone, but I find myself to be even more productive at home. I’m finding too that I’m starting work earlier and working later so I’m getting even more done from avoiding the drive and getting “dressed” for the office. I do think you should “get ready” for your work at home day, but no professional wear happens at home unless I have to be on an important zoom call. Working from home effects my mental health in more ways I could describe. It alleviates my stress levels from not stressing about sitting in morning traffic and getting home in time to run other errands in the evenings.
As far as my motivation when working from home. It has sky rocketed and it shows in my monthly numbers and commissions.
The one negative, I will say about working from home is not seeing my wonderful co-workers. If we do end up optionally working from home permanently, I would definitely make a point to come in the office every once in a while to catch back up with co-workers and reconnect.
I agree with a lot of you though and will say that it only works for some people and depending on the type of job. Also, I think that your at home work space is crucial. If I’m just sitting on the couch with a lap top, I’m less productive. I need my own little at home office space with all my computers and office supplies. I’ve learned that I need my living space and my working space in my home and it works!
Wow! Great conversations! Tammy, I especially like your working at home tips!!
My very first job out of college was fully remote so I had to learn from the gecko how to be a hard worker from home. As it turns out, I loved/love it. I understand why it may not work for everyone, but I find myself to be even more productive at home. I’m finding too that I’m starting work earlier and working later so I’m getting even more done from avoiding the drive and getting “dressed” for the office. I do think you should “get ready” for your work at home day, but no professional wear happens at home unless I have to be on an important zoom call. Working from home effects my mental health in more ways I could describe. It alleviates my stress levels from not stressing about sitting in morning traffic and getting home in time to run other errands in the evenings.
As far as my motivation when working from home. It has sky rocketed and it shows in my monthly numbers and commissions.
The one negative, I will say about working from home is not seeing my wonderful co-workers. If we do end up optionally working from home permanently, I would definitely make a point to come in the office every once in a while to catch back up with co-workers and reconnect.
I agree with a lot of you though and will say that it only works for some people and depending on the type of job. Also, I think that your at home work space is crucial. If I’m just sitting on the couch with a lap top, I’m less productive. I need my own little at home office space with all my computers and office supplies. I’ve learned that I need my living space and my working space in my home and it works!
